[Robert H]

What is Süßwassertang? Is this a new power drink?

How does it grow, what kind of plant is it? Who thought up this silly name? How does it reproduce? Where do you find it? Whats its natural enviorment? Does it always grow in a ball? Is it related to Pellia? Is it easy or hard to grow? How is it different from mini pellia? I read its a liverwort.. is that true? So its Riccia on steriods?:iamwithst

 

[rain-]

I grows same way as "Pellia" does. Dr Benito Tan says it's a fern gametophyte. Some German person, it means freshwater seaweed, not that silly really. About reproduction: "The gametophyte is not the full fern, but a plant with only half the genetic material of the adult fern, rather like a sperm cell or an egg cell. The gametophyte is the intermediate stage from spore to adult fern." Don't know, might come from Taiwan. Don't know. Yes, if you let it be and grow without disturbing, but you can break it to smaller pieces. Easy. Doesn't look like mini pellia at all. Dr Tan says it's not a liverwort. So, no Riccia on steroids.

 

[Robert H]

Is that it? I was trying to be humorus in my question, but surely we can have more of a discussion than quick one word answers? I would really like to know all about this unique looking plant. Where's Mike?

 

[spypet]

come on Bob, do us all a favor and use search.
we've discussed this stuff to death here already.

search: Suesswassertang or Süßwassertang

 

[rain-]

I think there's also some results with subwassertang and susswassertang, although the ones spypet mentioned are the proper ways to spell it.

And that's about it. There's not much else to know about the plant, no-one seems to know the exact origin, no-one knows, not even the botanists, what the species is.

 

[Betowess]

Spypet, I think Robert goes by Robert. Also, kind of tired of hearing the "use the search" refrain. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Ankit]

I've spent some time reading about this plant but can't really find much information. I'm trying to grow it in high light (3WPG+) without CO2 injection, however cooler water around 72F.

I'll be keeping an eye on it and posting results of its growth after a few months or even a year depending on how quickly/slowly it grows.

 

[chaznsc]

Spypet, I think Robert goes by Robert. Also, kind of tired of hearing the "use the search" refrain. Just my .02 cents.

I am with you betowess.........good heavens spypet, back off.

 

[rain-]

I'm trying to grow it in high light (3WPG+) without CO2 injection, however cooler water around 72F.

My tanks are around that temp and the plant is growing nicely. Other tank has DIY CO2, other one gets only some Excel once in a while, metal halides, about 5WPG. I have some in a tank with only one fluorescent tube (under 1WPG)and not any ferts added and it grows there too, slowly and not as bushy as with high light, but it grows. And Momotaro has this plant in his tanks with higher temps than mine (can't remember how high, but in summer time it was really high) and it's growing nice and fast there too.

 

[Momotaro]

I really can't add more than rain- has already said. The plant is new, and rare and there just not much information available, unfortunately.

Rain- did send the plant to Dr. Tan for identification. I had a link to his response to her, but have lost it unfortunately. You can clearly see by the pictures she has taken herself that Süßwassertang and "Pellia" are two different things.

The difference can really be distinguished by handling the plants. Süßwassertang is much softer and flexible. The plant is more delicate. "Pellia" is thicker and darker. It has a "crispier" feel to it. The is no vein-age in Süßwassertang, while veins are clearly apparent in any "Pellia" I have seen.

I am growing the plant in a rather tepid aquarium. Usually close to 79°, but higher in the summer. CO2 levels are high as well. It is growing high up in my aquarium under some bright TEK T5 fixtures.

Also, kind of tired of hearing the "use the search" refrain.

I am with you betowess.........good heavens spypet, back off.

Agreed!

This plant has hardly been discussed to death. Just a handful of threads mention it and several of them are in "Swap and Shop" (one of them by spypet himself).

Maybe you are tired of the topic, spypet but I and others certainly are not.

Please don't quell discussion by insisting people use the search function in a less than social manner if possible.

Mike

 

[Betowess]

I imagine many of you folks have seen this link already, but I just found it tonight. Having just "ordered" some from :icon_cool Mike, I wanted to try the "search" function...
I suppose some of the stock we have floating around came from "oceanaqua" of Houston. I believe he said he ordered it from Italy. He too mentioned this link...
victri.net I believe victri.net is out of Singapore.

 

[rain-]

The only problem is that he hasn't updated his information and still says that it's an unidentified liverwort, which it isn't.

My Süßwassertang (which Momotaro also has) comes from a German hobbyist, but I don't know where he got his from. But I know that botanical garden in München, Germany has had this fern, so it's possible that he got his from someone in Germany. Anyway, it's not really hard to recognize this plant, so I'm sure we all have the same plant. Unless someone has mixed up "Pellia" with Süßwassertang.

I haven't added any links, since I thought people probably have already been to killies.com which is the best place to learn about mosses and other things like that nowadays. But maybe you haven't: http://www.killies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=25645

 

[Wö£fëñxXx]

Yep victri is old news.
I really like this plant, easy to grow in most all conditions, makes a nice addition to any style Eriocaulonaceae tank. I have some nice photos of it, my subscription just ran out, so I will fix that soon enough and get some up...

 

[rain-]

If there was a plant of the year -contest, I would vote for Süßwassertang. It's so good for many purposes is plain beautiful and doesn't demand much.

 

[Betowess]

Sorry for being off topic. I love that winter in Finland picture in your Desktop Wallpapers. Actually a lot of nice pictures there Rain!

 

[zoosey]

Im no botanist but it makes no sense to say a plant grows just like a liverwort but it is a fern. Liverworts reproduce asexually in the gametophyte stage via gammae and fragmentation. Ferns reproduce asexually in the sporophyte stage via rhizome division. A fern gametophyte cannot multiply in the manner in which Süßwassertang does as fern gametophytes can only be produced sexually. Süßwassertangs form just screams liverwort but the lack of midrib and my lack of microscope and education leave me puzzled. I do not understand how Dr's and botanists have come to the conclusion that this is a fern that grows like a liverwort since methods of reproduction are the foundation of plant taxonomy. Looks like Im going to have to befriend a local herbarium!

 

[rain-]

Well, I myself don't have enough knowledge about liverworts and ferns to start to question people who do, so I will gladly accept their information as the best there is right now. Of course things can change in the future when there's more knowledge than now. Some things will be confirmed, some proved false. But right now, this is all we know.

If you want to ask for proof and question the identification, you might find it more fruitful to do it at killies.com than in here. http://www.killies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=29761#29761

 

[fredyk]

I'm glad the question was asked because I still don't know what is subwassertang, although this discussion has helped.

 

[zoosey]

The killie peoples need to come here! And the botanists need to hurry up before I go and spend my plant budget on a microscope!

 

[rain-]

This hobby is really horrible, I am thinking about buying a microscope so I can take some real close-up photos of plants and things.