Water lettuce

[Gramazing]

I bought 6 of these the other day for my 55 gallon tank. It looks really cool compared to the hornwart I have which is getting a bit ratty.

Problem is the roots or tails have dropped off them. Most only have one long tail left, one has none. When I first dropped them in the tank they tended to get swept around by the current of the tank; I'm wondering if the movement is what did it.

How can I corral them on one side of the tank away from the filter? At the moment they are kind of tangled up with the hornwart which makes them stay put, but if I get rid of the hornwart they might start drifting around again.

[Lady Hobbs]

I'm not sure what it takes to have floating plants. Every one I tried ended up knocked all over the place from the filter and half of the plants sucked up the inflow tube. Perhaps they work better on a small tank with a sponge filter but they sure don't work with my filtration.

Water lettuce is cool, I think. Hope it works for you.

[DrNic]

As with most plants a bit of wilting is expected when they get put into a new tank. Keep an eye on them, but I bet they will come back. I've never grown them, but from what I hear they are pretty hearty.

[Crispy]

Water lettuce needs LOTS of light. I have a few huge ones that keep all the smaller one's from drifting around. You'll find that you'll be cleaning your filter intakes every few days from broken roots/leaves. Under proper conditions, the lettuce will bounce back and spread pretty quickly. I have 2 big HOBs and a powerhead and my lettuce stays put.

[Gramazing]

Water lettuce needs LOTS of light. I have a few huge ones that keep all the smaller one's from drifting around. You'll find that you'll be cleaning your filter intakes every few days from broken roots/leaves. Under proper conditions, the lettuce will bounce back and spread pretty quickly. I have 2 big HOBs and a powerhead and my lettuce stays put.Damn, the pretty ones are always high maintenance:fish2:

[Crispy]

Damn, the pretty ones are always high maintenance:fish2:

They are fairly high maintenance... I prune off dying leaves and such twice a week.

[vegas2k]

Damn, the pretty ones are always high maintenance:fish2:


damn i was somewhat excited about possibly getting one of these...damn the maintenance =/

[gm72]

I use straws put together to keep it where I want it.

[Scrup]

fishing line works great for holding plants in place.you can tape it somewhere above the water line and wrap it around. Had to do it in my pond to keep the lettuce and the hyacinth out of the waterfall.

[violet]

LOL... you guys crack me up. I just stick with the easy plants although I've been thinking of doing the water lettuce ... hmmmm maybe I wonte now.:ssmile: