# Anyone experience with Laceleafs (Aponogeton fenestralis)



## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Hey peeps,
I just got me a Laceleaf plant for my my 50g community tank, and read on-line that these plants need a to 'cooling off' for a few months once a year. Anyone succesfully kept this plant, and can share his/her experiences with this plant? Any tips and tricks (based on personal experiences) on how to keep this - supposedly hard to care for - plant alive and prospering?

For those that have no idea what plant I mean, here you go:


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

Jonas i guess it is the same as the Aponogenton Magadascariensis.

It needs are a little strange cause i have had this plant cannot survive medium light conditions and at the same time on other tanks grow like crazy in almost no-light conditions.I guess that you won't have any problem with it,even in your Red Belly tank.And you will have a BEAUTIFULL plant!!

...ps. I am back....


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

husky_jim said:


> Jonas i guess it is the same as the Aponogenton Magadascariensis.
> 
> It needs are a little strange cause i have had this plant cannot survive medium light conditions and at the same time on other tanks grow like crazy in almost no-light conditions.I guess that you won't have any problem with it,even in your Red Belly tank.And you will have a BEAUTIFULL plant!!
> 
> ...ps. I am back....


Hey Jim, good to see you around again (I was hoping for an answer from you!)









Actually, I didn't put this plant in my Juwel Rio180 community tank (approx. 50g), and not my Redbelly tank, as that tank has has too much floating debris, which would kiill off the leafs in no-time). The 50g tank has two 30W light bulbs (Gro-Lux and Daylight), as well as substrate fertilisation by clay tablets.
I'm looking for some first-hand experience with this weird and beautiful plant, but already did some research and read on several websites that it needs a medium amount of light, and also - and that's what troubles me most - needs to be removed from the tank once a year and stored unsubmerged in a moist and cooler (approx. 18 degrees C) environment until new shoots sprout from the root system.
Did you ever go through all that trouble, and can you - or anyone else, of couse - tell me a little more about that?

Piccy of mine (just planted a few days ago, so still settling):









btw: that image I posted is _A. madagascariensis_ indeed: I picked it because it was the best picture I could find of a plant like this. At the store they told me the plant I got is an _A. fenestralis_, but I guess as far as care is concerned it doesn't really matter that much...


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Beautiful plant! Too bad I have no info to help you with, I never grew that one. Hope it works out for you, it will look great if you get it going well!


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

I ask about a - supposedly tough - plant, and almost complete radio silence is what I get?
C'mon you damn n00bs, no one has experience with or can tell me anything about this plant???


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## Gumby (Aug 13, 2004)

I know they're very tough to keep alive. I've heard they like cooler water and lower light. If the light's too high they'll die, if temp isn't right they'll die. No clue about GH.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Judazzz-
I looked around for you and found this info about your plant. Great plant BTW. I hope this helps you

"last year i took out the bulbs of the a. madagascariensis and place them in the sun for a few hours to get dry. after they dried out, i placed them in a closed plastic bag and placed them in the fridge , a few weeks ago i put one of them in my tank and - voila , new aponogeton leaves within a few days"

"Aponogeton madagascarensis has a reputation as being a tough plant that I'm not sure is entirely deserved. With good light, gentle algae eaters, and clean water, this plant has always thrived for me (and sometimes without those things, too). It also seems to enjoy food through the roots. The reputation for difficulty perhaps comes not so much from the difficulty in growing it, but from the difficulty of incubating it during dormancy to keep it going year in and year out. Without dormancy it always seems to loose vigor and diminish, but a couple months tucked away in a bag filled with moist (not wet) peat, and it often comes back stronger than ever. A gorgeous plant well worth the price of admission."

"I luckily found a few specimens of madagascar laceleaf at a very low price, and after seeing a beautiful specimen in my uncles tank i just had to buy some and give it a try! Without too much care, it grew beautifully and, even though its first leaves died off, it sprouted more and more leaves, which grew tall and lay flat and wavy on the surface. It even flowered, with spikes of tiny, white, scented flowers held just above the water! Definitely does not deserve its reputation as hard to grow, and when given adequate light adds a very special touch to any aquarium. This is a must-have if you can find it!"

"The Madagascar lace plant is reputed to be very difficult, but I have had good luck with it. The plant I received by mail had very long leaves, about 60 cm, that looked old and had suffered in transit. One by one, they browned off and died back, until one short little leaf remained. I planted it in gravel in a clear glass vase (I like to see how the roots are doing with special plants.) in a 40 liter aquarium occupied by a bristlenose, a betta, and a penguin tetra. There are many other plants in the tank. I probably overfeed. Filtration is provided by a slow Eheim Liberty filter designed for a 40 L tank and with an aged filter cartridge. I use no CO2, and there is a small amount of daylight through the top of the aquarium in addition to the single-bulb fluorescent strip light. The single leaf remained for six months without growing or deteriorating. Two weeks ago, four new leaves appeared. They have grown 5-8 cm a week and are very bright and healthy. Now there are a half-dozen leaves on this plant and all look well. I think the combination of a mature aquarium, light fish load, and slow filter...with adequate light, of course, translates into success with this plant. Planting in gravel in a vase may have concentrated the natural fertilizer around the roots, many of which are not even under the gravel. The corm is only half buried."

This seemed to be an informative link as well. 
GL with your new found gem!


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

All righty, that's what I'm talking about - thanks guys








Still not really sure when to take them out of the tank, but I guess as soon as most or all leafs start dying off, as that probably indicates that the stored nutrient supply is depleted and that the plant needs to 'recharge' itself.

I bought another one for in my community tank, and it is pretty damn big (plusminus 16" leafs







) The conditions do not seem ideal, as I have a VERY high fish load, lots of filtration/currents, but at the same time I provide moderate amounts of light (in combination with some natural sun light, if it's a bright day) and a bit of fertilisation (clay balls to stick in the gravel). So I'll just wait and see what happens, but it's good to have the above info in the back of my mind. So thanks again!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Judazzz said:


> All righty, that's what I'm talking about - thanks guys
> 
> 
> 
> ...


your quite welcome, Judazzz

I would say you are correct, remove them when they start to die off.. either one or the other would be a good assumption, and removing it won't hurt it.

Get some pics up of these bad boys, they are some stunning plants! They didn't seem so bad once I did some reading on them.. I have to get one eventually now lol.. I think you will grow these guys well. Your tanks are very well maintained


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