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Water Sprite - a Practical Guide with pictures

42K views 52 replies 38 participants last post by  gus6464 
#1 ·


I have been 'defending' this plant on several threads already, but here I go again. This plant has so many uses, provides so many benefits, grows in so many conditions that I recommend anyone to give it a try.

Evolution-wise, Water sprite resides between ferns and Rosette plants: it does not have a rhizome per say, but it's leaves 'un-furl' in a fern-like way.

Uses:
  1. This light, lime-green fine leaved plant will add a light spot to your all-green tank. Great backdrop for colored plants.
  2. Tank cycling: Water Sprite will slurp anything and everything you throw at it
  3. One of the best O2 producer in planted aquaria
  4. Hiding places for fry
  5. Renewable food source for goldfish and cichlids
  6. Lights too bright? Will provide finely filtered light
  7. Algae: will help to balance nutrients in the water column
Sustainability:
One way to view and treat Water Sprite would be as a perennial plant. Eventually, water sprite will reach the surface, regardless of the height of your tank. Moreover, some of the stems will decide to grow emersed. As Water Sprite ages, the new stems become progressively thicker and top-heavy. When the stems start reaching ~1/4" in diameter, it's time to replant, unless it's in a pond :)
Environment:
  • Temp: Low 60s (goldfish, unheated tanks) to high 80s (discus)
  • Light: from low to very high
  • H2O: lean to supper enriched, soft 2GH to hard 20GH
  • Can be grown imersed and emersed or both
How to Plant:
Water Sprite can be grown planted and/or floating
Floating:
Either just let it float freely or (best) pull the roots over the spay bar and between the spray bar and tank's side. Floating, Water Sprite develops an extensive root system consisting of thicker roots with finer sub-roots that look very attractive, provide shelter for fry and home for micro-organisms. Individual root can make it all the way down to the substrate.​
Planted:
  1. Lay roots horizontally on substrate
  2. Put a stone/driftwood on the roots 1/2" to 1" away from the rhizome
  3. Let go off the plant to check that it stays in place
  4. Gently push roots into substrate or add substrate over the roots up to the retaining stone/driftwood
How to Trim:
Do NOT top the stems or remove 'leaves' from a stem: the stem will start rotting.
You have to remove the whole stem by cutting/pinching the stem right above the roots. In larger plants, some of the roots will come away with the removed stem: it's ok.​


How to Propagate:
Water Sprite is a consistent self-propagating plant of impressive yield. The plant propagates via plantets (baby plants) attached to stems. The best way to 'find' new baby plants is to look for the darker areas of the mother plant. More likely then not, those areas will contain roots of new plants. The leaves (not stems) of the new baby plants and those of the parent stalk surrounding the new root system will start to decay and turn brown. The picture above has a circle around the root system of one of the new baby plants. It is not unusual to have multiple baby plants growing on a single stem of a mature mother plant. It is also not unusual to have baby plants with their own baby plants (grand-baby plants? :))​

How to Separate Baby Plants:​
  1. Remove the entire stem with baby plants from the mother plant
  2. Cut the parent's stem away from the baby plant just under the baby plant's root system:



  3. Remove all leaves (not stems) that are growing directly from the root system:



    Now you have a new plant! (That has it's own baby :))


Conclusion:
You get the Water Sprite you deserve: trim it, replant it - and you have a plant (or a 100) forever to enjoy.
Ignore it, and it will turn into a monster that will overtake your tank.

Every time I sell plants, most likely then not, a Water Sprite is included, either paid for or not.

[2nd Revision]
 
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#32 ·
Dispose of responsively or move them to a larger tank.

At the moment I have a couple of smaller guys I can share but asking for $7 in shipping for a water sprite or 2 just feels wrong. A lot of people could not give it away 2 months ago, but it seems that I'm one of the few who still ship plants in the winter.
 
#34 ·
OK..... I love this plant, but it doesnt love me! I hve tried 6-7 times to grow it in my 125 planted tank and it always gets brown and melts! I am getting a complex. It is the only thing I can't grow!!! The last batch I got was 10" tall with lots of roots. It has been in my tank for2 weeks and is starting to look horrible.


The day after planting:


Today:


It has grown, but is looking brown and unhealthy.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
#39 · (Edited)
My water sprite doesnt look like yours! My plants have wider leaves..much wider!
These were my plants when i got them, dates on em, and they quickly out grew my 45 gallon, my two tens and my five [tanks i had at the time].
View attachment 58630
View attachment 58632
View attachment 58631

They were beautiful, and i ended up growing a monster that was six of my hands!
You can see in the next pictures the floaters? Thats all water sprite. And its thats thick all the way across! The second photo not so much, its after i got rid of the monster. They propagated from the leaves themselves, usually in the curves, a which caused parts of the leave to tear off, and that damages the main leaf! Lots of moving means lots of tearing, and at that time i was rescaping alot, and that leads to rotting leaves, and more ammonia and nitrates than what you could hope for...Finally had to take it all out, and its now in a bucket, waiting to be sorted..i sort more and more everyday, but theres still more!
I tried burying it for a while, but it juts stayed like the floaters leaves.
Evan when rooted in the substrate, it still looks like this: [Water sprite in the substrate is on theleft side!]
View attachment 58633
View attachment 58634

Do i not ave water sprite?
Id love to get one of you guys plants! =]
 
#42 ·
I want to know how to get it to grow to the top of my 75 gal tank before it breaks off the baby plantlets. It gets at most 12-15" tall and then the "top" breaks out of it. Could it be the current from the HOB filter that causes that? Lacking something to make stronger stems?

I've never trimmed this plant because it just keeps breaking the top off on it own. The mother plant got about 15" tall then bam the whole top came out and my mother plant was only 8" tall after that. I don't even know which or where the original "mother" plant is. I probably have great-great grandbaby plants. LOL

It works very good for tucking into or wrapping around branches on my driftwood to keep in place and mostly stays put .. until more plantlets break off.

How can I get it to grow tall? Should I keep pruning it while it's small to make the stems stronger and thicker?
 
#45 ·
When a plantet is detached, pinch off the entire parent stem at the roots.

Chose one already planted plant (no need to pull it out) and pinch off all but 2-3 stems.
 
#50 ·
GREAT plant
I have a few tanks and a few months ago started to grow it emersed. In the mean time I did not have any in my tanks. Well I decided to put some back this week and the transition back to submerged was effortless. That is what I like about emersed- its like putting the plants in storage
 
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