# Water Lettuce (Pistia) Works Wonders



## clementchee (Nov 26, 2013)

Hey guys,

Just want to share with you some experiences I have with water lettuce or Pistia. They have been working wonders protecting the betta fries. The strange thing is, however, we hardly feed the fries (yeah, I know it sounds abusive) and they are now two months old. They even grow faster than keeping them in a normally setup tank.










I don't know why, but I read from the Internet and it says these kind of water plants attract mosquitoes to lay eggs on the water and this is probably how the bettas survive through their babyhood. 

Another thing is that, I left them outdoor and they grow really fast. On another website I read, scientists actually receive grant from the government to do research on this plant as it provides a healthier and safer water usage to the community. Source: http://www.news.appstate.edu/2011/12/06/epa-p3-grant/

If you have had encounter with this kind of floating plant, I would love to hear from you.


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## meloywafu (Jun 26, 2014)

we call that water lily here..just want to ask sir, is it safe to grow some frys outdoor?because as what ive experience, cold weather, especially when it rains, cause my bettas to have ich. actually i have a bunch of fries that get white spots because of heavy rain and they all dead. but thanks for the info sir, may be ill get some of these plants and put them in my grow out tub..


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## sponge1234 (Oct 29, 2013)

do you have heaters for your bettas?


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## clementchee (Nov 26, 2013)

Well, I live in a tropical country - Malaysia and the average temperature in the country is between 28-32 degree. Glad that I don't have to worry about the cold weather. 

Yea, I think if you are trying to breed bettas or setup this kind of environment for your bettas, it is best to keep them. 

For the cold weather issue, maybe you can keep the water lily indoor where it is exposed to the sun? I tried keeping them indoor and the plants turned yellowish.


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## amphirion (Jan 15, 2014)

saw this plant in use in an open waterhole in Sudan. very effective in purifying the water. the fact that im typing this out is proof of that. hahaha.


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