Floating Plants... Only

[Seecher]

I been experimenting with floating plants, Water Sprite
(Ceratopteris thalictroides) & Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes).

It seems like you get more plants for the water space if they're
floating and also get the benefits of nitrate control. The Water
Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) is about 4 to 6 in. thick and
every space is filled with Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) the
roots of which are growing down 4 to 8 in. from the top they look
beautiful like feathery carrots. I nitrate levels have become very
stable at 15/20 parts per million. The plants get plenty of light
and the discus have a nice amount of shade.

I seem to have major problems about keeping other plants alive,
so my underwater plants are the newer silk artificials.

Does anybody else have an aquarium consisting mainly of floating
plants? If so what other floating plants that I should consider for
the sake of variety (yes, I have tons of duckweed, kind of a
nuisance but they're gobbling up nitrates also)

[BSW]

These are good floaters -

Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis)
Pennywort, Brazilian (Hydrocotyle Leucocephala)
Red Floater (Phyllanthus Fluitans)

B

[judy]

Can you make extra water sprite into salad? The stuff just grows and grows and grows... wonder if it tastes like arugula...

[Wahter]

Can you make extra water sprite into salad? The stuff just grows and grows and grows... wonder if it tastes like arugula...

They do eat it in some countries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopteris_thalictroides#Uses



It seems like you get more plants for the water space if they're
floating and also get the benefits of nitrate control.

That's because:

a.) they're closer to the light source and
b.) it's easier for them to obtain CO2 from the air than it is from water.

In fact, many aquatic plants are grown emersed (only the bottom section is submerged in water) at plant farms. Here's a photo of some Amazon sword plants (Echinodorus) at a plant farm I visited in Singapore:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=30348&d=1196819412

Hope that helps.


Walter

[Seecher]

Thank you for replies I will look into your suggestions.

I have a few other thoughts but I will post post them in a separate thread.

[GrillMaster]

Try some tiger lotus. It will grow to the surface just like lilly pads.

tc
Mark

[Apistomaster]

I like watersprite, Najas guadelupensis, and Ceratophyllum as my floating plants. Lilies are also a nice touch and they can be easily potted for use in bare bottom tanks.