Sagittaria is a similar plant to Vallisneria. The name Sagittaria is derived from the arrow-like form of the leaves, causing it to be named after Sagittarius, the mythological archer.
You will find three primary species, Sagittaria natans, Sagittaria gigantea, and Sagittaria subulata. Sagittaria natans is a moderate sized plant, and well suited to tanks of about 12 inch in depth. The leaves generally reach a length of between 6 in. and 9 in. This plant isn’t confined to tropical aquaria, and has been for numerous years utilized by goldfish fanciers.
Sagittariagigantea, as its name suggests, is a a lot larger plant, averaging 15 in. in length, and also the leaves are 0.5 in. or much more in width. When well rooted, they’re sturdy and will stand fairly a great deal of knocking from your net whenever you are chasing your fish.
Sagittaria subulata differs from the other two species in numerous respects. The colour is a darker green, and also the leaves have a a lot straighter form and are generally slightly thicker.
Sagittaria lorata is another species suitable for aquarium use. The oval or oblong leaves float along the surface.
It could be propagated by runner in a comparable method to Vallisneria spiralis. Sagittaria should not be planted within the exact same aquarium as Vallisneria, nevertheless, as they rarely do well when together.
It has been noticed with Sagittaria that when the aquarium is broken down for replanting, the sand is still clean and sweet, which indicates that the plant roots really assist to purify the sand.