As an aquatic plant that originally comes from the tropics, the mussel flower is extremely sensitive to cold in this country. Unprotected in the garden pond, it does not survive the winter, but must be overwintered. A constantly warm place like the aquarium at home would be the better alternative.
The mussel tree has a cleaning effect in the aquarium
demands on the location
The seashell flower floats on the surface of the water and casually lets its thready roots hang down. If you decide to put them in your aquarium, don't disregard the habitat requirements of this aquatic plant! This includes these points:
- bright
- 22 to 30 °C warm
- Freshwater
- only open aquariums
- Water hardness from 5 to 20 KH
- pH from 6.5 to 7.3
A very useful plant for the aquarium
The mussel flower has numerous advantages and brings them into the aquarium. On the one hand, it has a cleansing effect. This is due to their ability to absorb nutrients from the water and use them for growth. It sort of filters the water.
On the other hand, the mussel flower stops the growth of algae. In addition, it forms a natural hiding place for fish and adapts its growth size to its environment (the size of the aquarium).
The disadvantages of the shell flower
But such a shell flower also has disadvantages. Despite its simple appearance, it claims a lot of nutrients for itself. She is considered a heavy feeder. This means that you must regularly supply this plant in the aquarium with a suitable aquatic plant fertilizer. Otherwise, the water will increasingly demineralize.
Another rather negative aspect is that the mussel flower likes to spread uncontrollably. She loves to train offshoots. Over time, a whole carpet of seashell flowers can be created. This robs other plants of the light. Therefore: Thin out regularly.
Many an aquarium owner is also quickly bothered by the long filamentous roots of the mussel flower. They hang down from top to bottom. If you are bothered by this, you can simply shorten roots that are too long with sharp scissors.
tips
Attention: Be careful not to put the mussel flower in the immediate vicinity of filter systems! She could get sucked in there.