Green Pennywort Aquarium Plant Guide

Green Pennywort Aquarium / Fish Tank Plant Guide:

Green Pennywort is a famous aquatic plant. It is a low-cost plant, which grows similar to weed, & makes your aquarium greenish.

Green Pennywort is also known as Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Brazilian Pennywort, Brazilian Water Ivy or just Pennywort. You can find this plant in fish shops in plastic pots, or get trimmings of the plant. Grow them simply in aquariums. It is one of the popular freshwater aquarium plants recommended for beginners.

They grow quickly & are inexpensive. Green Pennywort is a beginners’ plant. In this article you will find out how to plant it in an aquarium & how to take care of the plant.

In this article we have discussed in detail the following topics:

• Green Pennywort Origin
• How to plant Green Pennywort in Aquarium
• How to check the health of Green Pennywort
• Trimming of Green Pennywort
• Propagation & Reproduction of Green Pennywort
• Where to keep Green Pennywort in Aquarium
• Tips for keeping Green Pennywort Healthy
• Advantages of Green Pennywort in Aquarium
• Problems with Green Pennywort

Green Pennywort Plant Origin:

Brazilian Water Ivy tank is native to wetlands & marches in South Mexico & North Argentina. Leaves of the plant look like penny.

It grows very fast in aquarium water & soon the plant will reach a height of 8 inches taller. Green Pennywort can grow in harsh conditions & they grow in almost any tank setups, such as completely submersible or marsh settings.

 

How to plant Green Pennywort in Aquarium?

Planting Green Pennywort is very simple. Just put the stems of the plant in the gravel & they will begin growing on its own. It is a popular aquarium background plant.

 

How to check the health of Green Pennywort Plant:

Before buying Green Pennywort, choose the one with healthy leaves & robust stem. If you find a light green plant that looks like a kidney then it means that it is healthy. Make sure that the leaves of the plant don’t have cracks, tears, holes or they are not discolored. This plant has stems similar to vine that are flexible & sturdy, so choose the one that does not contain breaks, is not lifeless or turning its color to brown. This plant has white roots & they grow under stem joints. Do not add fish that are dangerous for the plants such as Goldfish or cichlids in Brazilian Water Ivy tanks.

 

Trimming of Green Pennywort Plant:

When your plant grows taller then, you can trim the stem of the plant. When trimming the extra stem, use a pair of scissors to quickly cut the plant.

 

Propagation & Reproduction of Green Pennywort Plant:

You can simply reproduce this plant. Just cut the stem, with enough leaves, from the parent plant & either dip it in substrate or let it float in the aquarium. In just a week, your cutting should develop roots. Then Green Pennywort will grow on its own. This plant can be reproduced from one healthy leaf if there is a piece of stem connected to it. Pennywort should grow roots & develop if planted submerged or in marsh settings.

 

Where to keep Green Pennywort Plant in Aquarium:

You can propagate this plant via a cutting. Place a cutting of the plant in the gravels or leave them floating in the aquarium. If you want to grow Green Pennywort as a floating plant then it offers a best hiding spot for the baby fish, & the best medium for growing infusoria. The part of the plant above the water surface will grow little white flowers. Shy bettas can use the plant as a cover when it is floating. The only problem is that it will block the tank light when left floating in the aquarium.

Grow Green Pennywort in an aquarium by planting it in the gravels, & it is a beautiful plant that can be kept in the middle or background of the aquarium. If you want to grow Green Pennywort as a stem plant, then they seem particularly beautiful when kept in bunches of around 6 stems of varying heights, kept together. 

 

Tips for keeping Green Pennywort Plant Healthy:

Growing Brazilian Water Ivy is simple because you need to stick stems in the gravels. It will develop roots soon & will adapt to the new environment quickly.

Green Pennywort is best for any water parameters & their requirements about light & carbon dioxide are low. They can do great even in high temperatures which makes it a good choice for keeping in Discus aquarium.

If leaves of the plant turn yellow at the edges then it shows iron deficiency. Adding an iron fertilizer will solve this problem.

