# Easy floating plant for beginners



## 206Betta

Hi, 

Just wanted to ask which is the easiest floating plant for a beginner. When I say beginner, I mean I have no idea what it takes to take care of plants in a tank. Also, I have spent a good amount of cash getting the tank and other essentials. So, I would prefer a floating plant that is both low cost and low maintenance. 

At the same time, it was suggested that I have some floating plants to decrease the amount of light in the tank. Only fear would be making a mistake and my fish ending up paying the ultimate price.

In the beginning, I was thinking of buying a marimo moss ball too but, not sure how it'll fit with my tank.


----------



## BettaNard

I have water Sprite just floating at the top and left it there, few days later it started to grow roots which Callisto loves swimming through  Very low maintenance plant, just dropped it in and let it do its business! I just do water changes to keep the plant healthy


----------



## hellobird

I've had really good results with floating water sprite too, it's almost overtaken one of my 7gal tanks. I have plantlets floating in both my tanks now, as well as the waterpots outside and it is growing crazy everywhere. My main tank gets fertiliser added but none of the others do! I believe frogbit is also very easy to grow, I personally love the look of it but it's illegal here.


----------



## Straubrey

My betta's favorite floating "plant" is a large indian almond leaf! He builds his bubble nests underneath. That's about as low maintenance as it gets.


----------



## Hallyx

All my fish love their floating Anubias for shade, hides and sleeping. Almost as maintenance-free as silk plants.

Are those live bamboo plants in there? You'll want to get those leaves up out of the water before they rot.

Welcome to the forum.


----------



## BettaBeau

I've developed a plant addiction, lol! For floating plants, I have duckweed, salvinia minima, some red root floaters, and sprigs of water sprite and pennywort that came off of the main plant. Although duckweed is wonderful for your water quality, it can get all over siphons, arms, sides of tanks, etc. Salvinia minima is easier to deal with. I just bought more java fern and water sprite from JDAquatics on the marketplace thread, his java ferns are wide leafed, gorgeous, and inexpensive! Oh, and the java ferns can float, too!


----------



## Crash

water sprite/wisteria seem to grow like weeds. I like the look of wisteria a bit more personally  I also used to use water lettuce as my primary floater, my betta loved to rest against the roots.


----------



## Aqua Aurora

What are you using for a light over the tank right now? Some floating plants light stronger lighting than others.
some floating options:
frogbit
salvinina minimia
riccia
duckweed

hornwort
anacharis
water sprite

You can float most any aquatic plant they don't have to be planted in the substrate.


----------



## Tealight03

I really like water sprite too. I add a little API Leaf Zone for fertilizer and use a table lamp with a plant light bulb. I think I need better lighting but for now it works.


----------



## kitkat67

BettaNard said:


> I have water Sprite just floating at the top and left it there, few days later it started to grow roots which Callisto loves swimming through  Very low maintenance plant, just dropped it in and let it do its business! I just do water changes to keep the plant healthy


That's actually water wisteria, not water sprite.


----------



## 206Betta

BettaNard said:


> I have water Sprite just floating at the top and left it there, few days later it started to grow roots which Callisto loves swimming through  Very low maintenance plant, just dropped it in and let it do its business! I just do water changes to keep the plant healthy


Looks great! So, it doesn't require any special treatment, just throw it in the water and it's good to go? If that's the case, then sign me up LOL 




hellobird said:


> I've had really good results with floating water sprite too, it's almost overtaken one of my 7gal tanks. I have plantlets floating in both my tanks now, as well as the waterpots outside and it is growing crazy everywhere. My main tank gets fertiliser added but none of the others do! I believe frogbit is also very easy to grow, I personally love the look of it but it's illegal here.


Had to google it but, frogbit looks perfect. Just don't know a good source right now. Looked on Amazon but, there's only 2 sellers and both don't have good reviews. 



Hallyx said:


> All my fish love their floating Anubias for shade, hides and sleeping. Almost as maintenance-free as silk plants.
> 
> Are those live bamboo plants in there? You'll want to get those leaves up out of the water before they rot.
> 
> Welcome to the forum.


Thanks! Glad to be here. 

Can't seem to find the floating Anubias on Amazon right now. If it's basically maintenance free, then it's worth considering. 

Anyways, nope..they're fake LOL Got it at Petsmart since I didn't consider having any live plants in my tank. 



Aqua Aurora said:


> What are you using for a light over the tank right now? Some floating plants light stronger lighting than others.
> some floating options:
> frogbit
> salvinina minimia
> riccia
> duckweed
> 
> hornwort
> anacharis
> water sprite
> 
> You can float most any aquatic plant they don't have to be planted in the substrate.


As of right now, I have the stock LED lamp that same with the Spec III. From what I read, it isn't too strong. Really can't tell myself since this is my first real tank. 

Thanks for the list. Are all of those mostly maintenance free plants as well?


----------



## 206Betta

Straubrey said:


> My betta's favorite floating "plant" is a large indian almond leaf! He builds his bubble nests underneath. That's about as low maintenance as it gets.


Thanks for the suggestion but, I've read that I have to watch when it decays. Not sure how long that will take nor if it will even match everything else in my tank. 



BettaBeau said:


> I've developed a plant addiction, lol! For floating plants, I have duckweed, salvinia minima, some red root floaters, and sprigs of water sprite and pennywort that came off of the main plant. Although duckweed is wonderful for your water quality, it can get all over siphons, arms, sides of tanks, etc. Salvinia minima is easier to deal with. I just bought more java fern and water sprite from JDAquatics on the marketplace thread, his java ferns are wide leafed, gorgeous, and inexpensive! Oh, and the java ferns can float, too!


