Brazilian Pennywort

Patrick - 2010-03-26
An awesome plant for the aquarium. Its root system that forms beneath each leaf adds an interesting touch. I have mine running vertically up the side of my 75 gallon tank and also horizontally along the bottom. With my light and CO2 set-up, it constantly gives off streams of bubbles.

I often clip sections of it off and transplant into my dad's low-tech 55 gallon. It has done very well, is growing quickly, and looks great.

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Andrew - 2008-08-07
I found the Brazilian Pennywort to be a hardy plant even at low temperatures. Some dark spotting will appear on older leaves, but they needed to be trimmed by this stage anyway. Trimming will allow a burst of younger shoots to take up the available light & space. At first I couldn't work out how to present this awkward, fragile & spindly tangle. I wanted it to be anchored as a ground cover, sprawling along the bottom and creeping up the sides of my tank, but it would not stay anchored or in the position i wanted. So, in the end i threw a whole lot of stainless steel kitchen hooks at it - to keep the mess at the bottom & gave up on it; walking away...To my surprise & delight the next day, the leaves and stalks had resolved their buoyancy issues - settling into wonderful fantasy-like, lily-pad layers (nature always proving the better designer), giving an unexpected magical appeal (so much so, it remains as the central theme of that tank still today).
My advice with Brazilian pennywort as with most stem plants is to submerge whole plant in water overnight to resolve buoyancy issues, good idea to treat water with an antibacterial preventing unwanted nasties. Try even acclimatising your plant first by just floating it (out of a bag) on the surface of the aquarium for a couple of days.
DESIGN TIPS:
- submerge for 12 - 24 hours prior to design to clear buoyancy problems
- place (enough) s/steel hooks along selected runners to achieve a neutral
buoyancy(mid-floating)
- work with the natural buoyancy of plant in fast flowing tanks, let it settle
where it lands - nature is an incredible designer when given the chance! let the
current determine its best position
- although the stalks/branches are incredibly brittle out of water, with leaves that
should fold & flop in any water flow - it is remarkably resilient even in strong
currents. At first a few leaves may fold, don't worry too much as the plant will
soon compensate for this over a day or 2 rectifying the leaf to upright & open.

Overall I love Brazilian Pennywort or Cardamon as is sometimes called - due to it's sweet spice-aroma emitted when out off water. I've found the perfect lily-pad ascetic without the slow growth & smell!

have fun...

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Julia - 2008-01-29
This plant is really pretty but if you aren't a plant expert, you might kill it within the week like I did. I wouldn't consider it hardy.

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