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View Full Version : Beginner Floating Help


pckroeger
03-19-2013, 07:06 AM
I have never grown live plants in an aquarium before, but I wanted to grow some floating plants because I read that the neon tetras I have in there prefer low light conditions and the two 13W fluorescent tubes that came with the tank are quite bright?
what floating plants would be good to lower the light??
I only have plants available from this website http://www.aquaria.com.au/catalog/index.php/cPath/6_43/sort/1a/products_id/4287/page/1 as no stores around here have floating plants and western australia has quarantine laws that do not allow me to order plants in from out of state.
thanks!
talldutchie
03-19-2013, 08:19 AM
I don't see any floating plants there. You could try a bacopa forest and see if they like that
pckroeger
03-19-2013, 08:26 AM
They sell riccia, I thought I read that that can grow floating but am I wrong?
talldutchie
03-19-2013, 09:17 AM
Do they? I think I only saw a weight for it. But yes that does make a nice floater.
Lady Hobbs
03-19-2013, 01:05 PM
Check AquaBid. They generally have a decent amount of floaters to pick from and with spring right around the corner, selling of plants should be taking off again.

Depending on your filtration, you might not even be able to have floaters. Filters tend to throw them all over the place. Neons like hiding places, period. They need not be floating because neons generally stay nearer to the bottom.
talldutchie
03-19-2013, 01:19 PM
Err... lady... OP is in australia and under quarantine laws.
biotsrama
03-20-2013, 01:51 PM
They offer Ceratophyllum demersum (hornwort), which is a fast-growing floating plant, and Ceratopteris siliquosa (very similar to Ceratopteris thalictroides, "water sprite"), which is medium to fast-growing and can be floating or rooted. The Ceratopteris will form baby plantlets that detach from the mother plant and float at the surface, creating a nice dappled effect.
genocidex
03-20-2013, 03:03 PM
i dont have the time to pick threw that list but a few floaters that would work on that list are:
duck weed (giant or normal)
horwort
anacharis
water sprite

other floaters that might work but i dont know:
water lettuce
frogbit

edit:
look around your area for local fish clubs. i bet theres one and i bet they have some decent floaters they can sell you