Elodea (Egeria densa)

Elodea dark or Brazilian (Egeria Densa) is one of the most unpretentious and fast-growing aquarium plants with a long stem. Excellent for beginner aquarists, but not at all suitable for aqua design due to its too fast growth. Elodea grows floating in the water column, but it can be secured at the bottom by tying it to a stone or decoration.

Origin and description

The aquarium plant Brazilian Elodea or Dark Elodea (Egeria Densa) is native to South America. In the wild, it was found in the waters of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, but over time it was distributed in waters around the world. Due to its rapid growth, it is a pest that clogs waterways, crowds out native vegetation and can even impede fish passage. In recent years, Elodea has been distributed in the United States, Northern Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Brazilian Elodea grows completely submerged in water and is a green perennial freshwater plant. It can grow both at the bottom and freely floating in the water. Grows in lakes, ponds, small streams and ditches, but prefers slow-moving or standing water. It can grow at a depth of 6 meters, and the stems sometimes reach 1.80 meters in length. In an aquarium it can grow up to 70 cm in length.

Male and female flowers develop on different plants, the flowers are tiny with white petals 20-25 mm in diameter. Most plants sold for aquarium use are male, propagated vegetatively (by cuttings).

At the moment, this plant is prohibited in some countries.

Elodea dura, also known as Brazilian Elodea, is an ideal freshwater aquarium plant for beginners. The long branched stems are covered with clumps of bright green whorled leaves. Elodea can grow both from the substrate, if planted there, and freely floating in water.

Elodea can grow in both cold water and tropical aquariums. Regular mandatory application of fertilizers and CO2 is not required. Lighting can be low or medium; in strong light, Elodea will grow very quickly. This aquarium plant will thrive in both soft and hard water. Elodea is an excellent plant for adjusting the level of fertilizers in the water and an oxygen generator in any freshwater aquarium. This plant will also be an excellent home for viviparous fish.

Provide aquarium lighting of at least 0.5 watts per liter of water at full spectrum (5000-7000K) and keep the water temperature between 15 and 28 degrees Celsius. Elodea grows well at a hardness of DKH 3-8 and pH 6.5-7.5.

Propagated by cuttings from the main healthy plant. It is best to plant them in bunches at the back wall of the aquarium or on the sides.

Elodea dark is suitable for a pond.

Elodea canada is often called “water blight” or “water plague”. This name was assigned to this algae due to the fact that it multiplies and grows extremely rapidly.

Appearance

Elodea Canadiana looks very interesting and beautiful in an aquarium. This perennial plant has graceful long stems with lacy leaves of a rich shade. The leaves form rich inflorescences. Old foliage has the darkest tone, while young shoots are the brightest. Sometimes Elodea canadian weaving can be up to 1 meter long. There is no root system as such. Occasionally the plant produces so-called “aerial roots”. Elodea Canadiana grows best in tall and spacious aquariums. If there is sufficient free territory and favorable conditions, the “water infection” can fill the entire space. It is quite easy to fix the problem by replanting old shoots and pruning them.

Origin

Elodea canadensis, the photo of which you see in the article, received this name due to its place of origin. Elodea was first brought to Europe in 1852. Since then, it rapidly began to spread in European reservoirs and came to Russia. The fact is that particles of elodea stick to waterfowl and are easily carried.

Elodea canadensis: reproduction

How does this amazing plant reproduce? Elodea canadiana has reproductive cells of both sexes (female and male). This plant is dioecious. Female and male flowers are located on different plants. Female flowers are not large in size and consist of six petals (three outer and three inner). They are located on thread-like legs, their stigmas are fringed and pinkish. Elodea flowers bloom when the stalk reaches the surface of the water. Male flowers are extremely small, with nine stamens.

Sexual reproduction of Elodea canada is carried out as follows. The mature male flower separates from the peduncle and comes to the surface of the water. These motile reproductive cells of Elodea canadensis bloom and release pollen, which is transferred by water to the female flowers and pollinates them.

