Dwarf Onion suitability for aquariums      7/17/13
Good evening,
I've bought a number of packs of assorted aquarium bulbs over the last year or so, mostly because I am a big fan of Aponogetons.
<As am I; provided you accept them as plants that may need replacing after a year or two, they're good value.>
The packs also included Lily Bulbs (listed as Nymphaea, which I can't seem to get to sprout) as well as Onions (listed as Crinum Thaianum).
<Likely so.>
I'm fairly certain now that these are Dwarf Onions (Zephyranthes Candida),
<On the basis of leaf shape? Zephyranthes tend to have much thinner leaves than Crinum, and Crinum are much, much bigger plants with onion-like and onion-sized bulbs once mature.>
which makes sense given the Endangered status of Crinum Thaianum.
<Not really. The plant may well be endangered in the wild, but still farmed extensively in Holland and elsewhere. Do bear in mind that many cheap, common fish are extinct in the wild -- the Red Tail Black Shark for example.>
They have  worked well for about 6 or 7 months now, but seem to be prone to leaves occasionally becoming clear and needing to be snipped.
<When leaves go clear it's often a sign the plant is stressed and the leaf has died.>
I'm finding conflicting sources saying that these will survive underwater as well as those that say they will die sooner or later. Will these do well long term in an aquarium?
<Probably not; by all accounts Zephyranthes is a bog plant that does best in well-drained soil that doesn't dry out, much like irises and things like that. Pretty much any bog plant will survive some months underwater, but not always (indeed, rarely) indefinitely. Of course you may well choose to treat them as disposable plants, and replace as/when required.>
Thank you for your help with this.
Joel
<Most welcome, Neale.>