Those in the hobby who love to show off will be well acquainted with Water Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis). It’s a rapidly growing, fern-like freshwater plant that is much loved for its bold good looks and vibrant coloring.
Not only will it look fabulous, but it will add depth and habitat for your tank community, along with excellent assistance oxygenating your tank all the while.
This plant has a larger leaf structure, so it adds a certain boldness when planted into larger tanks.
In the wild, it can be found growing hardily near the surface of small pools in swamps and marshes. It was originally found in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal but is commercially grown in aquatic nurseries and stockists around the world.
Many confuse it with the terrestrial version of this plant, but it does not bear purple flowers even though it belongs to the same family.
Water Wisteria Characteristics
You can find Water Wisteria with most stockists because of its popularity. Their flexible growing parameters make them highly adaptable for most environments and water conditions, so there should be something for everyone.
Its fern-like appearance shows off the rich green color of the broad leaves, and veins are visible on the leaves themselves.
It can grow up to 2 – 3 inches a week if there is sufficient lighting and temperature to encourage such growth. In a larger tank set up, they are known to reach up to 20 inches in height with leaves around 10 inches wide.
If you are able to manipulate the CO2 levels, the leaves can take on a more forked appearance, and with a more experienced hobbyist, it can be used as a ground cover too.
Often used as a foreground or background accent plant, it’s a great plant for beginners due to its hardy nature.
Their roots, however, are white and quite delicate, looking for the size of the plant, making them susceptible to being uprooted.
It’s also able to be used in a variety of ways, including as a tank carpet, a floating plant, or planted in the substrate. Now that’s flexibility!
The large leaf formations provide ample places for spawning and breeding, as well as a place to hide or shelter for the fish themselves.
Water Wisteria also happens to be tasty, so you can expect your veggie-loving fish to be trimming your plant regularly to supplement their regular feeds.
Water Wisteria Tank Requirements
The tank size you need for growing Water Wisteria is at least 10 gallons.
Taller tank setups like column tanks are especially great for this plant so it can thrive and reach a fuller height for maximum impact. Smaller, shorter tanks can require a lot of pruning which will make the plant look less full and dense. Not the goal here!
Lighting will impact how quickly this plant grows for you. More intense lighting will equal rapid growth and vice versa. Brighter lighting will also improve the fullness and brightness of the leaf formations.
If you require lower lighting conditions because of your tank community, consider the Water Sprite, which looks similar but thrives in lower lighting conditions. These two plants are often mistaken for one another!
With substrate choice, you should aim for something that is nutrient-rich, like mid-sized gravel that will keep it in place and be suited to its root system. Sandy substrates and fine gravel also work well, but it is important not to crush the roots while holding them steady.
Avoid having heavy or intense water filtration with high flow as it can uproot your gently anchored Water Wisteria. If it does get uprooted, however, it just means you’ll be the proud owner of a floating plant that will still survive happily as. Just bear this in mind depending on your inhabitants and their needs to reach the surface if necessary.
You can avoid any uprooting of these plants by planting them next to things like driftwood or rocks, which the roots will anchor onto besides the substrate.
You will also need to consider having CO2 supplementation for this plant to thrive. It can be administered with liquids or by adding a pressurized canister for it to reach its full potential.
The best pH range is around 6.5 – 7.5, with water hardness between 2 – 8 KH.
This is a plant that can handle most tropical temperatures successfully, but its sweet spot hovers around 70 – 82ºF (21 – 28ºC) for maximum happiness and growth.
Water Wisteria Planting And Maintenance
Not much in the way of maintenance is required for this family of plants.
Removal of dead leaves and any pruning to keep things in check is advisable to avoid water fouling as they rot, but beyond that, not much else is needed.
Dead leaves are a natural part of the plant life cycle, so unless your entire plant starts turning brown, there isn’t anything to worry about.
Planting Water Wisteria
There are a few ways to plant this aquatic gem in your tank. Whether you choose foreground or background, they are all quite straightforward.
Choose your location, and set the stems into the substrate and anchor with fishing wire or string. All you need to do after that is watch them grow as the root system becomes established. Once they reach full height (12 – 15 inches), you can safely remove the wire or string.
