Water Lettuce

[dingweding]

i have quite a lot duck weed in my tanks, after a while, they get messy everywhere. finally i decide to get rid them all. I ordered some Water Lettuce.

i thought they should look like this

however they look like

are they same thing? or will they grow bigger like in the first pic?

otherwise they will have same problme with duck weed, small and messy, difficult to get rid of.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Can't get your pictures...

 

[dingweding]

now u can

 

[Colin_T]

the bottom one looks like salvinia not lettuce. But they could be little tiny baby lettuce.
Water lettuce doesn't do very well in aquariums. It hates coverglass and needs really bright light, Metal halides can be used but fluoros won't do much for it.

 

[Million]

I have water lettuce, and your pic (bottom one) looks like the plants when they are little sprout-offs. Give them time, and the rosettes will probably grow to ~5-10cm wide (mine have), though they will not get as big as outdoor ones in tropical climes. They're great for cover.

Also, I had some duckweed and my platys and tinfoil barbs ate it all within a day or so

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

I can't agree with Colin. Water letuce grows like duckweed in all my tanks – tropical and coldwater, high or low light. I have a very lucrative deal going with several LFS's – otherwise I would be over-run with the stuff...

 

[Colin_T]

Water letuce grows like duckweed in all my tanks

I wish it grew that well over here
beautiful plant when it gets going.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Water letuce grows like duckweed in all my tanks

I wish it grew that well over here
beautiful plant when it gets going.

Yes, Colin, I must admit to liking it myself. My grand-daddy lettuce was eight inches across, with twelve inch long roots. Those feathery roots are great for hiding fry, and my red-claw crabs sit on lettuce in preference to their sandy beach. My only problem with it is that, without severe thinning, a couple of small plants will cover the whole surface of my four foot tank within a month. Before I thought of approaching the LFS's, I was composting a dinner plate full of it every week!

 

[Colin_T]

I used to compost water sprite that way, and caulerpa in my marine tank. That stuff was fun. I would lift a handful out and put it in a bucket. Then a few minutes later lift it up and the bottom of the bucket would be crawling with all sorts of things.
Isn't it interesting how some plants go nuts in some tanks but others don't.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Wish I had the same success with Christmas moss – or any moss, for that matter. Probably not enough light at the bottom – thanks to all that bliddy lettuce at the top..!

 

[Colin_T]

Wish I had the same success with Christmas moss – or any moss, for that matter. Probably not enough light at the bottom – thanks to all that bliddy lettuce at the top..!

maybe you need to eat more salad, and have lots of lettuce in it

 

[dingweding]

I have water lettuce, and your pic (bottom one) looks like the plants when they are little sprout-offs. Give them time, and the rosettes will probably grow to ~5-10cm wide (mine have), though they will not get as big as outdoor ones in tropical climes. They're great for cover.

Also, I had some duckweed and my platys and tinfoil barbs ate it all within a day or so

platy eat duckweed? are your sure? i hate duckweed so much
if float everywhere, really messy, mix of my ricca , and stuck at the inlet of my filter. all of my tanks have it now.
and i just can not get rid of it, i tried a few times

 

[Million]

I have water lettuce, and your pic (bottom one) looks like the plants when they are little sprout-offs. Give them time, and the rosettes will probably grow to ~5-10cm wide (mine have), though they will not get as big as outdoor ones in tropical climes. They're great for cover.

Also, I had some duckweed and my platys and tinfoil barbs ate it all within a day or so

platy eat duckweed? are your sure? i hate duckweed so much
if float everywhere, really messy, mix of my ricca , and stuck at the inlet of my filter. all of my tanks have it now.
and i just can not get rid of it, i tried a few times

Yeah, i'm sure - I watched them doing it. The tinfoil barbs, however, absolutely annihilate it. Then they have luminous green poo, brilliant!