Low light/Maintenence Floating Plant?

I'm thinking of adding a low light and low maintenance floating plant to my aquarium. It's an aqueon LED light, the kind that came with the hood. It shows off the fish and decor well so there's no need or want to change it. I'm using plastic plants and decor.

Are there any super easy surface-only floating plants that I could add? Just for fun, really

 

I have used water lettuce (Pistia), started off with a tiny portion now have it in all my tanks And have to throw it away periiodically. It grows really quickly and sometimes gets really long roots, while in tanks with more flow the roots stay short. None of my tanks have special lighting. It keeps nitrates really low.

 

Frogbit if you want long roots, salvinia if you want shorter roots.

 

Elodea is pretty hardy and low maintenance. You can float it or plant it.

 

Please check your state’s regulations as many floating plants are invasive and illegal in some states!

 

Salvinia minima( if legal in your state) will grow in these conditions. I grow it in both my 40breeder and 50 tall with slightly higher flow and a lid and I still thin it out once a week. The only other floating plant I've grown this way(successfully) is duckweed.

 

Frogbit and Water Lettuce...that's all I have to say!

Seriously, though, Frogbit has been known to grow well even under low lighting! Water Lettuce, though, is usually much slower growing, and although it prefers maybe 6 hours of bright light, it can still do well in low or moderate lighting.

If you want something that will float but isn't necessarily specified as a "floating plant", try Water Sprite, Elodea, Egeria, or anything labeled as a "water weed" XD

 

Frogbit if you want long roots, salvinia if you want shorter roots.

If I get Celestial pearl danios for my tank. They might appreciate the long roots to hide in

Please check your state’s regulations as many floating plants are invasive and illegal in some states!

It's only invasive if you're dumb enough to just dump it outside. I also don't care much for the state I have to live in right now

Thank you all for the suggestions!

 

I'm thinking of adding a low light and low maintenance floating plant to my aquarium. It's an aqueon LED light, the kind that came with the hood. It shows off the fish and decor well so there's no need or want to change it. I'm using plastic plants and decor.

Are there any super easy surface-only floating plants that I could add? Just for fun, really

Amazon Frogbit will work great. They will rapidly grow and multiply with little lighting. You may have to just scoop out a bit from week to week, but I didn't have to do so. The roots don't grow too long, maybe about 1 inch at max, and don't create a tint in your water. I bought mine from Amazon.

 

How long

I have used water lettuce (Pistia), started off with a tiny portion now have it in all my tanks And have to throw it away periiodically. It grows really quickly and sometimes gets really long roots, while in tanks with more flow the roots stay short. None of my tanks have special lighting. It keeps nitrates really low.

How long are the roots?

 

I might have a different frogbit, the roots are 8 inches at the longest.

There's a lot going on with water chemistry that affects what will grow well in your water, way beyond me.

 

I've tried every floating plant common to the hobby and they all grow absolutely fine under low light and 0 nitrates for me. ymmv. The exception is red root floaters... a molecule of water lands on them and they immediately sink and die

 

How long
How long are the roots?

In one tank they are really long, like 8”, but in the other two only 2-3”, I think it depends on how much flow there is.

How long
How long are the roots?

 

In one tank they are really long, like 8”, but in the other two only 2-3”, I think it depends on how much flow there is.
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That looks nice!

Are the long roots in the tank with more flow or less flow?

 

That looks nice!

Are the long roots in the tank with more flow or less flow?

Less flow

 

I'm thinking of adding a low light and low maintenance floating plant to my aquarium. It's an aqueon LED light, the kind that came with the hood. It shows off the fish and decor well so there's no need or want to change it. I'm using plastic plants and decor.

Are there any super easy surface-only floating plants that I could add? Just for fun, really

Every floating plant the tendrils grow longer in less light

 

Less flow

I have fairly good flow in my tank, even though the filter output is dialed back about halfway

Every floating plant the tendrils grow longer in less light

I have no way of measuring the light but it's one of those LEDs that are built right into the Aqueon hood. So that probably tells you that it's not good for plant growth.

Fish and decor looks nice though

That looks nice!

Are the long roots in the tank with more flow or less flow?

What variety of water lettuce is that? Where did you get it?

I might have a different frogbit, the roots are 8 inches at the longest.

There's a lot going on with water chemistry that affects what will grow well in your water, way beyond me.

Where did you get your frogbit? Do you know the variety?

 

Just get water lettuce the common kind. It will grow slow cause your light is weak but make the flow as slow as possible and add ferts if you want. Remove some occasionally to reduce nitrate and just make sure you get big peices. The stuff grows fast and 2 plants 3” covered a 10 gallon in 9 days. Floaters are very sensitive to surface agitation and flow so keep that to a minimum and like I said floaters make bigger tendrils (the pretty looking roots) when there’s less light so they can find new nutrients.

 

Just get water lettuce the common kind. It will grow slow cause your light is weak but make the flow as slow as possible and add ferts if you want. Remove some occasionally to reduce nitrate and just make sure you get big peices. The stuff grows fast and 2 plants 3” covered a 10 gallon in 9 days. Floaters are very sensitive to surface agitation and flow so keep that to a minimum and like I said floaters make bigger tendrils (the pretty looking roots) when there’s less light so they can find new nutrients.

Thanks!

Just get water lettuce the common kind. It will grow slow cause your light is weak but make the flow as slow as possible and add ferts if you want. Remove some occasionally to reduce nitrate and just make sure you get big peices. The stuff grows fast and 2 plants 3” covered a 10 gallon in 9 days. Floaters are very sensitive to surface agitation and flow so keep that to a minimum and like I said floaters make bigger tendrils (the pretty looking roots) when there’s less light so they can find new nutrients.

About how wide does each plant get?

 

I dont know what type of water lettuce mine is, I got it at a local shop here in Ecuador, but mine grows extremely quickly, one tank has the lights that came with the kit, the others have house LED lights.