Onion Plant
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
The Onion Plant is a great friend of cichlid keepers because the fish cant do much damage to it. Florida Aquatic Nursery
[edit] Overview
This is an interesting-looking plant that doesn't ask much to look good and grow well. The long, ribbon-like leaves sprout from a bulb that resembles an onion, though this plant is not edible. It is a real gem in tanks that have tough fishes, doing especially well with herbivores or rowdy fishes that would destroy more delicate plants. It looks very nice and is unmolested in Malawi cichlid tanks.
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Other common name(s):
Native range:
Habitat: The Onion Plant is found in dappled sun-lit streams with moving water and a substrate of sand, gravel and mud.
Maximum height: 150 cm (59 in)
Lighting: Moderate to bright
Placement: Sides and back.
Water: Freshwater 22 °C (295 K, 72 °F) - 27 °C (300 K, 81 °F)
[edit] Feeding
Use a nutrient-rich substrate
[edit] Breeding/Propagation
Sexually and by bulbets that sprout from the main bulb.
[edit] Notes
Use a deep substrate to accommodate the large root structure and to allow the bulb to be planted halfway into the substrate. Keep the water moving and the leaves will soon reach the surface of the water and start to curl around. Use this plant at the back and sides of the tank where it will fill in bare spots quickly. There is a form of Onion Plant found occasionally that has curly leaves.
| Common name | Onion Plant + |
| Family | Amaryllidaceae + |
| Genus | Crinum + |
| Lighting | Moderate to bright + |
| Maximum height | 59 in + |
| Native range | Thailand + |
| Placement | Sides and back. + |
| Reference | 101 Best Aquarium Plants + |
| Specific name | thaianum + |
| Text credit | MES + |
| Water max temp | 300 K (27 °C, 81 °F) + |
| Water min temp | 295 K (22 °C, 72 °F) + |
| Water type | Freshwater + |