carnivorous aquarium plants

Many have heard of such insectivorous plants as the Venus flytrap or sundew, which often flicker in popular science wildlife films on Animal Planet, National Geographic channels etc. And some enthusiasts plant them as home exotic plants, since there are more than enough offers for sale. However, not everyone is aware of the existence of predatory aquatic plants that can be found in an ordinary freshwater aquarium. In this article, we will introduce you to some of them: plants from the genus Utricularia and Aldrovanda vesiculosa.

In nature, these carnivorous aquatic plants grow in nutrient-poor environments, have no roots, and float near the surface. The only way to get the necessary trace elements for their growth, which evolution has left them, is predation. To do this, they developed a kind of traps (traps).

Aldrovand bubble

A small article has already been written about Aldrovand vesiculosa on our website, so we will not dwell on it in detail. We only recall that the method of hunting resembles that of the Venus flytrap. The plant has modified leaflets that form a leaf. As soon as a potential victim is between them, they slam shut. Not only small crustaceans and insects, but also fry of fish and amphibians can fall into the trap.

Pemphigus

Pemphigus has a more original device for fishing. On the stem and processes are small hollow bags (capsules), shaped like beans. The walls of the sacs are elastic and squeezed from the sides. At the top of the head there is a hole covered with a valve, from the edges of which stretch antennae-sensors. When a prey, for example, a daphnia, swims nearby and touches one of these antennae, the walls of the sac instantly straighten, the valve opens and the prey is sucked in. Further, the process of digestion begins under the influence of special enzymes. Bladderwort’s traps are disposable, but there is no shortage of them. Unlike Aldrovanda bubble traps, the dimensions of the traps are quite modest and are designed for catching zooplankton. However, in some, the pouches are up to 1.2 cm in diameter, so very small fry may well get caught in them.

Conclusion

Predatory aquatic plants may well become popular in aquariums, as they do not pose a threat to adult fish, and indeed to most of their juveniles. These plants are unpretentious, and outwardly they look decent, in addition, Pemphigus is capable of producing beautiful yellow flowers. The only difficulty may be that they will need to be fed with small bloodworms, brine shrimp. But given the fact that many aquarists already feed their fish with live food, this should not be a problem.