what floating plants are hardy and thrive well?

[dragonfab32]

what floating plants are hardy and thrive well??

[Aiden123]

How about some amazon frogbit

[KevinVA]

Most floating plants are pretty hardy, because they propagate quickly. With the correct lighting and water flow, you'll have a canopy in no time. Duckweed is an intrusive species that'll never go away. lol Frogbit, as mentioned, is a great choice. Red Rooted Floaters are another good option, if you have adequate lighting. Also classified as floating plants are: Cabomba and Water Sprite. Fast growers. Many floating plants are on an "Invasive Species" list, because they'll quickly takeover a body of water, while pushing anything else out, so they're typically easy to grow/propagate.

[dragonfab32]

i think the duckweed is pretty neat but ill never be able to get it out of my tank??? if i want to?

[KevinVA]

lol, well, you can... with effort.

[Triton]

I like Asian water grass. It's like a floating stem, so can handle a little flow no problem

[madagascariensis]

if you like the look of common duckweed, but don't want an ineradicable infestation, check out giant duckweed spirodelia polyrhiza.
multiplies a tad slower and also is much larger(thus easier to control)

[toddnbecka]

Duckweed can easily be eliminated, plenty of fish will eat it, hob filters will usually collect it on their intakes. Or for quicker results simply rig up a powerhead with an empty 20oz soda bottle, cut off the bottom, and place something in the bottle to filter/collect the duckweed. Place the powerhead upside-down in the tank and position it so that it draws water from the surface, and it will quickly skim out the duckweed.
I have the stuff in multiple tanks, and about once weekly I skim out netfuls and toss into other tanks for the fish to eat. It's also a great nitrate sponge if you simply toss it in the trash when you thin it out.
If you prefer something similar but perhaps less annoying check out Salvinia. Little larger leaves that grow in chains rather than thousands of individual tiny plants, easier to thin out, doesn't grow quite as fast IME.

[dragonfab32]

i like the giant duckweed best i think but the fish will eat it?? will it kill all the giant duckweed off?

[korith]

Dwarf water lettuce grows fairly quick and easier to maintain than duckweed. Frogbit is nice too. With some plant cover on the surface, you'll see fish more willing to be out in the open.

[dragonfab32]

hm idk i think i will stick to frogbit thanks for suggestions!

[genocidex]

if you are looking for some frogbit, i have plenty and can get you some monday shipped if you are interested PM me.

[fishmommie]

hornwort is an excellent, hardy floating plant that grows quickly. It also loves nitrates so will help with nitrate control

[toddnbecka]

hornwort is an excellent, hardy floating plant that grows quickly. It also loves nitrates so will help with nitrate control
That depends on the hornwort. I tried some from the lfs, and it gradually disintegrated over a period of a week or two. Then several years ago I got a few small bits along with some dwarf crayfish. Those small pieces thrived, and eventually became quite a tankful. I still have some of it today, sold most of it off several times.

[Shidohari]

I am interested in looking for some floating plants for my currently cycling betta tank. I was thinking of anacharis or water sprite as they are readily available at some of my lfs ( I know anacharis is). unfortunately as they are directly in display tanks I'd need to treat for possible snails first. I won't be using substrate in the betta tank, just floating plants to filter the light so it's not too strong for the betta.

I have bleach at home and would be treating them in a 2.5 gallon bucket. how much bleach would I need for a 1:20 bleach/water to treat any plants from my lfs to minimize/prevent snails in the tank once it's cycled?

[angelcraze2]

Omg, you have to try Brazilian pennywort! I have it in all my tanks with fry and it does wonderful floating while staying in place, if desired, without getting scattered with the filter flow.

I don't have a pic off hand of my plants, but I stole this off the net.
46394

[angelcraze2]

Found a pic! Pls ignore the ugly spray bar!

[Shidohari]

What Ugly spray bar, i don't see any ugly spray bar :D

and honestly i was thinking of trying pennywort, it isn't available near me, so would have to get it shipped...ah the shipping fees of doom. this also means it can't be guaranteed snail free...but i love the look of it.

May also get a piece of driftwood for inside the tank and put a plant into any available holes, but my first choice for this tank is definitely floating plants.

Also sorry it took me so long to see this reply, i forgot i had posted a question here.

[Shidohari]

though i do like anacharis and it's easy to find here.

I'll have to see...gah plant decisions...why you have to be so difficult.

[Boundava]

i think the duckweed is pretty neat but ill never be able to get it out of my tank??? if i want to?

LOTS and LOTS of effort...have been fighting it for months-miss just one and its a never ending battle...if you get one in another tank they you are really in for it. I can't stand it! Have frogbit and it is so much nicer than the duckweed.

[Slaphppy7]

^^ Wise words, stay away from duckweed.

[angelcraze2]

^^ Wise words, stay away from duckweed.

Honestly, I agree. It was a major PITA to get it out of the tank I posted a pic of actually, took months!

