Growing dwarf water lettuce in my aquarium

[SeaBidder]

I'm thinking of adding something new to my tank, has anyone got experience with it? How's the growth? What kind of lighting does it need? I'm trying to find something to provide some shade for my fish - I recently had to do a salt treatment and it killed off most of my floating plants. Any suggestions would be great.

[angelica]

I've had experience with this plant, it's a fast grower, but has one major weakness - it can't handle water collecting on its leaves or condensation, that's when problems start.

[oldraider]

I've had experience with this plant, it's a fast grower, but has one major weakness - it can't handle water collecting on its leaves or condensation, that's when problems start.

I was thinking of getting some as well, considering the issue with water on its leaves that angelica mentioned. It seems like keeping the hood closed would be a better option to prevent water from getting on the leaves and to maintain the tank's temperature.

[boomer]

I've had experience with this plant for several years now. It performs well in some tanks and not as well in others. One thing to note is that all my tanks are covered. There's a common misconception about "dwarf" water lettuce - there's actually only one species, Pistia stratiotes.

From my research, here are some key points about this plant:

Pistia stratiotes belongs to the Araceae family, specifically the Aroideae subfamily. It's found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, and can thrive in freshwater and even brackish environments.

In terms of positioning, this plant is strictly floating and is ideal for ponds or large aquariums. It requires moderate to bright lighting, and its growth rate is partly dependent on the light it receives. I've found that it grows rapidly, and its size can reach up to 50cm or 20 inches in diameter, although it's usually smaller.

The plant can tolerate a range of water parameters, from soft to fairly hard (up to 25 dGH), and acidic to basic (pH 6 to 8). It can also thrive in temperatures between 15-30C or 60-86F.

One of the benefits of this plant is its ability to absorb nutrients, including ammonia and ammonium, making it a great choice for new tanks. It also provides excellent cover for fry.

Historically, the Pistia clade dates back to the Middle Eocene epoch, around 48.6 to 37.2 million years ago. The species itself was first described by Carl Linnaeus, who developed the binomial naming system we use today.

Overall, I've found Pistia stratiotes to be a magnificent floating plant that's well-suited to outdoor ponds or large aquariums. The so-called "dwarf" form is simply a result of less-than-ideal conditions, and it can grow into a normal-sized plant when conditions improve.

[SeaBidder]

Thanks, boomer. I think I'll give water lettuce a shot. The new light in my tank is just too intense for my fish, so I'm looking for something to help filter it a bit.

[oldraider]

I've had experience with this plant for several years now. It performs well in some tanks and not as well in others. One thing to note is that all my tanks are covered. There's a common misconception about "dwarf" water lettuce - there's actually only one species, Pistia stratiotes.

From my research, here are some key points about this plant:

Pistia stratiotes belongs to the Araceae family, specifically the Aroideae subfamily. It's found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, and can thrive in freshwater and even brackish environments.

In terms of positioning, this plant is strictly floating and is ideal for ponds or large aquariums. It requires moderate to bright lighting, and its growth rate is partly dependent on the light it receives. I've found that it grows rapidly, and its size can reach up to 50cm or 20 inches in diameter, although it's usually smaller.

The plant can tolerate a range of water parameters, from soft to fairly hard (up to 25 dGH), and acidic to basic (pH 6 to 8). It can also thrive in temperatures between 15-30C or 60-86F.

One of the benefits of this plant is its ability to absorb nutrients, including ammonia and ammonium, making it a great choice for new tanks. It also provides excellent cover for fry.

Historically, the Pistia clade dates back to the Middle Eocene epoch, around 48.6 to 37.2 million years ago. The species itself was first described by Carl Linnaeus, who developed the binomial naming system we use today.

Overall, I've found Pistia stratiotes to be a magnificent floating plant that's well-suited to outdoor ponds or large aquariums. The so-called "dwarf" form is simply a result of less-than-ideal conditions, and it can grow into a normal-sized plant when conditions improve.

I was thinking of getting some for my tetras, they love shade and it seems like this would be perfect for them, a nice canopy to swim under.

