🌿 Ceratophyllum demersum – Hardy, Fast-Growing Floating or Rootless Plant
Sold as loose fresh-cut plants: 2–3 stems without root
Ceratophyllum demersum, commonly known as Hornwort or Coontail, is a hardy and versatile aquarium plant prized for its rapid growth and ability to thrive in a wide range of conditions. Naturally rootless, this species floats freely or anchors itself by entangling in substrate or decor. Its feathery, deep green foliage provides excellent shelter for fish and shrimp while helping to absorb excess nutrients and reduce algae growth.
Whether you're looking to establish a lush background, add floating plant cover, or control algae, Hornwort is an easy and effective solution for both beginners and experienced aquarists.
🌟 Key Features
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Scientific Name: Ceratophyllum demersum
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Synonyms: Coontail
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Common Names: Hornwort, Coontail
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No Root System Needed: Floats freely or can be gently tucked into substrate
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Algae-Reducing Properties: Absorbs excess nutrients and releases allelopathic chemicals that inhibit algae
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Low Maintenance: Thrives in a wide range of lighting and water parameters
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Great for Breeding Tanks: Provides shelter for fry and shrimp
🌱 Growth & Propagation
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Lighting Needs: Low to high lighting
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CO₂ & Fertilizers: Not required but will promote faster growth in high-tech tanks
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Growth Method: Floating or anchored (non-rooted)
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Nutrient Substrate: Not Required
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Can Be Grown Emersed: No
🖼️ Aquascaping Benefits
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🌾 Adds vertical depth and texture in background or floating setups
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🛡️ Ideal as a natural refuge for fry and small fish
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🌿 Excellent natural nutrient absorber for algae control
📦 What You’ll Receive:
Sold as loose fresh-cut plants:
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Fresh-Cut Plants: Approximately 2–3 individual, loose-cut stems without root
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Hornwort is a delicate, rootless plant and may shed some needles during shipping or after introduction. This is normal and it will regrow quickly under stable conditions.
🚫 State Restrictions Notice ♻️ Be a Responsible Aquatic Plants Owner
Please check your local and state regulations before purchasing, as Hornwort is considered invasive in certain regions and may be restricted or prohibited. Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
WHAT WE GUARANTEE
24 Hours Live Arrival Guarantee* - In a rare case of live stocks dead on arrival, we must be notified within 24 hours by the same day of delivery. Please take clear photos of the damaged product and send it to us within 24 hours. Live Arrival Guarantee will be void after 24 hours of delivery. All replacements are considered final and we will not replace the replacement.
- Picture requirements: Take at least 2 clear photos of damaged product in their original, unopened & sealed transparent packing and send photos and orders information to our email within 24 hours: aquariumplantsfactory@gmail.com
- Please do not take picture of damaged plants, or animals in your aquarium. Once they have been introduced to your aquarium's ecosystem. It is no longer covered by our guarantee.
Please be aware that our Live Arrival Guarantee is subject to certain conditions. Specifically, the guarantee will not be applicable in cases where the package is marked as 'invalid address', 'undeliverable' or is 'returned to sender.' This includes situations such as a vacant delivery address, a missing apartment number, or any other issues that prevent the postal service from delivering your package.
It is crucial to provide accurate and complete shipping information to ensure the successful delivery of your order and the applicability of the Live Arrival Guarantee.
Please keep in mind that Live Arrival Guarantee only guarantees that live stocks will be alive upon arrival. We cannot guarantee that you will continue to have success with them. Many factors, including the aquarium environment, water quality, nutrient, temperature, lighting, filter, and CO2 system, can contribute to the failure to grow live plants and live animals.
WHAT WE CAN'T GUARANTEE
Even though our plants are very clean, but we can't guarantee they will be 100% pest-free because we cannot be responsible for your aquarium. Please use it at your own risk. We recommended all customers rinse the plants with clean water and quarantine them before use.
However, plants in tissue culture will be 100% free from pests, algae and never have been contacting with any aquarium.
- Due to the nature of the product. We don't guarantee our plants will be pests free. ( snails, algae, hitchhikers )
- We don't guarantee our plants will be free of pesticides. We use homemade, organic pesticides in our greenhouse to control pests. We do not use pesticides that contain copper. Copper is toxic to invertebrates such as aquatic snails, crabs, shrimps, etc
- We don't guarantee your aquarium success or are responsible for your aquarium inhabitant including but not limited to fish, shrimp, snail, turtle, etc. So please quarantine all plants when use!
- Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be grow emerged or submerge.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this aquatic plant for arriving healthy and vibrant, with fast growth and excellent packaging. Many noted it "grows like a weed" and provides great shelter for fish. However, some reported smaller-than-expected sizes, difficulty anchoring due to fragility, and occasional pests. A few mentioned pricing concerns and inconsistent condition upon arrival.
- They have already doubled in size!
- In less than a week it has already grown a couple of inches! Really remarkable!
- The best hornwort I have ever seen. I had hornwort before but no where near this full and green!
