What stem plants float the best?

I'm looking for a stem plant that floats well. I float water wisteria, but after a month it is nasty. I have tried non stem plants, such as red root floaters, but they died off also.

 

Have you tried water lettuce? I can't stop it growing and have to get rid of some every week...

Otherwise I have found (accidentally) that Limnophila sessiliflora survives and grows quite well floating. I believe that hornwort does, though I haven't tried it.

 

Have you tried water lettuce? I can't stop it growing and have to get rid of some every week...

Otherwise I have found (accidentally) that Limnophila sessiliflora survives and grows quite well floating. I believe that hornwort does, though I haven't tried it.

Thank you! Water lettuce was one of the plants I was thinking of next. I will look into the others too! Thank you!

 

Do you have a lot of current at the surface? Floating plants generally do not do well in the current. Red Root Floaters didn't last a week in my tank. Water lettuce is much tougher than RRFoaters, but it too did not survive in my tanks with surface aggitation. As soon as I protected it from the current it took over until I was throwing plants out every week just to keep up with it. The only problem with water lettuce is that it gets a few inches high, so if you have a lid you may have to lower the water.

 

Do you have a lot of current at the surface? Floating plants generally do not do well in the current. Red Root Floaters didn't last a week in my tank. Water lettuce is much tougher than RRFoaters, but it too did not survive in my tanks with surface aggitation. As soon as I protected it from the current it took over until I was throwing plants out every week just to keep up with it. The only problem with water lettuce is that it gets a few inches high, so if you have a lid you may have to lower the water.

Thank you! Yes, I think the current is some of the problem. I have since stopped most of it with tubing. I'm hoping that helps.

 

What I float is westeria and hornwort. Both grow great along the top and don’t cut off the light to the lower plants. But yes they will get ugly collecting food and growing algae. Shrimp do keep them clean.

 

What I float is westeria and hornwort. Both grow great along the top and don’t cut off the light to the lower plants. But yes they will get ugly collecting food and growing algae. Shrimp do keep them clean.

Thank you! Yes, they get nasty collecting everything, lol. Maybe I'll try some clippings of wisteria again with my lower current.

 

Salvinia is another great floater that spreads readily.
I can confirm Limnophilia sessiliflora will do well as a floater and will grow roots all over the stem. Although if you do plant it with in a month or two it’ll be on the water surface anyway !! Grows like a weed that stuff.

if not there’s always duck weed !!!

If you’re in the U.K. I can send you any of those 3 for free. I usually end up throwing hand fulls away every week.

 

Thank you for the ideas! I really appreciate that, but I am in the US. I will definitely look into all of those!

 

In my case, coontail, water lettuce, and giant duckweed works great!

 

Bacopa monnieri roots, floats, crawls, emerses, flowers.

Eat it and you'll become smarter too.

 

Water sprite floats well and grows fast.

 

Bacopa monnieri: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746283/

 

Thank you everyone for the ideas! I will research all of those. I just need something to help block some of the light. I think my lighting is too bright.

 

Thank you everyone for the ideas! I will research all of those. I just need something to help block some of the light. I think my lighting is too bright.

It should at least be controllable. Light is the mother of all issues ....and life too .

 

Bacopa never worked for me…

 

Anacharis does really well for me when I float it and leave it alone. The only times it hasn't done well for me is when I try to plant it in the substrate or forgot it in a bleach dip solution, lol.