Hornwort care
Ceratophyllum demersum
Hornwort grows fast in almost any tank, floating or anchored, and soaks up nutrients that would feed algae.
- Light
- Low
- CO₂
- Not needed
- Where it goes
- Floating at the surface
- Growth
- Fast
- Care level
- Easy
- Height
- 12 to 36 in
- Temperature
- 60 to 85 °F
- How to plant
- Float it, or weigh the stems down; it has no true roots
- Propagation
- Any broken piece grows
In a 20 gallon long
12¾ in tallHow to grow hornwort
Hornwort grows fast in almost any tank, floating or anchored, and soaks up nutrients that would feed algae. It handles unheated tanks, which makes it a good plant for goldfish and cold-water setups.
Common problems
- Shedding needles after a move or temperature change; it usually settles.
- Overgrowth: remove handfuls each week.
Plants that grow in the same light
Sources
Plant identity from Wikipedia: Ceratophyllum demersum. Heights, temperatures and care are typical ranges in aquariums from common planted-tank practice, not figures from that article. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Hornwort Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Java fern Pinpin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Java moss Xedoo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Anubias nana Michael Linnenbach, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cryptocoryne wendtii John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Vallisneria Damitr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf sagittaria Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