K
I was scared buying from places I didn’t know and wanted quality plants, but I loved this purchase! I thought it was worth every penny. I got the buy 2 get 1 free and was surprise at how many bunches I got per. I’m definitely buying more from here in the future!
P
I ordered this along with several other plant varieties, but had read how fast it grows. So I thought I’d just get one bunch rather than the buy 2 get 1 free. It is true, it is already growing quite rapidly and I had to trim all the original pieces today and replant the cuttings. That’s exactly what I was going for. At this rate, I’ll have enough for my other aquariums soon! Highly recommended.
P
Once again, APF sent me a wonderful plant in great condition. I’m so pleased with APF and highly recommend them.
S
I got hornwort, call serious and some crypt and wow they were so green and thick! So beautiful in my tank
K
The horneort EXPLODED and grew so fast in my tank after adding it in, everyday theres so much growth! Soon I might need to remove the trimmings from the tank, it arrived so healthy and excited to be added to the tank, I love it!
S
Everything was outstanding; the timely delivery, the condition, and quality of the plants, the careful packaging - everything. I was unable to obtain this plant from Amazon and local pet shops. They all put me on backorder. Now the plants are thriving. They greatly improve the environment and appearance of my aquarium.
T
Looks great and came fast!
M
The plants were beautiful!! The hornwort is literally the best hornwort I have ever seen. I had hornwort before but no where near this full and green! In love with the way it has transformed my tank! ...my snails and shrimp adore it too :)
K
Hornworts arrived safe and have been happily growing all over my small container pond since then. Bought them for oxygen production but fish love them too.
C
The plants arrived well-packed and healthy. You cannot really go wrong with these plants. However, since they are so ubiquitous, I plan to use these in smaller amounts in the future and create a more diverse collection. About the idea of them being strong, I think context is important. For instance, some of my fish do not seem to enjoy navigating through or around them and I think this is partly because they are a bit spiky and have a firm structure. In contrast, I put a clump of these in the water with a small female Samurai Betta. Existing literature suggests this is an excellent plant for it. However, the fish is in the process of ripping the mass of plants to shreds, making it seem more vulnerable than I thought.
S
A little brown on the tips, but that grew out in a few days. Another great purchase from APF.
A
Surprised at the small size of the plants; difficult to plant. The Anachris was only slightly better. I have gotten much more mature live plants from other vendors. Not sure if these will actually root and thrive in my aquarium.
T
It arrived healthy, in excellent condition, and great packaging.
S
Best seller of fresh, healthy aquatic plants for my water garden!
S
This plant came lush and green. It is super pretty and vibrant. Came to NC in a week and in perfect condition.
R
Plants definitely smaller than pictured. Not even close. But 2 get 1 free is misleading. They'll give you the cheapest plant you ordered free and charge you for the most expensive.
G
I know they say not to use the photo when expecting your new plants, but my hornwort arrived green, lush, and very much resembled the pictures.
D
Lovely plants that's well needed for my nitrate enriched environment.
P
I spent $16 dollars on delivery and $13 dollars on the plant and it died 3 or 4 days later. I would not recommend this store or plant.
F
Good quality
C
Excellent
J
This was my first experience with APF and with Hornwort. The plants were fresh, green, and bundled well for transport and integration into my tank. I didn't have any issues with tons of pine needles falling off or with snails. This was an excellent experience and I will certainly buy from here again. Also, the 2 for 1 was certainly appreciated!
M
The Hornwort arrived well packaged and perked right up, when planted in my tank. I also bought the Malaysian driftwood with hole to anchor the Hornwort in my gravel substrate. Worked great!
M
Since they don’t take root, and easily snaps, most of the 3 bundles (buy2get1) ended up getting tossed. I tried planting them, but by the next hour they were floating. I tried anchoring them by tying them down or super gluing them to weights/decorations, they ended up snapping apart, and again floating at the top. And with them floating around food got caught around them and their pines just ended up falling off. I tossed more than half away because they ended up just stems! I still have a couple in a cup of aquarium water. Idk what to do with them, but I don’t want to just toss them away either. I want them to work!!
D
Very fast delivery ,plants were ok and green.
K
I recently purchased hornwort for my aquariums. They arrived as promised, were well packaged. They were in very good shape and healthy. I rinsed and checked them for mites and snails, they were clean but to be sure I soaked them in water in a large class bowl for a couple days and checked them again before putting them in the tanks I had no problem at all with the plants. The fish seemed to enjoy it and makes the tanks look pretty. I do think I made a mistake by not buying 2 and getting 1free, I was afraid there would be too much. I will buy again from The Plant Factory.
C
All plants arrived in great condition, nicely packed individually. However, the hornwort came with little black bugs that look like ticks or mites (possibly water mites after googling). I had to put the hornwort in a separate container, inspect every single leave for mites, then run them under tap water before putting them into my tank. Also found a tiny snail that came off the hornwort. Hopefully nothing else is on it, fingers crossed.
K
These are so healthy, and a great filter plant! My Axolotl loves the shade!
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