I was actually just looking at the duckweed. It looks almost like the frogbit but, it seems to be a bit messy from what you're describing. Took a look at the pennywort plant and it kind of looks like a water lily. So, that might work for me. 

Gonna check out JDAquatics and see what they have. Appreciate the suggestion. 



Crash said:


> water sprite/wisteria seem to grow like weeds. I like the look of wisteria a bit more personally  I also used to use water lettuce as my primary floater, my betta loved to rest against the roots.


How much maintenance does a water lettuce need?


----------



## BettaNard

kitkat67 said:


> That's actually water wisteria, not water sprite.


Oh wow, sorry my bad, this whole time I thought it was sprite! :lol:



206Betta said:


> Looks great! So, it doesn't require any special treatment, just throw it in the water and it's good to go? If that's the case, then sign me up LOL


Yup, haven't done anything to it besides water changes, no fertilister or anything, it's quite surprising! I'm also using LED lighting which probably helps a little


----------



## BettaBeau

Duckweed has very small leaves. Salvinia minima has larger leaves, and new leaves grow from and stay attached to the older leaves, so they stay together. I believe that frogbit does the same as salvinia, and is a little larger.

The first picture shows the relative size of frogbit, dwarf water lettuce and duckweed. The second shows salvinia minima and duckweed.


----------



## VeeDubs

I'm giving away dwarf water lettuce cause it has taken over the top. It grows so fast, so this is my way of keeping it under control. It shoots runners out every day for me. My bettas love sleeping and hiding in the roots so I'll always keep some. But I have too much of it.
See details in the marketplace thread.


----------



## kitkat67

BettaNard said:


> Oh wow, sorry my bad, this whole time I thought it was sprite! :lol:


We've all done that.  With wisteria you can cut them under the segments growing roots and plant them! Yay, propagation!


----------



## 206Betta

BettaBeau said:


> Duckweed has very small leaves. Salvinia minima has larger leaves, and new leaves grow from and stay attached to the older leaves, so they stay together. I believe that frogbit does the same as salvinia, and is a little larger.
> 
> The first picture shows the relative size of frogbit, dwarf water lettuce and duckweed. The second shows salvinia minima and duckweed.


Yeah, I can see that in the pics. Actually liking the look of the Salvinia Minima. Does it require any special lighting or food? Only got the stock LED and not planning on upgrading anytime soon. Plus, don't think Fluval makes this in white to match my tank:

http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Mini-P...8&qid=1454562220&sr=1-2&keywords=fluval+light



VeeDubs said:


> I'm giving away dwarf water lettuce cause it has taken over the top. It grows so fast, so this is my way of keeping it under control. It shoots runners out every day for me. My bettas love sleeping and hiding in the roots so I'll always keep some. But I have too much of it.
> See details in the marketplace thread.


Appreciate you letting me know, I might just check out your thread.


----------



## ao

kitkat67 said:


> We've all done that.  With wisteria you can cut them under the segments growing roots and plant them! Yay, propagation!



You can also propagate wisteria by letting its leaves float around in your tank, then the leaves will grow roots!


----------



## 206Betta

So, I followed BettaBeau's suggestion and bought some plants from JDAquatics. 

First plant I got was the salvinia minima. Just like that it's easy to grow and doesn't need a lot of special treatment. The other I plant I bought was the Anubias Bartera. 

He had a few more species but, the Bartera looked like it was gonna be the smallest out of the bunch. Also liked that it had round leaves compared to the others. 

Thing is, is that I have no idea how I would plant the Anubias. Any recommendations?


----------



## BettaBeau

Anubias has a stem called a rhizome, it has both the leaves and the roots growing out of it. It is important to not bury the rhizome, if you do it will rot. You can plant the roots as long as the rhizome stays above the gravel, or you can use thread to tie it to a rock or driftwood, or you can let it float/sink/drift in your tank. 

Java fern is another rhizome plant. I have a bare bottomed tank, no gravel, and I have my anubias and three of my java ferns held down with suction cups, the rest are just floating.


----------



## NickAu

Water sprite. Look closely and see how big it gets that started as a small broken off leaf oh yes I love duck weed as well

Thats a 2 foot tank


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks for the info Beau. Didn't know that burying it in the gravel will rot the rhizomes. Actually was planning on doing that. 

Don't think I can do the suction cups with my tank. Already have a bunch of gravel and planning on keeping it. 

Think I'm going to have to tie it down to something. Do you know of any good sources for drift wood? Also, does any type of rock work? Like if I were to just grab a random rock and wash it off at the sink or something like that.


----------



## 206Betta

NickAu said:


> Water sprite. Look closely and see how big it gets that started as a small broken off leaf oh yes I love duck weed as well
> 
> Thats a 2 foot tank


That's impressive, pretty crazy how much it grew. From what I was told, there's going to be some duckweed mixed in with the salvinia. The only thing I'm worried about is keeping those little leaves out of the grate on my tank.


----------



## NickAu

I have a canister filter with the intake half way down in the tank.

Duck weed only gets out of control if it has nutrients, if your duck weed is growing like mad there is a reason, anyway Its easy to scoop a bunch of it out every week.


