Today, I got some hornwort from nnnn. My dad saw a plant he liked (The frill), so I got one of those as well.

Is there anything special about this plant? Is it picky? Will it help me in my never-ending battle with nitrites?

Hi Kets

Hornwort does not have many requirements it is a good beginner plant as it requires very little light and not alot of ferts fish waste is enough. How many watts of light are on this tank? I spent 10mins searching on the frill plant and could not find any info on it does it have a more common name i even went through several aquarium plant books including the ADA guide to aquatic plants and still nothing. No plant will help with nitrite issues they only absorb a slight amount of ammonia and love to gobble up nitrate.

Remember to qt your new plants as lots of nasty things can hitch a ride on them ie. parasite eggs, pond snail eggs

That's what I meant. NitrAtes.

Frill plants, I think they are sometimes known as a christmas tree plant. I have some in every tank. They are very undemanding, they can grow while planted or floating. Just take the bunch and plant it on the gravel. No fertilizers or extra lighting needed...assuming you have a standard flourescent tube light. They will grow quite fast and can get over 2 feet long if you don't trim them.

You can get more plants by trimming the tops and planting those in bunches. Both the tops and the part that got trimmed will continue to grow.

Side note, this is how fast they grow: I got a bunch a week ago for my 10 gallon tank. They were about half the height of the water when I planted them. As of yesterday they reached the top of the tank. They were growing about an inch a day after they settled in.

Enjoy your new plants. And don't forget to quarantine or disenfect them to ensure you dont get any unwanted hitchhikers.

But I like Pond snails...

Well if you like the snails...Just remember that snails are not the only thing that can catch a ride on plants. Some fish parasites can also come with your plants.