Ensure you leave room for it to grow, so it isn’t encroached upon by neighboring plants or that it isn’t inhibited from receiving ample light.
The second way to plant Water Wisteria is to just let it float and allow roots to grow down. They will absorb nutrients they require from the water in a well-lit spot to thrive but may initially need some nutrient supplementation to get growing.
Finally, the trickiest way to plant Water Wisteria is to use it like a carpet. This requires securing the stems sideways to the substrate with wire so that roots will take hold along the stem length while leaves and shoots point upwards.
Trimming Water Wisteria
This is an essential part of the care of this plant, or else it can quickly overwhelm your tank. It’s definitely not a plant and leave it type of vegetation, unlike some others.
Trimming should be done along the stem bases on the upper layers of the plants where the leaves meet the main stalks.
Keep it well fertilized and remove any leaves that are browning or rotting.
Water Wisteria Propagation
There is little difficulty with propagating more Water Wisteria for the hobbyist.
This plant can be grown using the cuttings from your regular trims. Following our planting instructions as per above, all you need to do is bury the stem base and anchor it in the substrate to let it take root.
Alternatively, let the cuttings float on the water surface, and roots will grow as long as your tank community leaves the stem base alone!
Compatibility Of Water Wisteria In The Tank
Almost any freshwater fish is suited to inhabiting a tank with Water Wisteria that works within its temperature parameters.
Just ensure that wherever you place these plants that they have plenty of good lighting, and there isn’t overcrowding.
Fish that love living alongside Water Wisteria include (but are not limited to):
- Tetras
- Rasboras
- Kuhli Loaches
- Yoyo Loaches
- Rainbow Sharks
- Bettas
- Small Gouramis
- Guppies
- African Cichlids
- Cory Catfish
- Cherry Shrimp
- Assassin Snails
Avoid Goldfish, Silver Dollars, Rainbowfish, and other veggie eaters who will perhaps overeat this plant. The same goes for Nerite and Mystery Snails, who will devour this plant in no time.
Troubleshooting Water Wisteria
Yellowing Leaves
If you notice leaves yellowing, it’s likely not in a great position in your tank. Ensure that it’s in an area of the tank and that it isn’t being overshadowed by neighboring plant life.
Too little light will discourage it from growing, and it may also not be receiving enough nutrients. Fertilizers will encourage better growth.
If all of those parameters are fine, then it may just be the time for the leaf to die off and be replaced with fresh growth, so trim and remove from the tank.
Pale Leaves
This is usually the result of a low light environment also. Relocating them and resecuring them in the tank might help them perk up, but if they don’t, it’s possible that your lighting system isn’t sufficient for their needs, and you may have to try a brighter bulb.
Not Growing
If it doesn’t seem like your Water Wisterias are growing at all, it’s usually an issue with roots not being anchored well enough in the case of planted ones or roots being damaged and disturbed by fish for floating ones.
Anchor them in place, and once the root systems are reestablished, they should be well on their way to a growth spurt.
Overgrowing Your Tank
If you fail to take heed of the regular trimming point we made earlier, then it’s a case of when and not if your Water Wisteria will run riot in your tank.
Their rapid growth rates can make them a real problem if you don’t do a little tank housekeeping on a regular schedule, so you need to ensure you prune them back to avoid them taking over the rest of your plant life.
Algae Problems
It’s possible that you may find algae growing on your Water Wisteria as a result of the fertilizers required to provide the nutrients your plants need too.
Doing regular water changes of at least 25% per week should help reduce algal blooms and prevent overgrowth, which can become problematic for your water conditions for everyone in the tank.
Is Water Wisteria Worth Including In Your Setup?
We think it’s definitely worth considering!
Not only do these plants exhibit hardiness that makes them ideal for newbies to the hobby, but they will liven up any tank with their vivid and densely lush growth.
They provide the perfect foil to show off brightly colored species of tropical freshwater fish, and once your get some, you’ll never be without them.
So easy to plant, propagate, and landscape with this plant has a lot to offer, even for the more experienced hobbyist.
Create your own little underwater Wisteria Lane and see what your fish get up to!