----------



## 206Betta

Oh ok, that explains why you don't have to worry about that. One the Spec III, the grate is at the top where the duckweed can probably go through, So, I don't want it to end up there and get picked up by the filter. 

Plus, I did a little mod on the tube to slow down the flow but now, there's a pretty big hole there where the duckweed can enter. 

Anyways, had to do another 100% water change. Pieces of the filter media and carbon was everywhere but, the weird things was that Lord Zod was still happy in the midst of all of that:




Anyways, decided to do a little shopping today. Got a couple of nerite snails for the tank. Not sure if it was a good idea or not since my tank isn't cycled or anything like that. 

Also picked up some malaysian drift wood from my local fish store. Actually picked it from one of their tanks. So, I didn't have to boil it or anything. Plus, it came from what I think is an established tank. 

The good thing is that since it's from an established tank. I just relocated the nerite snails from the glass onto the driftwood and they've been there ever since and haven't really moved an inch.


----------



## 206Betta

Another thing about the drift wood is that it already has a plant growing on it. Forgot the name of the species. If anyone knows, then it would be much appreciated. It looks pretty much like seaweed to me. 

One of the clerks said it didn't need any special treatment and that it's easy to grow. Guess I'll see if that's true or not. The other plants should be arriving tomorrow.

Currently, one of the nerite snails has stuck itself to the plant.


----------



## NickAu

I think that the leaves on that bamboo need to be out of the water.

Heres my opinion. 
Get rid of the ornaments and all Live Plants Lots of them and you can forget about cycling. 

Throw in some Anubias Crypts Vallis Water sprite Swords your betta will love it and the plants will help with water quality.

Keep the Drift wood.


----------



## LittleBettaFish

The plant growing on the driftwood looks like subwassertang. 

I use water sprite in all my tanks, but another 'easy' floating plant is mayaca fluviatilis. I use it in all my tanks. It forms a dense mat at the surface, and eventually starts creeping out of the water and up the glass. 

I don't fertilise mine, and it receives very sporadic periods of lighting, and it still is doing very well.


----------



## 206Betta

NickAu said:


> I think that the leaves on that bamboo need to be out of the water.
> 
> Heres my opinion.
> Get rid of the ornaments and all Live Plants Lots of them and you can forget about cycling.
> 
> Throw in some Anubias Crypts Vallis Water sprite Swords your betta will love it and the plants will help with water quality.
> 
> Keep the Drift wood.


Guess the bamboo ornament is really realistic. Everyone seems to think it's real LOL Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. The salvinia and anubias bartera should be here tomorrow according to the tracking info. So, I should have a total of about 4 species (throwing out the duckweed) of plants in the tank. 

Lord Zod really likes all the ornaments and swims around/through them constantly. So, I think I'm going to keep the remaining ones in the tank. 

Although, he's taken a real interest in the snails. Think he attacked both of them in about 30 seconds. 



LittleBettaFish said:


> The plant growing on the driftwood looks like subwassertang.
> 
> I use water sprite in all my tanks, but another 'easy' floating plant is mayaca fluviatilis. I use it in all my tanks. It forms a dense mat at the surface, and eventually starts creeping out of the water and up the glass.
> 
> I don't fertilise mine, and it receives very sporadic periods of lighting, and it still is doing very well.


Thanks! Had to google it but, it does look like subwassertang. Kind of interested in seeing how it turns out. Really like the look of mayaca fluviatilis and gonna put it on my list. 

Can it be grown by tying it to a piece of wood or rock like anubias?


----------



## LittleBettaFish

Do you mean the mayaca fluviatilis? 

I've personally only seen it grown planted or left floating. Being a stem plant I'm not certain if it is possible for it to root to wood or rock.


----------



## 206Betta

Sorry about that, meant the mayaca. 

Thanks for the info, if it only grows floating or planted then I might have to wait. Already made a ton of changes in the past few weeks. Have a lot more plans for this tank in the future. 

Eventually, I plan on using a substrate and do a little aquascaping (just found out about it LOL).


----------



## BeautifulBettaFishies

Frogbit is easy to cultivate too. Just plop it in! It's stunning to look at abd has bigger leaves than salvinia and duckweed. Salvinia is very easy to cultivate too. Your only job will be putting it in and removing a good hunk of it weekly so you don't face overcrowding :,)


----------



## 206Betta

That doesn't sound too bad. A week works for with me, I was thinking that I had to remove some every few days or something. 

Totally forgot to ask JD about it when I was buying the salvinia. Actually was planning on buying some frogbit. Think it will create some contrast to the salvinia. So, I'll buy some soon once I get everything setup.


----------



## 206Betta

It's been a few days since I last posted but, I have added some plants to my tank. 
Had gotten an anubias barteri but, it seemed way too big for the tank. 

So, I went to my local fish store and they actually let me trade it in for what I payed for it. Decided to get one of their anubias petites, dwarf water lettuce, and salvinia minima. 

Had some duckweed mixed in but, had to remove it since it was already going into the filter area. Was a pain to take them out but, eventually got it done. 





Seen a little growth when looking at all the plants but, it seems fairly slow. Hopefully, they'll get better once the tank has become cycled. 

Only thing that's worrying me now is the subwassertang. Hasn't really grown at all since I got it. Not sure what the problem is at this point. 

Planning on getting some java moss at some point but, not sure if it needs any special care.


----------



## BettaNard

Oh wow your tank is coming along quite nicely!


----------



## BeautifulBettaFishies

Oh wow! It looks fabulous with a the variety.

