What's The Best Plant To Subdue Lighting In My Tank?

Hi, I have a tall (fake) plant in the back corner of my aquarium that creates some shade from the LED lighting in my tank and that's where my snails always nap and hang out and I'm pretty sure they don't like the lighting in my tank, it's too bright for them. I want my snails too be happy and feel free to roam around my tank so I want get some floating plants or something to subdue the lighting some to make my little snails friends happy. I am looking for types cheap/budget friendly floating plants that are relatively easy to care for but not invasive. Any ideas?

 

Why not just add a cave? Or you could add some duck weed with an airline to keep it in a certain area

 

Why not just add a cave? Or you could add some duck weed with an airline to keep it in a certain area

Isn't duckweed really invasive? I have heard that once you have it you always have it.

 

Yes, but you can use airlines to keep it in a certain area

 

Frogbit is another option. It's larger than duckweed and from what I've heard, a less invasive.

 

I've been really happy with my red root floaters--they're cheap and they spread easily, but are large enough that you don't end up with them on EVERYTHING like duckweed. I also have duckweed, because I got ONE tiny leaf of it with something...and now have 4 aquariums and a container pond with the *bleep* because it's impossible to move fish from my grow-out tanks (where it started) to the adult tanks without also moving the duckweed. DON'T DO DUCKWEED!!

 

you could float a bunch of hornwort, or get a bunch of frogbit or red root floaters. depending on where you live, you could also do dwarf water lettuce or salvinia minima (you'll have to check your state's invasive plants list). floating anacharis is also an option (I think it's illegal in cali). lillies and lotuses also work well, the kind that send up lily pads or large leaves to the surface. banana plants too.

 

you could float a bunch of hornwort, or get a bunch of frogbit or red root floaters. depending on where you live, you could also do dwarf water lettuce or salvinia minima (you'll have to check your state's invasive plants list). floating anacharis is also an option (I think it's illegal in cali). lillies and lotuses also work well, the kind that send up lily pads or large leaves to the surface. banana plants too.

Yea, everything is illegal in California.

 

Water lettuce is great. I love duckweed but some people don't. I've got some caves and fake plants that my rabbit snails hide under for most of the day.

 

Yea, everything is illegal in California.

haha! and I thought texas was bad with floaters.

it looks like a lot of the time it's just illegal for them to cross state borders, so you can't order them online from another state, but you can purchase them at an lfs near you. and of course you can't release them into waterways. frogbit, dwarf water lettuce, and anacharis look kinda iffy when I research them, but salvinia minima and red root floaters are legal! i'd love to get some salvinia, their root systems are really cool and look hardier than frogbit's (my betta keeps running into the roots and making them fall off lol).

 

haha! and I thought texas was bad with floaters.

it looks like a lot of the time it's just illegal for them to cross state borders, so you can't order them online from another state, but you can purchase them at an lfs near you. and of course you can't release them into waterways. frogbit, dwarf water lettuce, and anacharis look kinda iffy when I research them, but salvinia minima and red root floaters are legal!

They are not illegal in oregon are they?

 

They are not illegal in oregon are they?

I don't see oregon anywhere on the lists i'm googling. oregon gets pretty cold in the winter (I think? lol), so a lot of invasives just die off and don't pose much of a problem.

 

I don't see oregon anywhere on the lists i'm googling. oregon gets pretty cold in the winter (I think? lol), so a lot of invasives just die off and don't pose much of a problem.

Well it really depends on where you live in oregon if it gets cold or not. Most places it gets cold enough to get some snow but not a lot, nothing like the places in Idaho.

 

Yea, everything is illegal in California.

Including too much fun. Laws

 

If water lettuce or other larger floaters are not available to you, this is another option:

I cut up a section of pink plastic tablecloth and taped it to my LED fixture to serve as a light filter. I chose pink because my Ray II is an ugly 7000k spectrum. You could also try screening.

 

If water lettuce or other larger floaters are not available to you, this is another option:

I cut up a section of pink plastic tablecloth and taped it to my LED fixture to serve as a light filter. I chose pink because my Ray II is an ugly 7000k spectrum. You could also try screening.

Yea, some cheese cloth or something might work.
I have some flame moss arriving in the mail today though and I'm not sure if that would affect its growth or not.

 

Or even opaque white plastic might diffuse it a bit without manipulating spectrum. I personally found my Ray II to be too strong for my tank without added pressurized co2, so the plants actually grow better without as much algae.

 

Dwarf water lettuce!