It is simple to propagate Pennywort because it throws many lateral shoots that you can trim & plant again in the gravels.

You can keep Pennywort with any other plant in the aquarium but it grows well with an Anubias plant as both plants have similar requirements & Pennywort contrasts fine against the dark green hues of Anubias.

If your Green Pennywort is growing fast then make sure you prune the plant on a regular basis to avoid the stems from getting all tangled up & the leaves of the plant from stopping the tank light. Pruning of the plant can provide a bushy look, so make sure you prune your plant regularly.

Keep fish in a Green Pennywort tank so that the plant has enough food. In the absence of nutrients, Green Pennywort might not grow well.

If you find that your Green Pennywort is not growing in aquarium water, then experts suggest that adding liquid fertilizers & extra carbon dioxide will help the plant. Also make sure you have enough tank lights.

If your Green Pennyworth is healthy then it can gain 2 inches height every week, particularly if there is sufficient light & abundance of nitrates in aquarium water. In case of less nutrition & lighting, this plant will grow slowly. You can simply propagate this plant using the cutting.

 

Advantages of Green Pennywort Plant in Aquarium:

Green Pennywort can help in bringing nitrates level down. Ammonia byproducts are released from fish waste & ordinary filters can’t remove nitrates from the aquarium. Filters break down ammonia into nitrites, & then into nitrates. Nitrate is less toxic than nitrite, & nitrite is less toxic than ammonia. But filters can’t remove nitrates from aquariums. High levels of nitrates are toxic to fish so experts suggest partial water changes which bring down nitrate levels. But if you have Green Pennywort Plants in aquariums then it can absorb nitrates which fertilizes the plant & help them in growth. According to experts, you should not overfeed your fish, & should not keep too many fish in a single aquarium if you want less nitrates buildup. Fish waste release ammonia & leftover food release ammonia too. If there are many fish in an aquarium then you can expect an ammonia spike.

Brazilian Pennywort does not need extra carbon dioxide if you have fish in an aquarium. It can also aerate the water.

Aquarium lights are enough for Brazilian Pennywort so there is no need for sunlight. Any wide range, aquarium light is good enough for this plant. In the presence of light, Green Pennywort absorbs carbon dioxide & releases oxygen.

Addition of plants can offer a natural look to the aquarium & you can imitate the environment of lakes or rivers if you keep plants in aquariums. Fish like natural settings & plants encourage them in spawning. Female fish lay eggs on the leaves of the plant or hide them in the roots. Adult fish usually eat the young ones so baby fish can avoid them by hiding in the plants. Baby fish eat plants. Adult fish feed on plants too.

 

Problems with Green Pennywort Plant:

Green Pennywort grows quickly & it is suitable for any tank, but still, you might encounter certain problems:

If Green Pennywort is not growing in an aquarium then it might be because the plant is not getting required nutrition. Ensure you have enough lights, carbon dioxide & nutrition. Add additional carbon dioxide & liquid fertilizers, & provide enough lights. Use a timer with tank lights that automatically turns on & off the lights.

If Pennywort is growing but looks very sparse then usually the problem is that your tank lights are not good enough. Note that Pennywort loses some of its lower leaves while it reaches the top of the aquarium because they are not getting a good amount of light. Prune the plant to give it a bushy look.

The main problem with Green Pennywort is deficiency of iron. If you find the leaves of the plant turning yellow & dying off then the reason could be iron deficiency. Add additional iron to aquarium water to fix this problem.

 

Summary:

 

Category	Rating
Family	Araliaceae
Genus	Hydrocotyle
Min. Aquarium Size	5 Litre / 19 Litre
Care level	Simple
Placement	Mid-Background / Floating
Ideal Temperature Range	68 to 82 Degree Fahrenheit / 20 to 28 Degree Centigrade
Temperature tolerance	5 to 30 Degree Celsius
Ideal pH Range	6 to 8
General hardness	0 to 30 Degree dGH
Growth Rate	Quick
Propagation	Cuttings