I'm sure it will start growing soon. Sometimes it takes them a while to "adjust" to the new conditions. ^^


----------



## 206Betta

BettaNard said:


> Oh wow your tank is coming along quite nicely!





BeautifulBettaFishies said:


> Oh wow! It looks fabulous with a the variety.
> 
> I'm sure it will start growing soon. Sometimes it takes them a while to "adjust" to the new conditions. ^^


Thanks! Excited to see what it'll look like when things have grown a bit. The water lettuce is starting to speed up reproduction. So, I might just have to remove some soon. 

Hope the subwassertang still too. Looks pretty sad right now and think one of the snails might have eaten some of it. 

Found out about some other moss species. So, it's becoming kind or hard trying to decide which one to put in a tank. 

Pretty much leaning towards either the weeping moss or fire moss right now. 
One thing is for sure though, I'm planning on making my first ever moss tree sooner or later.


----------



## BettaBeau

Your dwarf water lettuce is so healthy looking! If you have to get rid of some excess, I would pay for shipping for 3 or 4 plants' worth.


----------



## BeautifulBettaFishies

^ that's great that it won't go to waste ^^

I want to make a moss tree at some point. They look so cool. Right now I've just bought some Java moss for my mopani wood. I'm quite excited ^^


----------



## NickAu

What I would do is get rid of the fake bamboo in the right corner and put a tall leafy stem plant in there.

Say a nice Amazon Sword.
I actually like Hygrophila corymbosa. AKA: Temple plant Blue Stricta.


Blue Stricta is actually quite easy to trim into a bush in one corner , You can bury it in the substrate and it will quickly grow to the top it has lots of long leaves bettas love.


----------



## BeautifulBettaFishies

NickAu, that or you could find a spot to put an Amazon sword. Swords are great, I love mine. It's my favourite plant in my tank.


----------



## 206Betta

BettaBeau said:


> Your dwarf water lettuce is so healthy looking! If you have to get rid of some excess, I would pay for shipping for 3 or 4 plants' worth.


Thanks, only had them for a few days. So, I think it'll be a week or so until it really starts going. Right now, it's basically "healing" itself from what I'm seeing. 

Anyways, I'll see what I can do at that time. 



BeautifulBettaFishies said:


> ^ that's great that it won't go to waste ^^
> 
> I want to make a moss tree at some point. They look so cool. Right now I've just bought some Java moss for my mopani wood. I'm quite excited ^^


Nice! Wanna see what it looks like when you get that set up. Found out about moss trees when I was looking around the web. They really do look pretty darn nice when they grow out. 

Looks pretty easy too. Although, looking at a video and actually doing it is totally different things LOL Think I might go with the super glue route when I make the tree.

Decided on the weeping moss for the tree but, it's pretty hard trying to find a local seller. 



NickAu said:


> What I would do is get rid of the fake bamboo in the right corner and put a tall leafy stem plant in there.
> 
> Say a nice Amazon Sword.
> I actually like Hygrophila corymbosa. AKA: Temple plant Blue Stricta.
> 
> 
> Blue Stricta is actually quite easy to trim into a bush in one corner , You can bury it in the substrate and it will quickly grow to the top it has lots of long leaves bettas love.


Thanks for the suggestions. The Blue Stricta might be a little bit too big for my tank from what I can see in pics. Also, I'm a long way from even considering using a substrate. Kind of happy with the gravel I got in the tank right now. It has some sentimental value. 

As for the fake bamboo, I was thinking about replacing it with the moss tree and maybe adding a real bamboo forest in the back of the temple. Although, that might be overkill LOL


----------



## NickAu

> I'm a long way from even considering using a substrate. Kind of happy with the gravel I got in the tank right now.


Gravel Sand Dirt its all substrate.



> The Blue Stricta might be a little bit too big for my tank from what I can see in pics


you can cut it in half,

The best thing about a lot of aquarium stem type plants is that you can buy 1 bunch and cut the stems into 3 inch lengths plant them and each grows into a new plant.


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks! Still a newb to aquariums and fish in general. So, I appreciate the information. Guess I got confused since some people say it's not a good idea to plant anubias roots into gravel but, it's ok with a subtrate. 

Although, I wished I knew some of that sooner. The Anubias Barteri was a really nice looking plant and really well grown. 

I'll put the Blue Stricta in my list. How tall does the plant generally grow? Will the roots be ok in the gravel? 

Never seen this plant up close, so I don't really have any idea how the whole plant looks like. So far, I've only seen the 2 types of anubias.


----------



## NickAu

> it's not a good idea to plant anubias roots into gravel


That is correct you tie it to wood or rocks.


> How tall does the plant generally grow? Will the roots be ok in the gravel?


It can grow to 50 cm tall and fast, The best thing is you just cut off the bits you dont want, Its fine in any substrate, You can also attach it to the glass with a suction cup.

Substrate is just a general term for sand gravel or dirt on the bottom of your tank.


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks again for answering my questions. Wow, 50cm is pretty darn tall. Seems like a pretty versatile plant though. 

Is there a dwarf or mini version of this plant? 

Anyways, just wanted to ask. Does anyone's fighting fish let you pet them? Mine seems to be way too comfortable with me which is a good and bad thing.

Always have to watch out for him since he's always swimming right by my hand (even if I try to shoo him away) ever since I added the plants. So, it's a delicate procedure trying to clean the tank and move stuff around.


