This thing went emersed!

In the pic below you can see what it looked like immersed. I don't know what type of plant it is, I just know that it grows like crazy. I took this one out and let it float in the tank. The growth was even faster. It reached a size where it was covering 1/5th of my 3ft surface area and roots almost to the substrate. This is when I decided to let it go, so I put it in a bucket with a lid on for a week to let all the snails die first. I saw that it made a new leaf outside the water and it was a bit more stiff than those under. There was about 2mm of water on the bottom of the bucket. It has been more or less a week now, and I opened the bucket, seeing that most of it was still green and healthy, and that the emersed leaf was bigger and still very healthy! Now I haven't planned for this, and the plant didn't get any light for a week and close to no water.


I want to know what kind of plant this is and if there are anyone else who have had the same experience? What could I do to make it grow as a terrestrial plant? I was thinking to plant it in a pot with sand like in my tank, and a lot of water, or maybe let the roots hang in my HOB? I will be away for the long weekend and can't do something till Wednesday. I hope it will last till then. I've added about an inch of water and some DSD plant feeding mix in the bucket.

 

It's Ceratopteris thalictoides, Indian water fern. Does grow like mad!

First grow it in a 5l bottle greenhouse, let it adjust, slowly reduce humidity, and presto! I dont know, however, whether it will do well as a normal 'houseplant' in your HOB for example, humidity might just be too low

 

Yip they grow like mad, mine also put of shoots and some floated and put out some leaves that braked the surface and their edges kind of dried because of the humidity. So I agree with Mzungu, although in an enclosed terrarium or vivarium would probably work for emersed growth.

 

Got some Indian Water Fern floating in my mini outside pond (Tx @Franna...the other inmates have grown about 10 fold...he,he).... Did VERY well growing emersed this summer...but struggling now with the colder water of Autumn...

 

Now that I've calmed down a bit after the power outage... I'll hope it does OK for the next 4 days. It has water and will get OK-ish light from the T5's sticking out the side of the tank. Will try something next week to see if it can grow nicely in a very wet pot. I have another three smaller ones which is also going emersed now so if it fails I do have a backup.

 

Danelle.... Dont worry bout it....will grow anyways... Its natural growth form is semi emersed - thats why it is not one of those "perfect" planted tank plants...it's got a growht habit like the BL Hygrophila deformis... rushes to the surface and then change the way it grows....
Ive used it in the Floating/semi emersed growth phase lots of times in the past for breeding - the roots become real long if you just leave it to go emersed...

 

No no - no worries. Just speculating Yeah I've seen the roots getting so long that it tangles with my rotala. Will have a play with it next week.

 

Go away...enjoy long weekend and you will still have it growing when you get back...lol