Elodea canadensis was brought to Europe and Russia only in the form of female specimens with pistillate flowers, which are unable to form seeds in the absence of male staminate flowers. Therefore, vegetative reproduction (reproduction by fragmentation) has completely replaced sexual (seed) reproduction. However, even vegetatively, Elodea actively reproduces, rapidly capturing new habitats. Every branch that is broken off can become a new plant. Small broken stem particles stick to the feathers of waterfowl. This is how Elodea spreads throughout water bodies.

Breeding in an aquarium

Elodea canadensis is quite easy to accept in an aquarium: you need to plant its branch without a root in the sand or soil and make sure that its end does not reach the surface. In order for it to have a rich green tone, it is also necessary to plant it as short as possible. Better yet, do not plant them in the ground, but leave the branches floating freely until they take down aerial roots and take root on their own. To do this, you need to pour less water into the container, since the shallower it is, the faster the fibrous roots will reach the ground.

The main condition for the growth of Canadian elodea is reliable rooting in the ground, for which there are certain requirements. It should contain lime.

Remember: Elodea is afraid of impurities in water in the form of iron oxide and table salt. In such an aqueous solution it quickly dies.

Benefits for the aquarium

Why is Elodea Canadian so popular and what exactly are its benefits for the aquarium?

1. This type of plant has excellent decorative characteristics and adds liveliness and greenery to the aquarium.
2. Dense thickets of “water plague” provide excellent shelter for small fish, such as guppies, swordtails, gourami and macropods. The fry will find shelter from the adults, and pregnant females will be able to hide behind bushy stems to spawn.
3. Elodea canadensis releases a significant amount of oxygen during photosynthesis when there is sufficient light. All underwater inhabitants breathe this oxygen.
4. The aquarium plant can filter out almost invisible fine suspended matter. Thus, the water quality becomes higher.
5. “Water plague” releases special substances that help fight pathogens. Such natural antibiotics are destructive for pathogenic microflora, which is present in any, even the most neat and well-kept aquarium. The parameters of the aquatic environment are improving.
6. Sometimes Elodea canadensis is planted in the aquarium as additional feeding for angelfish, tetras and goldfish. For them, its leaves are a real delicacy.

Conditions for keeping Elodea in the aquarium

This plant can survive in almost any conditions, but it is better if it does not have to survive. To do this, it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions:

1. Temperature within 16-22 degrees. When the water is warmer, the growth of the plant slows down, and in water below 16 degrees, Elodea begins to prepare for wintering, which is characterized by shedding its leaves and stopping growth.
2. Soft water. The level of acidity and hardness of the water does not have a particular effect, however, if the plant is transferred from an aquarium with soft water to a container with hard water, it will begin to wither and eventually die. If transfer from hard water to soft water occurs, then the adaptation process proceeds unhindered. When transplanting, it is desirable to recreate the same factors that were in the previous place.
3. Complete and high-quality lighting. In an aquarium with this plant, you need to constantly monitor the lighting level. As a rule, the light should illuminate the entire surface evenly. If there is more light in one corner than in another, the algae in the darkened corner will turn brown and drop leaves. Both fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps can be used as sources of artificial lighting for an aquarium. As a rule, the strength of the lighting fixtures is selected taking into account the herbs adjacent to the elodea and the location of the aquarium. Natural rays of light are very useful for Canadian Elodea, which should be provided whenever possible.
4. No turbidity. "Water plague" does not tolerate turbidity. Suspension particles settle on its leaves, preventing the sun's rays (or lamp light) from penetrating to them, which leads to a stop in photosynthesis and subsequent death.
5. The flow in the aquarium should be slow, because if it is powerful, the shoots will simply be “blown away” into a heap and they will transform into an unaesthetic lump.

Important Features

The Canadian variety of the aquarium plant Elodea may bring you a not very pleasant surprise, having fallen into a kind of winter “hibernation”. This often happens without a sharp change in maintenance factors, because the algae has seasonal “programming”.

Be aware that the sap released from the stems during trimming may be toxic to some aquarium plants and fish. Such manipulations must be carried out in a separate container into which the elodea is taken out of the aquarium.

The stems of the perennial algae can grow up to one meter in length. Therefore, for a beautiful, aesthetic appearance and density, the “water infection” needs to be trimmed periodically.