----------



## NickAu

> Anyways, just wanted to ask. Does anyone's fighting fish let you pet them? Mine seems to be way too comfortable with me which is a good and bad thing.
> 
> Always have to watch out for him since he's always swimming right by my hand (even if I try to shoo him away) ever since I added the plants. So, it's a delicate procedure trying to clean the tank and move stuff around.


Yep typical Betta, always getting in the way lol.



> Thanks again for answering my questions. Wow, 50cm is pretty darn tall. Seems like a pretty versatile plant though.
> 
> Is there a dwarf or mini version of this plant


It depends on how you prune it, Let it grow wild and it will look like the left side of my 6 foot tank.


----------



## 206Betta

LOL good to know it's normal but, it's still surprising to tell you the truth. Never knew these fish were so interactive. Thought it would continue to swim away but, I guess that's over with...

Seen them in the past but, they were mostly in little cylindrical tanks. So, I guess I didn't get a chance to see how they really act on an every day basis. 

Really nice tank by the way. It looks almost like a painting with the boarder around it. Anyways, that is pretty tall but, it has a good look. 

How would I prune it to keep it short? Sorry about all the questions. Not sure when I'll get this plant but, it's always good to have the info.


----------



## NickAu

I just cut the top off. 

They can be trained In fact most fish can be trained.
Video is NOT my fish









One of our members posted this not long ago


----------



## 206Betta

Well, that's simple enough. Thanks for the videos...that was pretty crazy how he had his fighting fish laying in his hand. 

Although, the video with the blood parrot cichlid was insane. Guess I'm gonna be spending some time watching more of those videos on Youtube. Never seen any of that type of stuff.


----------



## 206Betta

So, I was cleaning my tank today and found this thing climbing up the walls of the tank. Think it was trying to reach the dwarf water lettuce and salvinia. 

Anybody know what it is:




Only seen one so far, so hopefully there won't be anymore. Although, I think that Lord Zod might have eaten a few of them already. See him picking at random things and wondered what he was doing.


----------



## NickAu

Pond snail, Crush it and feed it to your Betta.


----------



## 206Betta

Dang, wish I read that sooner. Already threw it in the trash. Thanks for answering my question though Nick. I appreciate it.


----------



## BeautifulBettaFishies

Pond snails are absolute pains. You'll get one and end up with 100. Hopefully all yours are gone. Before adding new plants, I treat my plants to a dip in some ich / fungus / general treatment, and touch wood never any snails since. I've heard of some performing "bleach dips" - where you have something like 10 parts water and 1 part bleach and you dip the plants in there to kill any snails and then rinse the plant and add. I've never done it, therefore can't recommend it nor condemn its use. However I've never done it for a reason, precious live plants and bleach doesn't sound smart IMO.

How's your plants doing now? You'll need a bigger tank soon to accommodate everything xD One plant is recommend is Amazon swords, I love mine, it's so leafy and nice.

You should start a blog 8) You may be new to fish keeping, but the fact your willing to research and learn is great. You already seen to know a lot already anyway though. ^^


----------



## 206Betta

Appreciate the kind words but, I don't really know much to be honest. I was lurking a little bit before I actually registered on the forum. So, if it weren't for you and others then I wouldn't know anything about aquariums or Lord Zod. 

Hopefully I don't find anymore of those pond snails. When I first seen it, I didn't know what it was. Kind of thought it was some sort of parasite (It actually lunged it's head out so that it could anchor itself onto the side of the cup). The one I seen was pretty tiny and from what I read, that's a good thing?

Not sure if it's true or not but some say that if it isn't fully matured. Then there is less likely a chance of them laying eggs. So, here's to that LOL

My plants are slowing starting to look better every day. The dwarf water lettuce is slowly reproducing as well as the salvinia. Which is a good thing since the dwarf water lettuce had some yellow leaves on some of the flowers. Guessing that the lights at the fish store were a little too strong for them. The Anubias Petite has added a few new leaves. Although, I had to cut one of the leaves off and trim the roots. 

Just picked up some Seachem Flourish in an attempt to speed up the growth. Also got an Eheim Jagar 25w heater and returned the old one. So, that should help too. 

Maybe I should start a blog. It'll be interesting to record the progress of my tank. Also, I could talk more about Lord Zod too. He's built up a big list of things he's attacked over the last few weeks. So, in a way I'm not too worried about any extra pond snails LOL Not saying he's stressed or anything since he's an overall happy fish but, he's highly territorial.


----------



## B3TT45

Hi! I'm sorry I'm just jumping in on here, I recently created a similar thread and didn't realize this was here! So I'm thinking of getting hornwort or water sprite because I've killed anacharis, water wisteria, vallisneria, chain sword, banana plant, and the only plants that have survived me are marimos, anubias, and some Java fern babies that remained after the Java fern died. So... Do you think hornwort or water sprite can survive my brown thumb in a non-fertilized, non-special lighting 10 gal?


----------



## 206Betta

Probably better if you can provide details (what type of lighting like LED for example). Including maybe a picture or two showing your tank and setup. This will help others see what you're working with basically. 

Anyways, from what I read about Hornwort it will probably be a good addition to your tank. It can grow in both low and high lighting. Doesn't seem to need any extra care neither. Although, it doesn't seem to do good in substrates. So, you can probably float it if that's what you want. 

If you want to plant it, then water sprite might be better for you. That's about all I can remember from reading about these plants. Both are considered beginner plants and are pretty easy to grow.