Also anacharis won't actually stay floating. It sinks at times, it's weird, often it's used in science classes. It's a great plant as well though, highly oxygenating. I find out best to lightly tie the stands of anacharis with thread into a bunch and weigh it down with thread tied to a rock or some kind of aquarium-safe anchor. I'll try to find a pic. ..

[Boundava]

Do you know what the worst thing is-its in the 75!!!! With the re-scape there were some anubias and a big ol' Java growing emmersed on the background and there was a good dozen-20 duckweeds in the Java. I was so ticked...I am so careful not to bring anything from the upstairs tanks down to the 75-but someone (she will remain nameless because she did such a bang up job scaping) likes to share tools (planting shears/tweezers) and like I said it just takes one little weed. Thankfully there is a good current and duckweed hates currents-so it never really took off but they are impossible to entirely remove. Ever try getting an eggshell piece out of eggs...the bugger goes everywhere but in your hand/net/spoon...you get my drift. Its maddening :steamingears:

[angelcraze2]

Haha, found it!

[angelcraze2]

Poor you Boundava, I know exactly what you are going through. I just kept swishing the water's surface until all the little duckweed pieces broke loose of any emersed plants and caught them with a brine shrimp net. For months.

[Boundava]

yup, months here...still there :banghead: Was hoping the frogbit would out compete-but nope, just makes it harder to sort the two...so the frogbit went :cya:

[Shidohari]

is that one of your smaller tanks slap? The anacharis looked like it thrived.

Also the one thing i dont have right now, thread lol

[angelcraze2]

I think that is my tank you are asking about, anacharis.

It is a 10g bowfront that I use as a grow out tank for young angelfish. Right now, there's only a female blue ram in there, soon to move out.

Yeah, I don't know, anacharis just grows well, like an inch everyday. I only have a 10w spiral CFL lighting the whole tank for 7hrs. I think I might have used a bit of fertilizer, but is really not necessary with anacharis. Try to find polyester thread. The cotton stuff will just decay quickly and your anacharis will free.

And if you're intetested, just like java fern and anubias, don't tie the plant stems/strands too tightly. The bottom of the plant will rot and 'cut off' the top part. It will also send out rooter anchors on its own and attach to gravel. I had a nice bunch of it growing in a corner of my 46g bowfront, but not anymore. It always did ok for me, but I prefer it to look at least a bit in control. If left to go free, it'll develop all sorts of side shoots and look messy, but then again, maybe that's your thing.....to each their own-right?

[angelcraze2]

yup, months here...still there :banghead: Was hoping the frogbit would out compete-but nope, just makes it harder to sort the two...so the frogbit went :cya:

Lol! (Sorry) but yeah, I see that being impossible to deal with. I could just imagine! PITA!!!

[Shidohari]

yeah i will probaby look for polyester thread, it's easy to find for sewing lol...and white which means no dyes. May be there soon but don't know we'll see what the next 24 hours holds.

[RiversGirl]

Found a pic!

Lovely pennywort.

[Shidohari]

Sorry, yes that was your tank i meant angel.

Seriously would need ti invest in polyester thread and a decorative rock to anchor it too. I think the reason my anacharis always died in the tanks with substrate in it is I may have always buried the bunches to deep. Maybe i'll try to get the larger smooth decorative river rocks from petsmart when i'm there next, or a nice piece of driftwood that will fit in my tank with a hole in it to accomodate both either crypto or java fern, with a bunch of anacharis.

I know it would have to be white polyester thread to prevent dye contamination.



I think that is my tank you are asking about, anacharis.

It is a 10g bowfront that I use as a grow out tank for young angelfish. Right now, there's only a female blue ram in there, soon to move out.

Yeah, I don't know, anacharis just grows well, like an inch everyday. I only have a 10w spiral CFL lighting the whole tank for 7hrs. I think I might have used a bit of fertilizer, but is really not necessary with anacharis. Try to find polyester thread. The cotton stuff will just decay quickly and your anacharis will free.

And if you're intetested, just like java fern and anubias, don't tie the plant stems/strands too tightly. The bottom of the plant will rot and 'cut off' the top part. It will also send out rooter anchors on its own and attach to gravel. I had a nice bunch of it growing in a corner of my 46g bowfront, but not anymore. It always did ok for me, but I prefer it to look at least a bit in control. If left to go free, it'll develop all sorts of side shoots and look messy, but then again, maybe that's your thing.....to each their own-right?

[RiversGirl]

I wonder if you could just use fishing line. Your loops would need to be tied off fairly loose in order to not cut off the plant, but the line would be even less visible than white thread.

[Boundava]

I use it all the time-just knot it a couple times as it likes to undo itself-or better yet put a dab of super glue gel on the knot.

[angelcraze2]

Hmm, I thought about fishing line....but not the glue! That should hold it. I used to fish with my dad when I was young and those knots are hard to tie!

To Shidohari: Yes, you cannot plant any leaves of anacharis. The covered parts will surely rot! You can weigh it down with fishing line or thread until it develops is own roots and anchors itself into the substrate.

And idk, I just use whatever colour thread I have, but you might be right about colour leeching into the water. However, I never noticed anything myself....