These plants obtain all the nutritional components necessary for successful growth and development from water by filtering it.

Finally

Perhaps, what has been said is quite enough for those who are choosing the design of an aquarium with the expectation of breeding “water plague”. We can only add that all these recommendations relate to only one species - the Canadian elodea. Other types of elodea may require the creation of other unique and special conditions.

Elodea is one of the easiest aquarium plants to care for. The only requirement is good lighting of the entire volume of the aquarium. Otherwise, the lower leaves of Elodea (where there is always less light) may begin to rot and fall off. Otherwise the plant is very unpretentious. It grows very quickly and reproduces well - just break off a piece of the stem and stick it into the ground. However, it should be noted that this plant is not voluminous, so it is best used to fill “gaps” in the green carpet of the aquarium.

This plant is also known as “anacharis” and is an ideal food for goldfish, so it is imperative to plant elodea in an aquarium.
This is a long-lived plant, and it feels great both fixed in the ground and floating freely on the surface.

The length of elodea lashes can reach a whole meter if you do not trim it!

It should be remembered that Elodea is a freshwater plant, so it is perfect for any aquarium except saltwater aquariums. Elodea is a favorite food for many fish species, particularly tetras and angelfish. And if you plant Elodea in a group in the corner of the aquarium, it will become a favorite place for the fry to play.

This plant came to our aquariums from North America, and to this day is one of the most common plants for aquariums. It got into aquariums back in the last century, when it was brought to Europe, and then it came to Russia. It can be found in standing or slowly flowing reservoirs in the European part of the country and in Western Siberia. Due to the fact that the plant is able to quickly grow, develop and reproduce, while forming dense thickets under water that interfere with fishing and navigation, the plant is called “water plague” or “water infection”.

Elodea has long stems with elongated translucent leaves that have a bright green tint and measure up to 1 cm in length and about 0.5 cm in width. Its stems grow up to three meters long, forming impenetrable thickets. The stems of the plant develop all year round, floating freely in the water column.

This is a very unpretentious plant that can adapt to almost any conditions. But it develops best in aquariums with cold or moderately warm water. Unfortunately, in tropical aquariums it most often dies.

The optimum temperature for this plant is 16-24 degrees. A drop in water temperature is easily tolerated. Neither water hardness nor its acidity play a role. The plant develops well in water with any indicators. It makes sense to take these parameters into account only when transferring a plant from one aquarium to another - too large a difference in water parameters in them can lead to stress of the plant or even its death. This is especially true when transferring a plant from soft to hard water. The reverse movement does not cause any particular harm to the plant.

Elodea brings considerable benefits to the aquarium. It is an excellent filter because it collects all the suspended matter circulating in the water. It absorbs nutrients from the water in large quantities, preventing the development of other, unwanted algae, which can be so difficult to clean from the walls of the aquarium. Ultimately, it releases bactericidal substances, thereby preventing the development of unwanted single-celled organisms in the aquarium.

This plant requires fairly bright lighting, although it tolerates some darkening just fine. If you are a supporter of artificial lighting, then incandescent lamps or LB-type fluorescent lamps are suitable. Brightness is selected in accordance with all other factors. However, natural light is more beneficial for this plant.

In winter, when in natural conditions this plant encounters low temperatures and poor lighting, it simply sinks down to the ground and retains its growth buds. But as soon as conditions become suitable again, the plant emerges and continues its life cycle. In aquariums, if you maintain conditions suitable for the life of the elodea, you won’t have to deal with such behavior - it will grow all year round.

This plant has the ability to reproduce extremely quickly. After all, each of its branches, when separated from the stem, becomes a new plant. Elodea buds can stick to the plumage of waterfowl and animal fur, which allows the plant to move from one body of water to another. As it grows, elodea leads to the death of all other plants in the reservoir and can become a serious problem for fishing and shipping.

If you are going to divide the elodea into cuttings, it will be better if you remove it from the aquarium at least for the duration of this procedure. This will not harm the plant in any way, but such a procedure, carried out without removing the elodea, can be very harmful to other inhabitants of the aquarium. After all, the juice of this plant is poisonous, and if it gets into the water, it can cause the death of young fish and stop the development of other, more susceptible plants.