You can probably get both of them if that's what you want.


----------



## Aqua Aurora

206Betta said:


> So, I was cleaning my tank today and found this thing climbing up the walls of the tank. Think it was trying to reach the dwarf water lettuce and salvinia.
> 
> Anybody know what it is:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From the looks of it I think its bladder (antenna and color) but this is a great comparison to properly ID between pond and bladder snail.
> Only seen one so far, so hopefully there won't be anymore. Although, I think that Lord Zod might have eaten a few of them already. See him picking at random things and wondered what he was doing.




Over half of my bettas will eat snails so I never have a problem with them in my tanks, but I like the snails in there as they are a natural part of an ecosystem.


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks for the pics. Yeah, you're right it's definitely a bladder snail. Also was tiny too which matches the description. Thing was pretty fast and so, that was the best pic out of all of them with my camera phone. 

Read they were too which is one of the reasons why I got them. Only have 2 nerite snails and hope to keep it that way. Haven't seen anymore bladder snails after the one I caught. Crossing my fingers.


----------



## B3TT45

206Betta said:


> Probably better if you can provide details (what type of lighting like LED for example). Including maybe a picture or two showing your tank and setup. This will help others see what you're working with basically.
> 
> Anyways, from what I read about Hornwort it will probably be a good addition to your tank. It can grow in both low and high lighting. Doesn't seem to need any extra care neither. Although, it doesn't seem to do good in substrates. So, you can probably float it if that's what you want.
> 
> If you want to plant it, then water sprite might be better for you. That's about all I can remember from reading about these plants. Both are considered beginner plants and are pretty easy to grow.
> 
> You can probably get both of them if that's what you want.


I'm actually looking for floating plants  well I can't snap a pic of my tank right now but I can tell you all it has in terms of lighting are the lightbulbs and respective hood it came with. These are really just viewing bulbs, not growing bulbs lol


----------



## 206Betta

I'm still a newb, so I would just take my suggestions with a grain of sale. Just got into aquariums myself and learning about everything. 

Anyways, the lights that came with my spec 3 aren't the strongest lights neither. However, they seem good enough for the plants I have in there right now. Yours might be the same. What's the brand/model of your tank?

Oh, if you're interested in seeing what hornwort looks like floating. Here's a vid I found on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/nH7VmInjZxo


----------



## B3TT45

Okay after searching for it online, I finally found that it was a Grreat Choice 10gal kit. It still has the original hood so you can imagine what horrible lighting it has. I wonder if hornwort is as durable as anubias, if it is then I'm fine, if not, it probably won't survive.


----------



## 206Betta

That's a pretty nice tank. Comes with a light, hood, and filter. So, you're already off to a pretty good start. 

With a light like that, then you can probably only have low light plants in there. Although, you can always upgrade your light. Do you have a heater? If so, what brand and wattage? 

Some plants grow better in certain temps. Hornwort itself does well in low lighting but, if it's too dark then it can shed it's needles. Doesn't really need any special care besides that. Grows pretty fast from what I read. 

Although, it always helps to have some sort of fertilizer. Just bought some Seachem Flourish myself to see if it makes a difference. 

Anyways, the hornwort seems pretty durable. Can't really tell you if it's as durable as Anubias but, it worth a shot. 

Wonder why you've been having bad luck with plants. What temp is you're tank currently? Also, do you use water conditioner every day? How long do you keep the light on your tank?


----------



## Rezza

I have hornwort in my 10 gallon and the only thing I have had to do is cut it up a few times to make new growth. I did just buy some Flourish last night and dosed my tank to see if it would help also. But Hornwort grows like craaazy.


----------



## B3TT45

206Betta said:


> That's a pretty nice tank. Comes with a light, hood, and filter. So, you're already off to a pretty good start.
> 
> With a light like that, then you can probably only have low light plants in there. Although, you can always upgrade your light. Do you have a heater? If so, what brand and wattage?
> 
> Some plants grow better in certain temps. Hornwort itself does well in low lighting but, if it's too dark then it can shed it's needles. Doesn't really need any special care besides that. Grows pretty fast from what I read.
> 
> Although, it always helps to have some sort of fertilizer. Just bought some Seachem Flourish myself to see if it makes a difference.
> 
> Anyways, the hornwort seems pretty durable. Can't really tell you if it's as durable as Anubias but, it worth a shot.
> 
> Wonder why you've been having bad luck with plants. What temp is you're tank currently? Also, do you use water conditioner every day? How long do you keep the light on your tank?


Yea I have a heater set to 79 f, I really don't remember the brand but it is enough wattage for a 10 gal since I researched when I bought it. Also, I've since changed the filter to an AquaClear since the one the tank came with was really crappy. My light is on for exactly 8 hours. I use conditioner every time I change the water. 
I honestly think it's that I don't have fertilizer and that's why they've all died on me, theres no nutrients in the water for them to grow and the gravel doesn't help for rooted plants. I know fertilizer is expensive and I can't keep buying this stuff all the time haha even less a new hood or lighting system.


----------



## 206Betta

Well, it sounds like you're doing a lot of the right things. Although, conditioner should be added every day from what I heard from other members. Probably more important for my tank since it's so small but, think it applies to all tanks. 

Kind of hard tying to gauge how fast ammonia and everything else builds up in the tank. So, by adding 1 gallons worth of conditioner is worth it. What type of conditioner are you using anyways? Read somewhere that not all water conditioners are equal and that some deal with ammonia better than others. 

