Hey,
REally cool daddy-o...sorry, couldn't resist.
I've grown a fair number of aquatics. I think the main issue with these is in avoiding the growth of filamentous algae that seems to go haywire when placed in culture with the Utricularia. In habitat the plants are always associated with alge which forms a sheath around the plants. No getting rid of it, although I have tried dipping the plants in a weak solution if 1/2 tsp clorox to 8 oz water on the recommendation of other growers. It didn't help the U. purpurea though, alas. Any time I have tried growing the planyt in a trnsparent container, it has become over run with the algae. I switched to opaque dishpans with a layer of leaves in the bottom, and my success rate skyrocketed! I got abundant growth and flowers. I found without the higher light, the algae all but disappeared. Trying to expose the plants to higher light resulted in bleaching and decline, so I started using white plastic garbage bags laid on the surface of the water, and moved the tub to where it got direct morning light and broken sunlight the rest of the day. The plants flourished. I think that for aquarium settings, you are obliged to provide a balanced habitat for long term success: associate plants like reeds and sedges, and abundant microfauna. The larger the scale the better your succcess is I think. Trying to grow aquatics in a jar rarely worked for me and my best success was when the plants had room to groove. If you can beat the algae goo and still give good light, the plants are very undemanding. I think that if you use the fairy moss in the same tank it will probably take over and prevent light from reaching the Utricularia: that stuff grows exponentially and will fill whatever you place it in. Good luck with your aquatic plants!
