Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: pollydoodle on April 21, 2019, 02:05:25 PM

Title: Whats the best floating plant?
Post by: pollydoodle on April 21, 2019, 02:05:25 PM

I have seen several references to floating plants and wondered which was the best one to get.

There is plenty of duckweed for sale on ebay, but I remember that from my garden pond days...………..

Title: Re: Whats the best floating plant?
Post by: Littlefish on April 21, 2019, 02:44:21 PM

I have tried a few different plants.
I currently have Limnobium laevigatum in my forest tank. It doesn't appreciate the condensation dripping on to it (it dies off), so I also have stack box (no lid) where it goes to recover. I have also had experience with salvinia natans, and had the same problem. I think a lot of aquascapers have open top tanks, so have to deal with evaporation instead of condensation.
Plants such as Ceratopteris thalicroides, and Hydrocotyle leucocephalia are also grown sumberged, so don't have any problems with condensation. The leaves of the Hydrocotyle even look like miniature lily pads.
I've not tried Riccia fluitans.

Title: Re: Whats the best floating plant?
Post by: Sue on April 21, 2019, 06:00:43 PM

Most of the plants sold as floating do suffer from condensation drips. The two that don't are water sprite (the Ceratopteris that Littlefish mentioned) and duckweed.
Besides Hydrocotyle leucocephalia (Brazilian pennywort) hornwort, Ceratophyllum demersum, can also be used as a floating plants though this does have the habit of dropping needle like leaves if it is not happy, and from old stems.

Title: Re: Whats the best floating plant?
Post by: Cod_only_knows on May 12, 2019, 10:26:37 PM

I really liked floating red root (Phyllanthus fluitans). It took a little while to settle but looked stunning after a few weeks.