# Floating Plant Suggestions



## Malvolti (Nov 15, 2010)

I have a 10 gallon divided with a number of tank mates (See signature). Recently I was looking at my tank and noticed how barren the top looks. I have A cave, Java fern, anubias, a silk plant and java moss for each side but they only fill the bottom portion. There are about 2-3 inches at the top with nothing but a betta log.

This got me thinking that a nice floating plant might be a good addition. Give something for the Betta to play in and for my frogs to hide in near the top while they breathe. 

I searched every store in a 2 hour drive radius as well as my home town and NONE have ever heard of Anacharis (Well, one associate at one store had but he told me not to bother since nobody carried it. I kept looking anyway), it's my first choice of floater. A couple carry duckweed but that only coats the surface, I want something that will fill a few inches down as well. I thought of Hornwort which everyone carries but i've heard it is extremely messy which I don't want. Even in the stores they don't look that great.

So what are some other plants that I can look for which thrive floating at the surface? I don't want to have to add CO2 or special fertz and it needs to be a mid to low light plant. My hood doesn't take specialty lights (it's only designed for 15w incandescents, I'm using 13w CFL daylights. Which were a pain to find). I can't afford anything better for lighting.


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## jschristian44 (Jan 6, 2011)

Frogbit would be perfect. Made for frogs, but excellent for bettas. Thats what I am gonna use in my Betta Fry tank for them to hide in and to give my males something else to build a bubblenest in. I think it will fit your bill perfectly after reading your whole post. Go to aquabid.com. They have anarachis, frogbit, etc. I just got my frogbit from there, like 20 quarter sized buds for like 15 dollars shipped.


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## Malvolti (Nov 15, 2010)

Interesting plant, I just googled it. It looks like something between duckweed and lilly pads. I like lilly pads. I'll look around to see if anyone carries it. I don't think it's made for aquatic frogs though, more the amphibious kind. ADFs never leave the water at all, they just poke their noses out to breathe and then dive back to the bottom. Kind of like a Betta.

I'm paranoid about shopping online, if I weren't I'd have Anacharis already :lol:
I also have a super tiny mailbox, about 3 inches by 4 inches. I doubt any shipping boxes would fit in there and I don't even know where the nearest pick-up place is. I'll keep it in mind though incase I run out of other options.


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## jschristian44 (Jan 6, 2011)

ah yeah, i was cautious about putting my stuff online, but i just check if the website has encryption locked on it and i got an antivirus and ive been pretty safe so far. i also use encryption on my wireless. but yeah i think frogbit would be great. its made for betta fry to hide in and i think it would work great just by looking at the roots of it and the tops would keep small frogs. do you know where i could get african drawf frogs? i think a couple of those would be awesome for my tank. thanks!


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## Malvolti (Nov 15, 2010)

Most pet stores sell ADFs in my experience. They can be tough to see so just ask where they have the African Dwarf Frogs (sometimes called Aquatic Dwarf frogs). 

My first time looking for them I walked in and scanned the tanks 4 times and didn't see any. Didn't even see a label for them. I asked the associate if they carried Aquatic Dwarf Frogs and he walks over to a tank, lifts up a huge decoration and there were about 5 sitting there under it.

Now I just walk straight up to the associate and ask if I don't already know.

As for shopping online, I do it occasionally. iTunes and the like mainly. I just try to limit my transactions and places that have my info. I also have encrypted wireless, firewalls etc but those don't protect the recieving end, protected or not.

I also like the idea of supporting the mom and pop shops and the real people. Same reason I refuse to use the self check-outs at the supermarket. I don't care if it takes longer or is harder to do, I prefer interacting with people. 

And now I sound like some 90 year old technophobe... I swear I'm not! :lol:

I really do like the frogbit though. I also like the idea of a flowering plant in my tank. My main concern is the leaves. They may block too much of the light to the rest of my plants or take over the top and make it hard for my Bettas to get air. I'm probably over estimating the size but I worry.

Let me know how yours do, It'll probably be a few weeks before I get around to actively shopping for something.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Don't get duckweed! It spreads like crazy and is hard to control once it starts multiplying. Frogbit is very nice. I have it in my 125g but it can be very hard to find. I love Brazilian Pennywort. This plant can be planted or left to float. It's very easy to control because it has stems and can be trimmed anywhere on the plant. This sounds like a plant you're looking for. The roots of the pennywort hangs down into the water a few inches which will be good for your frogs.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

I have a lot of wisteria floating in my tanks and the bettas seem to LOVE it! And I love the way the roots hang down!!!!


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## jschristian44 (Jan 6, 2011)

yeah id try the brazilian pennywort, they probably have that in stores. im pretty sure you can only get frogbit online and it is hard to find even online. aquabid.com would be your best bet. like the other guy said, stay away from duckweed. that stuff is just a weed, and honestly i think it looks very ugly. its basically that ugly seaweed you see in streams and stuff, very ugly, i would never put that in my tank. i wont be getting my frogbit for another few weeks though. as for local fish shops, i like them, but ive always had terrible experiences. people never come up and ask if you need anything, you always have to go some odd place and ask for help. and the one i was just at refused to take my card, even though i had money on it. i just get my stuff online now, i just search and search for the cheapest and best stuff, and so far aquabid.com is the best site ive found by far if you need anything fish related. most of them take money orders or checks which is safer and you dont gotta enter any info online.


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## Malvolti (Nov 15, 2010)

Lion Mom said:


> I have a lot of wisteria floating in my tanks and the bettas seem to LOVE it! And I love the way the roots hang down!!!!


One of my local Petmarts carries Wisteria but I wasn't sure if it was any good as a floater. Maybe I'll try that.


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

Malvolti said:


> One of my local Petmarts carries Wisteria but I wasn't sure if it was any good as a floater. Maybe I'll try that.


Yup - you can either plant it or let it float and it does great either way. :-D


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## Malvolti (Nov 15, 2010)

I went with the Wisteria as a floater. It really does look pretty good and it doesn't block as much light as I was worried it might.

I was a little surprised that the first ones to play in it were the shrimp. I had only put a few stems in and they were swarming all over it. Then the Betta started playing in it. Now the frogs are reluctantly venturing into it.

I'm really happy I was smart and quarantined the stuff though. When I got home I put it in a bowl full of tank water and swished it around. About 10 snails fell out. Then as I moved it to the aquarium I went over it stem by stem and found another 5. I chose to keep a couple but culled the rest. I'm certain they would have taken over if I kept them all.


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