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Aldrovanda 'kimberly red'

Hello all,

I'd like to start by thanking all of those who provided me with information on how to properly grow Aldrovanda--you gave me personal suggestions and hints that I probably wouldn't have found on an online site.

Now, for the background. I purchased some Aldrovanda 'Kimberly Red' ~6wks ago from an online retailer. They arrived perfectly healthy after shipment. I have attempted to grow them indoors for the long-term.

I placed them in a pre-setup 10gal aquarium tank designed specifically to house Aldrovanda. Specifically, substrate consisted of a 1" layer of peat, 0.5" layer of sand, and 2" of sedge litter. A weak peat tea solution was added to the tank and a CO2 injector was installed. Water chemistry was optimal for growth as described by Adamec et al. (CPN 1997, FGP 1995). The water became rich with microfauna, and water hyacinth and 3 small snails were added. A 60W florescent light was kept 5" above the water for 14h/d and water temperature cycled between 75-80F (day) and 70-75 (night). The tank remained this way for 3wks prior to Aldrovanda being added.

The tank remained stable for ~1wk after the Aldrovanda was added. A thin layer of "slime" began growing on the water surface and quickly thickened. Water changes could not rid the problem and the snails died. Aldrovanda quickly deteriorated (began rotting).

I immediately removed Aldrovanda and placed them in a small plastic container (originally housing Q-tips!). I tried replicating the substrate environment (scales appropriately reduced), added peat tea and CO2 injection. Hyacinth and snails were not added. The container was placed in one of my larger terrariums ~6" away from 160W of florescent lighting. THEY ARE THRIVING. In 5 wks, each strand has doubled-to-tripled in length. I will continue to keep them in this setup until something goes bad.

I guess the moral of the story is: for those of you who either don't have the time or space to setup another tank for Aldrovanda, you can house them in smaller containers suitable for terraria (at least for up to 2mo) and get fairly good results so long as some of its environmental conditions are met. (And the small container need not be setup months in advance....at least mine wasn't.)

Hope this helps those who are thinking about getting these plants but are afraid they will die immediately if not placed in a larger tank calibrated months in advance.
 
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