If you buy stuff from Amazon then getting some Seachem Flourish as an add-on item saves you a few bucks. They had the 500L Seachem Prime on sale but, that seems to be gone now:

http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-67105...d=1456617599&sr=8-2&keywords=seachem+flourish

Should last for a while if you're only using a few drops a week. Don't think you need any substrate in order to grow your plants. Especially if it's Anubias and plants like it. Actually better for the rhizomes not to be buried. Tying it to driftwood works for me. 

You might wanna give the Seachem Flourish a try. Maybe it will help. Testing it myself right now and dosed my tank for the first time. Only added 5 drops since my tank is so small.


----------



## B3TT45

I have never had anyone tell me conditioner is supposed to be used everyday, that's interesting. I use Prime and it has worked for me very well the three years I have kept fish. The ammonia and such should be mainly removed through weekly water changes anyway, I actually think adding too many chemicals all the time can be more harmful than good. 

One thing that deters me from buying conditioner is also since I have such crappy lighting, I have no idea if the fertilizer can make up for the bad lighting. Of course, it doesn't hurt to try. I just don't want to waste my money on a big bottle of something that becomes useless since I don't have adequate lighting for plants.


----------



## NickAu

> I have never had anyone tell me conditioner is supposed to be used everyday, that's interesting


With smaller and or uncycled / cycling tanks especially ones with fish in them and no live plants people add 2 drops of Prime per gallon of water daily to keep ammonia down between water changes.

Please note
2 drops of prime per gallon of water will only deal with ammonia levels of 1ppm.


----------



## Davo

B3TT45 said:


> Okay after searching for it online, I finally found that it was a Grreat Choice 10gal kit. It still has the original hood so you can imagine what horrible lighting it has. I wonder if hornwort is as durable as anubias, if it is then I'm fine, if not, it probably won't survive.


Does your hood have a reflector in it?

I used to use aluminum foil, shiny side down to increase the lighting.

Just made sure it was still ventilated and able to cool ok.


----------



## B3TT45

NickAu said:


> With smaller and or uncycled / cycling tanks especially ones with fish in them and no live plants people add 2 drops of Prime per gallon of water daily to keep ammonia down between water changes.
> 
> Please note
> 2 drops of prime per gallon of water will only deal with ammonia levels of 1ppm.


Well I have a well established 10 gal so I have no idea if you consider that "smaller" 



Davo said:


> Does your hood have a reflector in it?
> 
> I used to use aluminum foil, shiny side down to increase the lighting.
> 
> Just made sure it was still ventilated and able to cool ok.


I don't think it had a reflector but then again, I don't really know what you mean by it. The part where it holds the light bulbs had this plastic thing that went over the light bulbs but one day one of them fell off because the screw rusted, the other one is still on it. Can you explain more what you mean by reflector?


----------



## Davo

B3TT45 said:


> Well I have a well established 10 gal so I have no idea if you consider that "smaller"
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think it had a reflector but then again, I don't really know what you mean by it. The part where it holds the light bulbs had this plastic thing that went over the light bulbs but one day one of them fell off because the screw rusted, the other one is still on it. Can you explain more what you mean by reflector?


Some hoods have a shiny reflector above the lights to reflect the light from the top of the bulbs that would be wasted back down into the tank. 

Its easy to do and is a very efficient way to increase the lighting you already have.

Heres what Im talking about...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtzh5ZBs4ak


----------



## 206Betta

Decided to do a quick water test during the weekend after I changed my water. Waited a few hours before actually doing the test. 

Didn't really expect much since I did my usual 40-50% water change. To my surprise, my nitrite levels were through the roof! It measured in at 5.0ppm. Didn't know why it was that high but when I checked my top fin water conditioner. It only helped reduce ammonia, chloramine, and chlorine.

Guess it's a good thing that I bought some prime. Immediately put in a 5 drops just to be sure that it reduces the nitrates in the tank. 

As for the plants, the susswassertang didn't grow at all. So I decided to rip it out and inserted the anubias as I initially planned. Looks a whole lot better than it did and hopefully, it'll continue to grow. Biggest problem I'm having with it right now is that it hasn't really anchored itself to the driftwood. 



Getting close to buying some driftwood for my moss tree but, it's pretty pricey. Although, it would be perfect for my purposes. Still looking for a good source of weeping moss too. 

Gonna make another update once I get that figured out LOL


----------



## 206Betta

Might be getting ahead of myself but, thinking of eventually upgrading my light sooner or later. 

Any opinions on this light?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0152HYLWS...UTF8&colid=L6P3N2C37IRL&coliid=I1PSHILQHXPIOY

From my understanding, plants do better with multicolored lighting? Just read a few recommending them and don't really know how they would help.


----------



## Davo

206Betta said:


> Might be getting ahead of myself but, thinking of eventually upgrading my light sooner or later.
> 
> Any opinions on this light?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0152HYLWS...UTF8&colid=L6P3N2C37IRL&coliid=I1PSHILQHXPIOY
> 
> From my understanding, plants do better with multicolored lighting? Just read a few recommending them and don't really know how they would help.


Im a newb too but Ive been reading a lot on lighting the last week or so.
I read at a few sources that the cheaper LED lights are more for showing your fish and tend not to grow plants very well. Apparently very large LED's are needed for growth.

