Anacharis is one of the most popular plants in the aquarium hobby due to their gorgeous green like coloration and easy to care for. It is also known as Large-flowered Waterweed, Brazilian Waterweed, Elodea, common waterweed, dense waterweed, egeria, leafy elodea, South American waterweed etc. It is native to Southeastern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. At present it is found in many countries such as North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and many other regions of the world. It is perennial plant that grows in water up to 4 m depth ranges. It inhabits in ponds, lakes and slow moving water such as gentle streams, canals and rivers. It tolerates a wide range of nutrient, oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH condition. It grows well on fine substrates with a high organic content.
It is one of the most attractive looking plants with its long, linear strands of leaves that can range in color from grass green to a deep dark hue. It is a submerged perennial plant which can live either rooted or free floating. It can grow very rapidly with suitable conditions. The stem can reach up to 3 m in length with 3 mm thick. The stems are cylindrical with sparsely branched and short internodes. The leaves are green, oval to oblong in shape with generally 1-4 cm long and 2-5 mm broad. The leaves are arranged in groups or whorls. Generally each node has 4-6 leaves. Dense clusters of leaves appear at the ends of branches which often grow to reach the water surface. The length of internodes varies from 2.5 to 24 mm. It has fine, short, delicate and string like white roots that grow from the base of the stems. It is dioecious plant and the male and female flowers grow on separate plant. The flowers are 12-20 mm in diameter with 3 broad, rounded and white petals centered by a cluster of nine yellow anthers.
It is a good plant for beginners due to their rapid growth and it helps to create a nutrient balance in the aquarium. The growth rate depends largely on the amount of light and nutrition available. This plant plays a great role to prevent algae growth in the aquarium by absorbing a great number of nutrients from the water. It secretes an antibiotic substance which also helps to prevent blue green algae. Anacharis acts as a filter, catching and holding suspended material in the pond or aquarium. It provides shade and shelter for fish. It also provides a place for fish during spawning season to deposit the eggs.
Here’s our recommended Anacharis plant:
Scientific name: Egeria densa
Common name: Large-flowered Waterweed, Brazilian Waterweed, Elodea, Anachris
Origin: Brazil
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Care Level: Easy
Propagation: Vegetative fragmentation or cutting
Maximum stem length: 60 cm
Individual stem width: 3-7 cm
Water PH: 6.5-7.5
Water Hardness: 3-8 dGH
Water Temperature: 59-820 F
Lighting: Moderate
Growth: Very fast
Anarachis (Egeria densa) was first described by Planchon in 1849. It belongs to the family Hydrocharitaceae under order Alismatales. This species has some synonyms such as Anarachis densa, Elodea densa, Philotria densa etc. It is a popular aquarium plant and is not listed on IUCN Red Data Book as threatened species.
Anarachis is a very popular aquarium plant for beginner due to their easy to care for. It looks best when it is planted in groups along the back and sides of the aquarium. It is very hardy and fast growing plant that does best when it is provided with moderate to high lighting and nutrient rich waters. Regular trimming may be required to prevent it from over growing. The tank bottom should have gravel or sand like substrate to grow your plant easily. It requires regular additions of fertilizer and a moderate amount of lights. Fertilizer should be added to the water column on a weekly basis. The tank should have full spectrum (5000-7000 K) bulbs with water temperature of 59-82° F. In this case a high quality LED bulb or fluorescent bulbs are suggested. It grows the best in water with hardness of 3-8 dGH and pH of 6.5-7.5. It is an excellent nutrient controller and oxygen producer for all types of freshwater aquariums and it provides suitable house for guppies, Betta, angel, gourami or American sunfish. It does best with small relatively docile fish and it should not be kept with large aggressive fishes.
Anarachis is an attractive, robust plant and it is well-suited to aquarium life especially for new fish keepers. It is readily available in pet stores or online vendor with reasonable prices. It is sold in pet stores under the name anarachis or oxygen plant. It is usually sold in stems or bunches dark green stems about 7-10 inches in height. If you want to buy your favorite Anacharis from home online, look below to buy today!
Anacharis can easily propagate in aquarium condition with proper care. Fertilizers should be added to the tank water to get the best growth results along with a good CO2 system and lighting. Propagation occurs by simply cutting the stem from the mother plant. Cuttings should only be taken from mature and healthy plants. At least 8 inches long stem should be cut and then cut the plant 3-4 inches from the top. Trim the leaves off the lower half-inch of the new cutting and then carefully push the stem into the substrate. After few days the new cutting produce roots and anchors it to the substrate itself and begins growing. Rarely, it reproduces sexually when it produces small, white flowers above the surface of the water.