Hygrophila corymbosa "kompact"

H. corymbosa 'kompact' in my aquarium

Slightly red leaves of Hygrophila corymbosa 'kompact'

Roots of H. corymbosa 'kompact'

Synonymies
Nomaphila siamesis parviflorus

Description
This plant looks a lot like the normal Hygrophila corymbosa, but stays a lot smaller. Because the distance between the leaves is very small, the plant stays small and compact. This plant also forms a lot of branches, which make the plant even look better. With normal light the leaves are light-green and under strong light the top-leaves get a bit red-brown (see second photograph on this page). If the plant doesn't get enough light it gets small holes in the leaves and loses this leaves.

My experiences
After I bought this plant I grew poorly and I had to throw away a part of the plant (rotted roods), but when the plant started to grew it became an ideal plant. It's also very easy to produce new plants through the many branches it forms. Although the plants gets small holes in his bottom leaves (because they don't get enough light) and loses this leaves the plant doesn't get leafless at the bottom. This because this plant gets many braches that fill the vacant spots of the plant (see third picture of this page). This plant stays pretty low in my aquarium so I never have to shorten it because it gets to high, I only do this so now and than because otherwise the plant will suffocate it self. This small plant has very large roots (see third picture on this page). I myself have measured roots up till 30 cm long.

After I've had this plant in my aquarium for more than two years the plant began to gave problems. At first I thought that one plant had died of because of to less light, because it was overshadowed by other plants. But after new planted plants also died on this spot (without being overshadowed) I began to realize that the symptoms were very similar to the ones of Hygrophila polysperma in the past. Also because only the plants on the old spot of the Hygrophila polysperma died of I realized that it must be caused by this part of the substrate. I personally think the Hygrophila polysperma has "polluted" this part of the substrate in the past for certain plants. Although it could maybe also be done by Hygrophila corymbosa "compact" itself. Because of  this problem I have removed this plant from my aquarium en replaced it with another specie.

Place and lighting in my aquarium

This plant has stood on the left-front and right-front of my aquarium. The lighting I have used for this plant has varied between 0.42 Watt/liter standard TL lighting (2*18 Watt) till 0.63 Watt/liter standard TL lighting (3*18 Watt).

Foot-note The pictures on this page are taken from my own aquarium.

Back to the main page