Floating Plants making a mess

**Waterfroggy** · 02-06-2012, 05:48 PM

Hi,

I bought a handful of floating plants for my tank last fall. They slowly grew and filled in and were lovely.

Now, they're dropping dead leaves all over and making a mess of my tank.

Perhaps they have taken up all the surface space and have nowhere to go? It appears that there is new growth and the old growth is dying off. I know this is a normal plant thing to do, but I can't prune several hundred tiny plants!!

I'm going to do a major clean tomorrow, maybe take some of the plants back to the LFS or give them away and see if the remainder thrive again.

Has anyone had a floating plant mess they could share more about!?

I don't know the species but here is a photo.
Floating Plants.jpg

Thanks!

**nikelodeon79** · 02-06-2012, 07:55 PM

When my floating plants get crowded, I usually throw some in my mbuna tank and let the little monsters eat them up.

Another idea is offering a RAOK (random act of kindness) on the forum and offering some up for the cost of shipping. Alternatively, you could probably make a few bucks selling small portions.

**Goes to 11!** · 02-06-2012, 09:39 PM

I have - um - hornwort - or penny wort - or glosso.. I cannot recall what it is actually LOL.

Jen If you read this and remember what it was I got from you - Please post it.. I forgot again.

It's not messy whatever it is :-P

**Fishin Phil** · 02-06-2012, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by 850R

I have - um - hornwort - or penny wort - or glosso.. I cannot recall what it is actually LOL.

Jen If you read this and remember what it was I got from you - Please post it.. I forgot again.

It's not messy whatever it is :-P

They say your memory is the second thing to go.

**nikelodeon79** · 02-06-2012, 09:53 PM

BTW that plant looks like some Salvinia species.. (watermoss). It generally likes medium to high light.

Has anything changed in your tank... were/are you dosing ferts, did you lower your fish stock or step up water changes so there might not be as much nitrate, or maybe add more plants? Perhaps the floating plants are just so numerous they're out-competing each other for nutrients.

Oh, and i forgot to share my floating plant disaster: I had duckweed in my tanks and I'm STILL having nightmares about it. Pretty sure after months of me thinking it's gone, it's now making a reappearance in my 26g now that I'm dosing and injecting CO2 again. Nasty stuff, duckweed.

**Waterfroggy** · 02-06-2012, 09:58 PM

Nothing has changed in my tank, I'm pretty consistent. I do think it is just overgrown!

FREE FLOATING PLANTS IN EDMONTON ALBERTA!!

Come n' get 'em!!

=]

Thanks ya'll.