Elodea enriches water well with oxygen, since it photosynthesizes very actively. It is not very suitable for cultivation in large bodies of water, but it can decorate any backyard pond where no other plants can take root. However, some experts prohibit doing this. This plant is well suited for aquariums. Overgrown stems of elodea can be a good fertilizer and are also suitable as food for pigs or rabbits. Plantings of this plant should be renewed every few years.

Anatoly Onegov
I have already told you that at the time when I was just starting to study fish, there were very few aquarium plants, and we, of course, knew nothing about either the Amazons or the Amazons; and very often in our battery jars or in homemade frame aquariums, next to Vallisneria, or even instead of it, our most common aquatic grass, Elodea canadensis, or, as it was also called, water plague, grew.

Of course, you have more than once seen small ponds and river bays overgrown with this very elodea, sometimes so overgrown that you could not see the bottom anywhere behind the grass. And once upon a time this plant was not in our country, nor was it anywhere in Europe, because the homeland of Elodea canada is northern Canada.
The Canadian Elodea moved to the ponds and rivers of Europe after the discovery of America. And here, in new conditions, this grass began to grow very quickly. Under favorable conditions, elodea grows so quickly that it sometimes fills the entire reservoir, causing trouble for fish and even captains of river boats. It is for this ability to conquer a body of water with great speed that the Canadian Elodea received another name - water plague.
. Dip a sprig of this plant into your artificial pond, and it will remain floating, like a cabomba branch that has separated from the ground. Very soon such a floating branch will begin to produce long white roots. These roots will then reach the bottom and become embedded in the soil. And the branch itself will begin to branch quickly, and side shoots will begin to develop on it. It is very good to put a sprig of elodea in a jar where you are going to transplant the female, ready to spawn fry - among the leaves of the elodea, the fry that are born will easily and reliably hide.
Everything seems to be fine - and it’s not difficult to get this plant, and it’s beautiful, and it grows quickly, and it helps to clean the aquarium: elodea collects dirt suspended in the water, from time to time the branches of elodea need to be removed from the aquarium, washed and put back in water. Everything is fine. But here’s the problem: autumn will come and your green wonderful branches will begin to stop growing, lose their previous color and die.
This is how Elodea Canadiana behaves in natural reservoirs, dying off for the winter and leaving special overwintering buds in the ground, which will give birth to new plants in the spring. These are the laws of life of this plant in northern reservoirs: for Canadian Elodea, winter is a period of rest. And here artificial lighting or heating the aquarium will not always help. So, having planted your aquarium with Elodea canada, you risk leaving it almost without plants for the winter.
That is why another Elodea is usually grown in aquariums - Elodea serratus (or, as it is also called, large-leaved or dense-leaved). This plant came to our aquariums from South America. Its homeland is the reservoirs of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. This elodea, unlike its Canadian relative, is accustomed to a different life cycle. In its homeland there is no winter, as we imagine, therefore Elodea is jagged and does not die off for the winter - it grows in an aquarium all year round, easily propagates by cuttings, like Canadian Elodea, grows even when it is not planted in the ground, but floats in thicker than water.
In summer, Elodea serrata often blooms in an aquarium - its flowers are white with three large petals.

The main condition for the normal growth of Elodea serratus, as well as for cabomba, is good lighting!
To make elodea grow faster, they usually do this:
A branch of the plant is cut into small pieces and allowed to float in the aquarium. After white roots appear on these pieces of shoots, they are planted in the ground, and then from each such shoot an independent plant quickly develops, sometimes reaching a meter in length. It is very good to plant several of these shoots in one hole - then one very lush bush will develop.
Elodea serrata is suitable for an aquarium with both warm-water and cold-water fish. But still, you should not reduce the temperature of the water in which Elodea serrata grows to more than 16°.
Elodea softens hard water well. Its stem and leaves become crusted with calcium salts and become hard to the touch.

