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My hornwort keeps shedding like crazy, and it's making a mess in my 20-gallon tank. I've got it planted in sand with moderate lighting, and the water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Anyone know how to stop it from dropping needles everywhere?

Hornwort's sketchy like that, man. I had the same issue in my 30-gallon. Try lowering the flow a bit, mine chilled out when I switched from a HOB to a sponge filter. Also, check your KH, it's weird but soft water seems to make it shed more.

I've heard adding a bit of iron helps. My friend's tank had less shedding after he started using root tabs near the hornwort. Not sure if it's the iron or just luck, though.

barracke wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 12:25 pm Hornwort's sketchy like that, man. I had the same issue in my 30-gallon. Try lowering the flow a bit, mine chilled out when I switched from a HOB to a sponge filter. Also, check your KH, it's weird but soft water seems to make it shed more.

Thanks, I'll try adjusting the flow. My KH is around 4, so maybe that's part of the problem. Gonna test it again to be sure.

Yep, KH around 4 might be the vibe. Mine's at 6 and it's way better. Also, if you're dosing CO2, back off a little. Hornwort's kinda dramatic with too much gas.

My hornwort did the same thing when I first got it. After a few weeks, it just stopped shedding on its own. Maybe it's just adjusting to your tank?

treetoad wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 4:08 pm My hornwort did the same thing when I first got it. After a few weeks, it just stopped shedding on its own. Maybe it's just adjusting to your tank?

Could be, but if it's been months, something's off. Terra12, how long's it been in there?

About three weeks. Maybe I'm just impatient. I'll give it more time and tweak the flow and KH like you suggested. Appreciate the help, guys.