Elongated Aponogeton

Family Aponogetonaceae. The native home of this Aponogeton is the island of Madagascar. It is presumably found on the Comoros Islands, as well as on Mauritius (introduced). The species exhibits considerable intraspecific variability. Individual populations require completely different conditions.

Elongated Aponogeton is an attractive, very large plant with long slightly wavy bright green leaves reaching up to 1.5 m in length. It is suitable for keeping in a large pond. Aquarists keep this plant very rarely. Seasonal growth patterns are weakly expressed: growth slows in the winter–spring period, but the majority of leaves are retained.

For keeping the Elongated Aponogeton, a tropical aquarium is suitable with an optimal water temperature of 24–26 °C. A decrease in temperature leads to cessation of growth. High water temperature (above 26 °C) during the rest period exhausts the plant. It prefers soft water with total hardness 2–6°, but it can tolerate hardness up to 12°. The water's active reaction should be close to neutral (pH 6.5–7); an increase of pH up to 7.5 is quite acceptable. The plant likes fresh water, so water should be changed regularly, about once a week replacing up to 1/4 of the aquarium volume.

The substrate should be well silted. For a new substrate, clay or a mixture of clay and peat should be added under the plant's roots. The plant's root system is highly developed. Coarse to medium gravel can serve as substrate. The thickness of the substrate layer in the aquarium should be about 7 cm, and greater thickness is acceptable.

In summer and autumn, during the plant's vigorous growth, it is desirable to fertilize it. Any complete mineral fertilizers in which nitrogen predominates can be used for this purpose.

The Elongated Aponogeton requires bright lighting. Natural light is very beneficial. For artificial lighting or supplementary lighting, fluorescent lamps of type LB can be used, with a power of 0.4 W per 1 L of aquarium volume. Incandescent lamps are better used as additional lighting. An indicator that the plant has enough light is a reddish-brown colour of the young leaves. The photoperiod should be 12–14 hours. The duration of lighting can be slightly reduced only by increasing its intensity.

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