This prompted me to get a desk lamp and I am trying it right now. Only had it for a few days. Its a 13 watt CFL but Ive been told here its not adequate for the anarchis I have in my 2.5 gallon tank.

Take this with a grain of salt.


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks for the suggestions Davo, I appreciate it.

Actually, the light isn't really cheap compared to lets say the finnex which is only 4 watts:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...oliid=IRFQ5UZWQSGH6&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

So, I'm not sure if that's true or not. As Finnex seems like one of the premiere brands for aquarium lighting. Seen it recommended by a lot of people on here and elsewhere. You might wanna try the light above instead of the lamp. Reason why I picked the other one would be that it's wider and would fit in with the look of my tank. 

For smaller tanks, I don't think we need anything that is too strong. Still have my stock light right now and plants are growing. Although, the Anubias Petite is starting to grow new leaves with holes already in them.

Don't really know what's wrong but, from what I read. There's some sort of deficiency somewhere?


----------



## Davo

206Betta said:


> Thanks for the suggestions Davo, I appreciate it.
> 
> Actually, the light isn't really cheap compared to lets say the finnex which is only 4 watts:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...oliid=IRFQ5UZWQSGH6&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl
> 
> So, I'm not sure if that's true or not. As Finnex seems like one of the premiere brands for aquarium lighting. Seen it recommended by a lot of people on here and elsewhere. You might wanna try the light above instead of the lamp. Reason why I picked the other one would be that it's wider and would fit in with the look of my tank.
> 
> For smaller tanks, I don't think we need anything that is too strong. Still have my stock light right now and plants are growing. Although, the Anubias Petite is starting to grow new leaves with holes already in them.
> 
> Don't really know what's wrong but, from what I read. There's some sort of deficiency somewhere?


Its all over the place. LED's are useless and great for plants (and top end marine aquariums).

By some measures my 5.1 watts per gallon is useless, others say its at marine tank levels of illumination.

Others say duh! Par!!!!!!

Im referring to results Ive googled mostly.

When it comes to specifics I get very little data, and most of it here.

Tell you what, you let me know how your LED's are going, and I will let you know how my 13 watt desk lamp goes and we can compare notes.

Im thinking much of it boils down to your specific fish, tank, light, plants, water conditions etc-which is what I expected...but I was also thinking there would be more obvious stuff.

Ive also read up on nutrient deficiencies, and found a good image. When I find it I will post it-up until a few days ago I had an unlit tank, and it was still growing Anubias hastifolia, lucky bamboo, and a marimo ball-but the anubias leaves had some rust colored spots, and there were new pristine leaves growing from it too-thats after about 9 weeks.


----------



## 206Betta

Yeah, I know what you mean man. A lot of the information is conflicted. Really don't know what to believe sometimes. Even read somewhere that blue/red/white lights are specifically for coral tanks. Yet, I see people use it for their freshwater tanks. Guess I'm putting a little faith in aquarium lighting being made specifically to be used in these type of applications. 

Do agree that all of that plays a part in what type of lighting is needed for a specific tank. Tried searching for specifics neither and came up with nothing. 

Sounds good, lets compare notes and maybe we'll come up with answers that will help the both of us.


----------



## Davo

206Betta said:


> Yeah, I know what you mean man. A lot of the information is conflicted. Really don't know what to believe sometimes. Even read somewhere that blue/red/white lights are specifically for coral tanks. Yet, I see people use it for their freshwater tanks. Guess I'm putting a little faith in aquarium lighting being made specifically to be used in these type of applications.
> 
> Do agree that all of that plays a part in what type of lighting is needed for a specific tank. Tried searching for specifics neither and came up with nothing.
> 
> Sounds good, lets compare notes and maybe we'll come up with answers that will help the both of us.


BTW, have you seen this thread?
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=662490
Do any of your anubias leafs look like any of these?


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks for the link. Kind of answered some of my questions but, I don't think the leaves on mine looks like any of those.

Seems like there is one thing in common which is PH, ammonia, and nitrite rises. Been battling it for a few days. Finally chose to use my testing kit LOL Anyways, the ammonia and ph has finally been stabilized. Only thing that I'm working on is the nitrites like I mentioned in my previous post but, that has decreased.

Here is a pic:










(maybe I should start my own journal lol)


----------



## Davo

If ammonia and nitrites are rising the tank is probably still finishing its cycling. My tank took about 3 weeks and for the last few days before it was finished-water tests were odd.

Also, have you checked your tap water? Mine always has about 20 ppm of nitrates.

BTW, above you mentioned testing water after a few hours, I have read its best not to test water for at least 24 hours to be most accurate.


----------



## B3TT45

That's a beautiful tank! I'm in awe!


----------



## 206Betta

Thanks, hoping to add more plants soon. Guess I'll start a journal soon and include any updates there.


----------



## B3TT45

No store near me sells hornwort  idk what to do now. Maybe floating an anubias would be the next option.


----------



## 206Betta

If your LFS don't have it, then you can always get it on the net. That's what I plan on doing with some of the ones I have on my list. 

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?liveplantsf&1457389770


----------



## Hallyx

Check out the _plant_ thread and the _for sale_ thread. Buy from the forum. Support your local aqua-horticulturalist.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu

Saturday, March 19 is the AquaBid SNE where you can find great deals on plants. I'll post the reminder March 17 or 18.

BTW, Poey is a great seller. I buy all of my Java Moss from him and have been for a couple of years.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu

I forgot: Another great floating plant is Guppy Grass/Najas indica.


----------

