Plants that do not need to be planted

I am aware of two plants so far that do not need to be planted in substrate (in fact they shouldn't be planted that way) .... anubias and java fern .... are there others? Besides moss of course

 

Do you mean floating plants? Anacharis can be planted, but they're better off floating (closer to light source). Water wisteria can also float and grow. Frogbit can't actually be planted- they're 100% floating.

 

No, I meant plants like the java fern and anubias that are attached to things but thanks for the thought. My husband just added some wisteria to his tank planted in pots.

 

Hygrophila Pinnatifida is my favorite. It will grow directly on driftwood. In low or mid level light I'd place it on driftwood that puts it closer to the surface (and therefore the light) though.

 

Hygrophila Pinnatifida is my favorite. It will grow directly on driftwood. In low or mid level light I'd place it on driftwood that puts it closer to the surface (and therefore the light) though.

Can it be attached to something other than driftwood (just checking)?

 

I've only tried driftwood myself. I have seen pictures of it planted In the substrate as well. I would assume the surface just has to be rough enough to grab on to. It has filled all of the little cracks in my driftwood with very aggressive roots

 

Interesting .... apparently it isn't recommended for beginners but seems to be one that would work in our aquariums .... will have to add that to our list to look into, see if our LFS carries it. I have seen a Hygrophila there recently, but not sure if it is this variety ...

 

You can also tie java fern and anubias to rocks as well as driftwood. Alison

 

I was concerned about difficulty as well but it grows very aggressively for me, that being said, I have high light and CO2. It doesn't seem to mind that I'm having issues finding my fertilizer sweet spot though.

 

Well we do have some aquarium plant fertilizer .... we do not run CO2 and my light is only a compact fluorescent (in a 5.5g aquarium that is pretty high light I think) ...

 

What about Bucephalandra? I think I spelled that right. It's pretty but might be a bit small.

 

Small is not really an issue in a 5.5 gallon tank I don't think ....