[boomer]

Here are a couple photos of this plant in two tanks. The first is my former 20g QT that ran permanently for new fish acquisitions. I found it interesting that when that tank was fishless for months before I acquired new fish, the roots of this plant would quickly grow down to the substrate, but never seemed to penetrate it. I surmised that this may have been due to the lack of nutrients from there being no fish. In tanks with fish, the roots never grew that long but remained more like these photos. The same thing occurred in the deeper 29g after I took the group of lemon tetras to the lfs but kept the tank running for several weeks; two lemon tetra fry appeared after about 10 weeks, as I rather suspected which is why I kept it running. The second photo is that 29g but from a different "life" when it housed some blackwater fish.

Most of the time the plants grow to roughly 3 or 4 inches across, though in some tanks they remain 1.5 to 2 inches. A couple times they have grown to 5 inches.

[SeaBidder]

Lovely with the roots hanging down. Just got a message from the seller saying it's the wrong time of year for them. Guess I'll have to try another seller then.

[boomer]

I've had experience with this plant for several years now. It performs well in some tanks and not as well in others. One thing to note is that all my tanks are covered. There's a common misconception about "dwarf" water lettuce - there's actually only one species, Pistia stratiotes.

From my research, here are some key points about this plant:

Pistia stratiotes belongs to the Araceae family, specifically the Aroideae subfamily. It's found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, and can thrive in freshwater and even brackish environments.

In terms of positioning, this plant is strictly floating and is ideal for ponds or large aquariums. It requires moderate to bright lighting, and its growth rate is partly dependent on the light it receives. I've found that it grows rapidly, and its size can reach up to 50cm or 20 inches in diameter, although it's usually smaller.

The plant can tolerate a range of water parameters, from soft to fairly hard (up to 25 dGH), and acidic to basic (pH 6 to 8). It can also thrive in temperatures between 15-30C or 60-86F.

One of the benefits of this plant is its ability to absorb nutrients, including ammonia and ammonium, making it a great choice for new tanks. It also provides excellent cover for fry.

Historically, the Pistia clade dates back to the Middle Eocene epoch, around 48.6 to 37.2 million years ago. The species itself was first described by Carl Linnaeus, who developed the binomial naming system we use today.

Overall, I've found Pistia stratiotes to be a magnificent floating plant that's well-suited to outdoor ponds or large aquariums. The so-called "dwarf" form is simply a result of less-than-ideal conditions, and it can grow into a normal-sized plant when conditions improve.

That could be why Water Lettuce is more readily available in summer, given its common use in ponds. I recall having it in my backyard pond and once it settled, it grew to a circumference of around 8-10 inches. In my tanks, however, it never reaches that size, though it does grow to varying sizes presumably due to different conditions.

[SeaBidder]

I've had experience with this plant for several years now. It performs well in some tanks and not as well in others. One thing to note is that all my tanks are covered. There's a common misconception about "dwarf" water lettuce - there's actually only one species, Pistia stratiotes.

From my research, here are some key points about this plant:

Pistia stratiotes belongs to the Araceae family, specifically the Aroideae subfamily. It's found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, and can thrive in freshwater and even brackish environments.

In terms of positioning, this plant is strictly floating and is ideal for ponds or large aquariums. It requires moderate to bright lighting, and its growth rate is partly dependent on the light it receives. I've found that it grows rapidly, and its size can reach up to 50cm or 20 inches in diameter, although it's usually smaller.

The plant can tolerate a range of water parameters, from soft to fairly hard (up to 25 dGH), and acidic to basic (pH 6 to 8). It can also thrive in temperatures between 15-30C or 60-86F.

One of the benefits of this plant is its ability to absorb nutrients, including ammonia and ammonium, making it a great choice for new tanks. It also provides excellent cover for fry.

Historically, the Pistia clade dates back to the Middle Eocene epoch, around 48.6 to 37.2 million years ago. The species itself was first described by Carl Linnaeus, who developed the binomial naming system we use today.

Overall, I've found Pistia stratiotes to be a magnificent floating plant that's well-suited to outdoor ponds or large aquariums. The so-called "dwarf" form is simply a result of less-than-ideal conditions, and it can grow into a normal-sized plant when conditions improve.

Found another seller. Yeah, 8-10 inches is massive, can't imagine it getting that big in my tank though.