The cerato, a plant without limits!

Ceratophyllum is the name of this magical water plant: splendid, oxygenating, cleansing, purifying, an effective refuge for tiny water creatures and young fish. And its growth is limitless and astonishingly easy.

 

Ceratophyllum submersum or demersum?

These two species dominate the genus in Europe and it is quite difficult to tell them apart.

C. submersum is less common in aquariums, even though sellers often confuse the two species and frequently sell one under the name of the other.

The species generally encountered is C. demersum. It is more interesting for us since it is much easier to keep, even in murky or loaded water. Its growth is much faster and it competes with algae much more effectively. In this regard, it is particularly formidable. Everything it consumes to grow, it does not leave for the algae!

Darker than C. submersum (which can sometimes be yellowish), it is much stiffer. It is also less fragile to the touch (submersum is quite brittle).

In short, we will talk here about Ceratophyllum demersum, the famous cerato of aquariums and ponds, this easy plant that grows on its own!

A surprising growth!

Cerato is above all the promise of easy and fast growth. This is its main advantage for natural aquariums or ponds: to grow, it greedily consumes nitrates and phosphates which then do not benefit algae. Hence its well-known anti-algae effect. A sprig of cerato left to grow freely can reach 1 or 2 meters long!

Fast growth naturally means intense photosynthesis and oxygenation: its metabolism runs very fast, and even faster when the light is strong. Since photosynthesis produces oxygen, it is therefore a highly oxygenating plant, ideal for places lacking oxygen.

It is also a plant that tolerates somewhat nutrient-rich, polluted, and oxygen-poor environments. By cleansing and oxygenating them, it repairs them.

Only slightly less oxygenating than elodea (the champion in all categories), it is however much more cleansing.

A refuge for young fish and tiny water creatures.

 

Ceratophyllum demersum has very particular foliage: its leaves are finely cut and arranged in groups of 6 to 12 leaves, making it a true plant lace. In this incredible maze that fills the entire water column, an endless variety of life finds refuge. Young fish of course, for whom it is often vital, but also all the tiny water creatures: various larvae or snails, water lice that nibble algae safely inside, various infusoria that feed the young fish, and so on.

No soil for cerato!

This is a plant thought to have left the water during its evolution, before returning to it.

It is adapted to life in open water and is not connected to the soil at all. All its nutrition is done through its leaves and stems, strictly in the water. The presence of soil is therefore completely irrelevant to it! Give it light, water with dissolved minerals (fish waste produces plenty), and let it do its work. The only thing you will have to do from time to time is to remove what seems excessive, and it will grow back even stronger. It can even fill the entire volume if the light is sufficient!

 

Cerato in ponds

Even outdoors, it works wonders! Fully acclimated in Europe, it passes the winter outdoors without problem and survives under ice. It tends to produce short and very dense stems, like buds about ten centimeters long, which often fall to the bottom in winter but can also be trapped in ice without harmful consequences.

It is from these more or less dormant forms that it will restart quickly in spring.

Summer is its favorite season and it is splendid in August, boosted by heat and sun, which only speed up its metabolism.

Every time you remove handfuls of cerato in excess to put on the compost heap, remember that you are removing nitrates and phosphates from the water, since it has captured and incorporated them into its tissues. What no filter in the world does, it does.

The plant you only buy once!

It is rarely found in trade. It is true that for the plant seller it is a kind of nightmare: you often only need to buy it once in your life! Then, your stock lasts an entire aquarist’s life, barring accidents. It is much more profitable to sell more fragile plants, to disparage this magical plant, so the customer comes back!

 

Aquazolla really likes this plant which allows everyone to rediscover a truth: fishkeeping is simple, fascinating, and inexpensive, provided one knows how to let nature do its work!

Choosing cerato is a bit like starting your aquarium in safe mode!

To go further:
• understand the role of roots and anchors
• discover Sagittaria subulata and its aquatic lawns
• learn how to choose your floating plants
• deepen the interest of structuring plants like Rotala
• understand why “friend’s plants” grow better