In books about aquariums you can often find a description of Elodea curly. In fact, this is not an elodea, but another plant with a strange name for us - large mossy lagarosiphon. The homeland of this plant is South Africa. In appearance, Lagarosiphon is similar to Elodea serrata and seems to differ from it only in its darker color and downward curled leaves - hence the original name: “Elodea curly.” The living conditions for curly elodea are the same as for serrated elodea. Only Lagarosiphon requires brighter lighting, and it grows better in low aquariums than in high ones.
Having learned how to grow Elodea serratus, you can successfully grow and propagate Elodea curly with shoots.

Elodea (scientifically - Egeria Densa), also known as Anacharis, is a very unpretentious freshwater plant.

She grows and reproduces incredibly quickly. For this reason, the green native of North America is often called water plague or water infection - if you do not look after and care for the plant, it can grow up to three meters in length, absorbing space and nutrients at hurricane speed, thereby destroying all other plants nearby.

However, Elodea is very well suited for all types of aquariums, except, perhaps, tropical ones and those filled with sea water. In all other aquariums the plant will feel more than fine.

Externally, elodea resembles a tropical liana - a long stem covered with translucent bright green leaves about a centimeter in length and half as much in width. It grows almost all year round, and can do this either while attached to the bottom or simply floating in the thickness or on the surface of the water. As mentioned above, it grows extremely quickly, so it needs to be trimmed from time to time, otherwise it becomes a real disaster for all the inhabitants of the aquarium.

This unpretentious and picky plant practically does not require any special care. Moderately warm water from 14 to 18 degrees, enough sunlight - and your elodea is simply happy. And it’s not scary if the water is a little colder or warmer. The hardness and acidity of water should not be taken into account at all - it makes no difference to it.

Elodea will be able to adapt to anything. The only thing is that you shouldn’t change the conditions too dramatically: then she may not be able to cope. The main thing is to trim the plant in time, after removing it from the aquarium, so as not to destroy the rest of the inhabitants of the aquarium.

Elodea juice is very poisonous and can poison all living things in the aquarium, stopping its growth and development, or even killing it.

Do not think that Elodea is dangerous for the aquarium. On the contrary, if all standards of care are followed, this plant can become an ambulance, a cleaner and a feeder for your aquarium, not to mention its aesthetic properties.

So, Elodea is simply necessary for your aquarium for the following reasons:

• if you plant Elodea in a group somewhere in the corner of the aquarium, then after a while you will get very nice thickets in which the growing fry will hide;
• it can greatly facilitate the process of cleaning and cleaning the aquarium, absorbing the lion's share of all dust and dirt. Because of this, by the way, the elodea needs to be removed from time to time and rinsed with cold water;
• the leaves of the plant are an excellent food for many types of fish, in particular for angelfish and tetras;
• Elodea leaves, in addition, are also actively engaged in photosynthesis, easily filling an average aquarium with oxygen;
• the plant secretes some bactericidal substances that prevent the development of harmful single-celled organisms in the aquarium;
• By absorbing most of all the nutrients from the aquarium, Elodea physically prevents other unwanted algae from developing, which can sometimes be very difficult to scrape off from the walls of the aquarium.

As you can see, this plant is not only attractive, but also very useful. Because of its unpretentiousness, it can be recommended to everyone, even beginner aquarists.

Where can I learn more about plant care?

If you need additional information on caring for elodea or you have any other question regarding the establishment and maintenance of an aquarium, then the best option for you would be to contact the Aqua-Sto company. Our professional consultants will be happy to help you with creating and maintaining an aquarium. However, our masters can take all the troubles upon themselves; all that remains for you is to enjoy your personal well-groomed corner of the sea or river.

We are always glad to see you at the address Moscow, st. Ibragimova, 5A and are always ready to help you by phone (495) 506–05–48, 366-74-56 or by email info@site, [email protected]. We are always glad to see you!

One of the most common algae is the aquarium plant Elodea, or Anacharis. This unpretentious plant exists even where there is no soil. It grows quickly and serves as a shelter for fish. Elodea is also called water plague. Due to its high adaptability and reproduction rate, it quickly grows into dense thickets.

