Floating Aquarium Plants

Floating aquarium plants are a great addition to many aquariums. They provide character and color to your take. And also give your fish a place to relax, sleep and even hide from other fish.

Therefore, you might want to consider adding something that can provide a hiding spot. Our suggestion is to go for floating aquarium plants. They form a shield over the tank that can guard the fish against unwanted light, provide them hiding spots and, at the same time, make your tank look beautiful. Here’s a list of few plant species that you can consider.

Water Spangles

Salvinia minima, commonly known as the Salvinia and water spangles are lovely looking floating aquarium plants from the salviniaceae family. The species is a native of South America, Mesoamerica, and West Indies and is known for its stunningly beautiful leaves. The leaves are usually oval in shape and measure around 4 to 20 mm each. They branch from horizontally and grow in a set of three. 

The plant doesn’t have a fixed root, but you may find small root-like structures emerging from its leaves and stems. The plant is also preferable due to its tolerance. It can sustain in water with a pH level of 5-8 and a temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Water spangles can help you to eliminate supplementary nutrients from the tank and also act as a nutrient source for various fish species. The only drawback that you may notice is that it needs a specialized aquarium light to grow and cannot survive in high currents. There are a range of great aquarium lights available depending on the size of your aquarium. These include:

Duckweed

Duckweed is a popular floating aquarium plant from Araceae family that is known for its growth rates and beautiful leaves. The plant can take over a full-scale fish tank in just a few days and does not need much care to grow. It can easily thrive in 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and can sustain about 6 to 7.5 water pH levels with ease. 

The species is usually available in sets of plants, each with 1 to 3 leaves. These leaves are light green in color, oval in shape and lay flat over the water surface. It also has a root, which can cluster with multiple surfaces, but try to keep them away from the side walls. It’s crucial to ensure that the snails and other duckweed eaters cannot reach it. Another thing that you need to consider is the removal of this plant. It is a fast reproducer and can block sunlight and air contact of the water surface if left unchecked.  

Dwarf Water Lettuce

Dwarf water lettuce is the most optimal choice for beginner level Aquascapers who are looking for an easy to grow yet highly decorative floating aquarium plant. This floating aquarium plant grows in North and South America and is famous for its distinct leave. They can have light green to dark green hue and are quite large compared to most other surface plants. These leaves don’t just look beautiful, but also act as an oxygen source for the tank.  

Talking of the plant growth condition, it is pretty hardy. Like most other aquatic plants, it can sustain a temperature of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and is flexible for 6.5 to 7.2 water pH levels. Its light requirement is also very low. It can easily grow under medium light. Even LEDs are enough for it.

However, before ordering or buying it, do check your local laws as some locations have restrictions against water lettuce growing. Other than that, you will also need to design a wired structure to regulate the plant and trim it regularly. Due to its large leaves, it can easily affect the light and air contact of your aquarium if left unchecked. Moreover, you also need a reasonably large tank to contain and grow this plant.

Azolla as a Floating Aquarium Plant

Mosquito fern or Azolla is a genus of seven species of floating plants of the Salviniales family. The plant falls into the fern category, but its look is nothing like a fern. In fact, it looks reduced and appears more like duckweed and moss. It can make for a great floating aquarium plant.

 Aquascaper prefers it due to multiple reasons, including its survival conditions and appealing looks. The plants can thrive at a pH level of 4.5 to 7.0 and can easily sustain a temperature of 64 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more than most floating plants. 

As for the looks, Azolla is available in multiple shades of green to red. It can even offer you a brownish look under a certain light and nutrient level.

While the plant offers excellent appeals and looks, it does have some cons that you need to know. For instance, it has a fast growth rate and needs regular trimming. You might also need to regulate its humidity level as it’s prone to fungi at high temperature and humidity levels.

Water Wisteria

If you are looking for a multipurpose plant that can act as both a floating and a carpet plant, then water wisteria is perfect for you. The plant has a marshy habitat and usually grows in parts of India, Bhutan Nepal, and Bangladesh.

However, the hardy nature of the plant makes it suitable for fish tanks around the globe. It can live at a temperature of 70 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit and can survive a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 without any damage issue.

As for its placement, if you root the plant to an object decoration or aquarium surface, it will attach itself and grow as a rooted or sunk plant. In case you leave it unrooted, it will grow as a floating plant. In both conditions, it can cover approximately 20 inches in length and 10 inches in width. The only difference in both conditions will be the direction of the growth and the fish species that can live around it.

Another difference will be that in the floating condition, it will attain most of its nutrition naturally and will not require any addition of CO2. It will also require a lot less light, but you might want to add some dosing of NPK and micronutrients for its growth. In this placement, you will also need to trim it regularly, or it will block the light entering the aquarium water.

Floating Aquarium Plants – Summary

Each of the five floating aquarium plants that you just read has its own pros and cons. Some may suit you and some may not, but now that you know all about them, making a buy decision will be much easier. So choose them wisely and turn your aquarium to the masterpiece you wanted to have.

Of course, if you want to create an even more stunning display, you could consider using some red aquarium plants as well to help brighten up your tank! Or alternatively Temple Compacta are fast growing planted option.

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