Native plants easily go tropical, I've found. But tropical to temperate?

[knifegill]

I've been reading some old-school TFH publications and other plant books. It looks like many of the plants we keep in tropical tanks are actually temperate varieties. So I'm thinking of trying these currently growing plants in my temperate tank for variety's sake (and my wallet's sake!):

Guppy Grass (najas sp.?)
Cabomba
Java Fern


The ones I've already had success with in vases include java moss (from LFS) and native elodea, native hornwort from local ponds and water ways. Also, three other plants I have yet to see in any book.

 

[knifegill]

Figured out one of my unidentifieds is a "Spike Rush", possibly eleocharis acicularis but I'm not too keen on ID'ing a plant whose look-alikes are also made of straight green lines.

 

[FLESHY]

My friends and I do a lot of diving around here, and sometimes we pick plants...to be honest we hardly ever have success with establishing native plants...guess its different for everyone.

Native lilies (dont worry they came from a man-made pond on my own property) grew like crazy, then suddenly stunted.

 

[knifegill]

My friends and I do a lot of diving around here, and sometimes we pick plants...to be honest we hardly ever have success with establishing native plants...guess its different for everyone.

Perhaps the species you are trying are not as hardy as the plants I've tried. I mean, most of what I've succeeded with so far are classified as pest plants or water weeds and such.

 

[Kaosu]

iv tried a few and they did great in my tank...hard starwort going mad in my 10 gallon guppy tank...untill i heated it. Now it shoots tiny little round leaves...and seems to not be doing so well... dose not seem do great in heat.

 

[Noto]

Figured out one of my unidentifieds is a "Spike Rush", possibly eleocharis acicularis but I'm not too keen on ID'ing a plant whose look-alikes are also made of straight green lines.

If it has little "cones" at the ends of the stems, it's definitely a spikerush/hairgrass (Eleocharis). Identifying to species is trickier. Some native spikerushes do well submerged, some not so well, and some are annual so they'll die pretty soon wherever you put them. Do you have any pics?

Ludwigia palustris is pretty easy to find and does well in tanks. It's common in wet ditches, pond margins, and other shallow-water areas. It's similar to L. repens, which is a common pet shop species. Common vals, cardinal flower, banana plant, and many species of Sagittaria are also hardy natives that you may be able to find locally.

 

[Blacken]

this is true i just broke the ice on a pond here and pulled some plants out and they are now growing like weeds in my tropical tank

 

[knifegill]

I just heated the tank to add some puffers. The hornwort is growing super rapidly and the microsword-thingy is just making babies like a carpet. Rock on!