Description and characteristics

Anacharis is native to North America. Sometimes used as feed for ducks and pigs. It is the Elodea leaf that serves as material for the study of chloroplasts and cytoplasm in the section of botany. There are different types: tubular, jagged, curly, Dansa. One of the types of aquarium elodea is Canadian. It is found not only in the aquarium, but also in ponds and lakes. It looks like this: the long stems have a fragile, branching structure. Looks like a vine. Despite their fragility, they are easily restored. The older the anacharis, the darker the stem. The roots are weak and poorly defined.

Branched, bright green translucent leaves can be 1-2 meters long. Their edge is pointed. The closer the leaf is to the top, the lighter it is. The stems easily send out shoots, turning into lush bushes of thickets. Sensing a drop in temperature or low light, anacharis sinks to the bottom, but the buds for growth are preserved. If you maintain proper lighting and temperature all year round, then where elodea grows there will be dense thickets. The plant grows where there is a lot of water and sun:

• in Africa;
• Eurasia;
• Argentina;
• Paraguay;
• Brazil;
• Australia.

The elodea flower is male and female.

How to grow in an aquarium

Despite the whimsical nature of elodea, keeping it in an aquarium requires special attention. It is important to create optimal conditions for the plant by ensuring:

1. Temperature ranges from 14 to 23 degrees. In water of higher temperature it will begin to slow down its growth, and in cold water it will begin to prepare for wintering.
2. Water of any hardness. But when replanting, it is important to maintain the same rigidity that was in the old place. The plant will easily tolerate transplantation from hard water to soft water, but not vice versa. Does not like salt content in water. Therefore, when treating fish with salt, the plant should be removed.
3. Clean water. Anacharis does not tolerate turbid water, which prevents sunlight from reaching its leaves. This can even lead to death.
4. Bright and uniform lighting. From lack of light, the anacharis will first turn brown, and then drop its leaves and die. It can withstand both strong sun and moderate shade. Needs light for 10-12 hours.
5. Slow flow of the aquarium. In the case of fast Elodea canada, it will simply concentrate in one corner. It doesn't look nice.

In addition, this type of aquarium plants does not require fertilizers, as it processes the waste of fish into nutrients.

Due to the fact that the plant grows quickly, it has to be trimmed. But the juice is poisonous and can cause the death of the inhabitants of the aquarium, so before cutting, you should remove the anacharis from the water using a net or rake and carry out this procedure in another container. The plant easily absorbs turbidity and dirt, purifying the water. But there is no need to clean the aquarium by abusing this property, as this will cause the plant to develop worse. Therefore, even the stem itself requires washing under running water.

Due to the fact that Eladea grows quickly, it has to be pruned.

Anacharis propagation is carried out using:

1. Semyon. Anacharis is capable of reproducing in this way in nature. In Russia and Europe, males are generally not found.
2. Vegetative cuttings. At the end of May, young shoots up to 20 cm long are planted in the ground with a small amount of lime - in a bunch to a depth of 70 cm. Gradually the plant takes root and grows. Even an accidentally broken branch can produce roots. You can leave the branches floating, without soil. Pour as little water as possible and wait for the elodea to take root. In a week the plant can grow 20 cm.

Ways to use anacharis

Elodea is not just an unpretentious aquarium plant, but also benefits for the inhabitants of the aquarium:

1. Oxygen. By absorbing carbon dioxide, anacharis releases oxygen, which aquarium inhabitants breathe.
2. Shelter for small fish: guppies, swordtails.
3. Water purification. Dirty and dirt settles on the leaves of elodea. In addition, the plant feeds on fish waste products.
4. Fight against harmful microorganisms. Every aquarium contains pathogenic microorganisms. Elodea is their worst enemy.
5. Suppression of other algae. Due to its rapid growth and ability to absorb nutrients from water, elodea suppresses the growth of threadworm and blackbeard.
6. Fish food. Goldfish and angelfish love to eat Elodea leaves.

You should also remember that the plant sap is poisonous. This poison is not dangerous for humans and large fish 5 cm long. But small fish and fry, if elodea is damaged in water, can suffer from its juice.