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Aldrovanda tank size?

curtisconners

Greetings from the netherworld.
Hey all, I would like to grow some aldrovanda and I was wondering about how large a container they need to grow in. I've heard that ten gallon tanks are suitable, is this true? Also, are aquarium bulbs for growing plants be suitable for growing aldrovanda, the compacts for a ten gallon hood, not the florescents. Thanks.
 
You don't need something that big, all you need is... a bucket!
 
This may be simpler than I thought. Which varieties don't need a dormancy?
 
That I cannot answer. What I can say is how important it is to get your culture set up properly and allow it time to "cure" before you add any Aldrovanda. I tried to rush things when I set mine up and the plants just languished for several months before dying on me.
 
Curing, is that like cycling a fish tank?
 
You basically have to set up the tank with companion plants, and give it time for the water chemistry to balance out and for the population of aquatic creatures that the Aldrovanda can eat to build up. I believe it takes several weeks, possibly even a month to do it properly.
 
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Which plants make good companion plants? Would most aquarium plants and some bladderworts do well with it?
 
The link nimbulan provided should have all the information you need. I believe you can skip dormancy, considering how widespread the plant its. However, there isn't much known about the cultivation so if you wanted to be safe, you would probably want to grow it outside (where it would also have access to mosquito larvae, which it seems, are crucial for Aldrovanda to do well).
 
Yep it's all in the link. I set up my tank with a dwarf cattail, some Utricularia gibba, and a water clover (which was the only small aquatic plant I could find locally in October.) I'm unsure if other people use water clover, but the other two are common companion plants along with many others which are listed in that thread.
 
  • #10
I have found aldrovanda to be easy as, I use containers as small as 0.5L to as large as 300L ponds.
I have found the most crucial factors to be PH, Light and CO2, but providing two out of three are good enough you can get away with it.
Ideally I like to use a tank at least 5L, this way a simple 1-2L CO2 reactor can be used (a coke bottle), for a substrate I have found "premium potting mix" and sand to be great, otherwise peat and sand works well.
Pine bark has also worked for me, but need replacing more frequently so I now avoid it (same for peat), I redo my aquariums 2 times a year, but my ponds have not been changed in years and everything thrives.
As per companion plants, utrics, nympheae, marsillea and eleocharis all work well and are easy to grow.
I prefer to use sunlight so I cant say for lighting, but as per dormancy I have the Esperance (SW Australia) and they have never had a dormancy in my collection as I am in the tropics.

I initially let new setups sit 2-3weeks to cure, but once your used to it this becomes a chore and you skip the cure (in saying this my ponds all have aldros so I can afford to loose a few).
I aim for a PH of 6-6.5.

Hope that helps
 
  • #11
that helped a lot, thanks. Just one last question.
Where can I find one for sale?
 
  • #12
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I would us a cat tray. They are shallow and have a good surface area. I would also add companion plants, like U. gibba.
 
  • #13
That looks exactly like what I tried to do, though mine didn't survive. Even the U. gibba wouldn't grow somehow.
 
  • #14
Another question, how would I go about changing the substrate? Would I just drain the water from the tank and scoop it up? Should I put the aldrovanda in a separate container until the substrate change is finished? Thanks.
 
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