Water lettuce, Any thoughts?

[JessicaCB650]

Pistia stratiotes -- does anyone use this in there tanks? I've used this particular plant in the past in an outdoor water garden, if I remember correctly - it was borderline invasive? I'm considering throwing a few of these in 55g with the Mahachais.

[bettafan]

Awen used to use it a lot. infact she listed here a while ago she was selling it pretty cheaply.

[JessicaCB650]

Yeah, the stuff multiplies like crazy! I had a couple of plants in my outdoor water gardens and it went nuts! I thought about adding some to my tanks because it multiplies quickly and is cheap. I was just curious if anyone had used it successfully in their tanks...

[Sherol]

I added to a tank and it did not do so well for me, probably not enough light. I thought the roots with all the fuzzy hairs would be a great place for betta fry to find a meal. Might try it again now that the fish room is coming around.

Would definately do a PP dip if bringing in from outside to kill bad stuff.

[onehomegrownsoul]

I've used it. The problem in indoor tanks, is it has a tendency to become mush. It's rather sensitive. But does tend to like low ph and brackish water.
Lighting is very tricky with it. It doesn't really like direct light, full but not direct. So side lighting is better than overhead. It also is kind of sensitive to drafts.
There is another plant called "red root" it's like a small low form of water lettuce. I tend to like it a little better.
A better choice is water hyacinth. It does really well in full direct light, low ph brackish water and is easy to separate as it grows too large. The Massive root systems make great cover for fry and live foods.

[JessicaCB650]

Interesting, I'll keep that in mind about the water lettuce and probably pass on it for now.


Any other recommendations on floating plants (besides the ones already mentioned)??

Also I should mention I don't really have a great light source in the fish room right now, I've been keeping the blinds shut because of drafts from the windows and I currently don't have a light for the 55g.

[onehomegrownsoul]

I would suggest getting a simple spot lamp and a full spectrum florescent daylight bulb or plant aquarium bulb for an incandescent fitting. A couple of these used strategically can be a big help and much cheaper than typical "aquarium hood" set-ups.

Another option is the good old standard florescent shop light, fitted with a descent full spectrum tube. You can get a descent shop light at one of the chain stores for around 10-15 bucks. Tubes can be really expensive, but the standard ecolux plant and aquarium tubes are around 4 bucks each. Sometimes you can find good tubes in the clearance aisles at pet stores. If you use a reptile tube make sure it's a daylight or tropical formula spectrum. High blue output is best for foliage red is for flowering and color enhancement in most fish. Yellow and green spectrum light offer almost nothing usable for either plants or fish.

Miniature water lilies and water lotus work nicely, and don't need the best light. But they're especially good for bettas as they can swim up on to them and rest or hide from each other. I used to use the fine mesh hydroponic bags for them with a little gravel to keep them anchored.
They make good shade and nesting plants. But they're not the best for offering shelter for fry.

Hornwart and water milfoil: grow like crazy, don't need an anchor, do well in lower indirect lighting, and are nice bushy plants that offer a lot of cover for fry and live foods. They can be cut and bundled or allowed to float free. I usually just bundle them and let them float. They grow really fast in good light, so you have to separate it out and cut it down regularly. But if you have lots of tanks to plant these two plants are the way to go. They survive where nothing else does. Even in poor light these two can survive. Maybe not thrive, but they'll live if there is any chance at all.

Anacharis: Is a lot like hornwart and water milfoil. It grows bushier if bundled and anchored, longer and finer if allowed to float free. Although it prefers a lot more light, is not as finely leafed and produces a lot more oxygen. This plant actually produces as much oxygen in strong light as an airstone on a very low setting. You can actually see it bubbling. Kind of interesting actually although you wouldn't think so to look at it.

Cabomba: A more rounded leaf structure, not as dense as Anacharis or the other two I mentioned. Can be used free floating, but won't grow as well. Prefers to be anchored near a light current. I find they like to grow on the sponge filter in my tanks. By far one of the more visually appealing choices, but harder to maintain. It doesn't have as much surface area as the others for live food, nor does it offer as much refuge to fry. But is a very good plant for adults to hide in during mating as they are unlikely to become tangled in it. Also sensitive to water conditions and can be used as an indicator species.

Java fern/moss: is great too but can be difficult to establish. It helps to tuck a wad of it under a rock though and insulate it from current. It really prefers very slow moving warm water. This is actually more closely related to lichen or algae. It has no vascular system, and will be the first to go if ammonia starts to build up. Makes a good indicator species.

Duckweed: is extremely invasive. (for those who don't know it, it's a tiny single leafed surface plant found nearly everywhere in ponds and slow currents.) It does give fry a good place to hide, and can be a good shade canopy. Lots of little critters like to eat it too. I use it. It overgrows constantly, so I scoop it out and feed it to my livebearers. They love it.

Frog Bit or penny leaf: another very invasive surface plant. Grows in connected rafts from runners. Larger leafs and roots compared to duck weed. The rafts offer good shelter for fry and live foods as the roots extend an inch or so below the water surface. Can be very sensitive to drafts. Grows well in direct overhead light. Doesn't like low light conditions, prefers high humidity and warm temperatures. Very good for nesting and fry. Can be susceptible to mold and mildew. Also easily choked out by smaller surface plants. Grows well with Red Root, but can be easily overwhelmed by duckweed.

[NatSynthDesigns]

cool choice for an aquarium tank. don't let any of it get outside and into any ponds or lakes, though. they're the poster plant for invasive species

[JessicaCB650]

I like the idea of the shop lights, I'll probably try to incorporate that into the fish room. I've got the frogbit in the 55g and some java moss (some is understatement, I just realized the other day that it's going nut in there, soooo much more than I originally put in there). I'm not complaining, I can never have to much java moss!

[onehomegrownsoul]

I mount my light vertically behind and along side my tanks. I find the lighting is more evenly distributed to lower shelves did you see the picture of my breeding wrack?

(Posted Image)

[JessicaCB650]

I got a couple of florescent lights today, I haven't officially mounted them on the walls (I like the idea of that from onehomegrownsoul's breeding setup). I did have them plugged in and was checking out the colors on my fish. Didn't realize my fish ARE more royal blue than the teal (masked male, masked female, and marble female PKs from bettarecognize on AB) I had originally thought. I didn't realize there was such a difference in what I thought was the coloring because of the lighting!