Help with browning leaves on floating plants

[powerin]

Nothing to worry about here. The large floating plant in the open rectangle is indeed Pistia stratiotes, or Water Lettuce. I've had my fair share of experience with this plant, and I must say, it's a magnificent one. As for the smaller floater, I'm quite certain it's Salvinia, likely S. molesta. My own plants used to look similar, but I noticed a decline in their health when our municipal water supply increased the soda ash levels, pushing the pH up to 8-something.

From what I've observed, Salvinia is a small floating fern that thrives in bright light and good water circulation. It's not too fussy, but it does require decent nutrition from the water. The two surface leaves are quite striking, with a beautiful silvery sheen - but they can turn brown and melt if conditions aren't ideal. I've read that Salvinia auriculata is often associated with aquarium plants, but some authors believe this might be incorrect. Kasselmann suggests that S. molesta is the species most commonly found in aquaria, and it's likely a natural hybrid of S. auriculata and S. biloba.

As for Pistia stratiotes, it's a variable plant that can grow quite large under optimal conditions. I've seen it grow up to 20 inches in diameter, although it usually stays smaller. The so-called "Dwarf" Water Lettuce isn't a distinct species, but rather a result of less-than-ideal conditions. It's a magnificent floating plant that's best suited to an outdoor pond or large aquarium. I've noticed that the "dwarf" form can develop into a normal, large plant when conditions improve.

Given your setup, with the Fluval Plant 3.0 LED light and the Flourish Comprehensive Supplement, I think the browning edges on your Salvinia might be due to the plants sitting directly under the light for extended periods. It's worth adjusting the light schedule or providing some shade to see if that improves the plant's health.

I've been thinking, you said those were frogbit from my latest picture, but I thought the frogbit looked different. I've got some floaters that almost look like small lily pads, which I thought was the frogbit. The leaves are more round. I'm guessing this is another plant I have in my tank, not the frogbit.

[boomer]

Yes, these photos in post #11 are indeed Frogbit. I'll look into identifying the other floating plants you have when I get a chance to check some pictures later.

[sSjey]

After reviewing the pictures, it seems to me that you have a few different types of floating plants in your tank. The large one that's floating in the open rectangle appears to be Pistia stratiotes, or Water Lettuce. The smaller floater is Salvinia, although I'm not entirely sure of the exact species - it's probably S. molesta, based on my previous experiences.

[powerin]

As near as I can tell through the cover, these are the plants you have -

View attachment 328374


Yeah, those are the ones I have. I thought I might've had some duckweed in there too, since I got all these plants from the marketplace.

So, the plant with the browning edges is definitely the Salvinia. Getting a second opinion on this wouldn't hurt, right?

I'm dosing 10ml of Flourish Comprehensive once a week. My Fluval Plant 3.0 light is on for 6-7 hours a day, including the slow turn on and turn off. The intensity is around 60-65% at its highest point.

[boomer]

The browning edges on the Salvinia, specifically the leaves under the water line, is likely the root cause of the issue. Noticing new leaf growth, it seems there's no pressing concern here.