Low-Tech Floating Plants?

[nortonmad213]

well as all i have had luckwise when it comes to plants disaster i am close to losing faith,
i have found that my fish are much more active if i put a piece of paper or somthing like that between teh light and the condensation trap.
so i am now looking for a floating plant that wont die with my poor plant skills,
if there are any that you know of please let me know.
thanks in advance.

 

[bigcheed]

silvania natans is no frills and needs nothing special. its quite prolific once it gets going though. I find I have to throw some away every month or so.

 

[nortonmad213]

thanks,
is it relativly easy to acquire?
how expensive is it do you know?

 

[nortonmad213]

are there any others that you know of?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Azolla caroliana
 
Limnobium laevigatum
 
I've not had the two plants above yet, but am considering ordering some of these for both my tanks.
 
Some stems plants like Vallisneria sp. Gigantea grows very long and long leaves can float on surfaces, I have this in another tank, easy to grow as long as in fairly soft flowing water and not planted too deep
 
Egeria densa otherwise known as Elodea can grow very long as well, this is one I have in my main tank, grown to about 3 feet long so far and floats at top like the vallis as mentioned above.
This is a good easy plant to have and does have the advantage of being good at absorbing nutrients from the water and helps control algae growths.

 

[bigcheed]

I got mine from my local maidenhead aquatics was about £1.50 for a sizable tub.

 

[nortonmad213]

brilliant thanks alot, i'll keep you posted on what i choose,
(should probably worry bout the hardscape first)

 

[greenmumma141]

If you're really worried about the plants dying, you could always go with good old duckweed It should be more than readily available, super cheap, and it's indestructible.

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

If available where you're at; some water cabbage, water hyacinths, purple water lilies are nice. They will outgrow your tank and should be controlled.

Check your local sewers. See what plants grow floating in them then check with your fish store to see if they have them. Those are the types of plants that could withstand, pollution and neglect but still thrive

 

[nortonmad213]

I'm more than prepared to put the effort in but whatever I do they die.
I have managed to keep some java moss alive tied to some bogwood but that's bout it

 

[greenmumma141]

I'd go with duckweed

 

[nortonmad213]

thanks a lot

 

[nortonmad213]

oh dear i feel so useless, i cant find duckweed in any of my lfs,
is it something i can yank out of a ditch or buy online or something?
same for any of the floating plants listed above.

 

[Ch4rlie]

You can buy duckweed online, tropica 1-2 grow has these, have heard good things from this online website even though I have not yet tried them myself.
 
I will be using this when I am ready for floating plants myself, just not decided on what I want! 

 

[nortonmad213]

tropica 1-2 
brilliant thanks a lot, 
payday is one week away so i'll buy and let you know how it goes.