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Water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes

Plant · Floating

Water lettuce

Pistia stratiotes · Pantropical, probably Africa · also Water cabbage, Nile cabbage

Photo: Syariful Msth, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It needs warmth and gaps in the surface, so thin out the runners often or it will cover everything. It stays much smaller in a tank than in the wild. Never release it or dump it in a drain or pond. Height here is the rosette width.

At a glance

Light

Medium light

CO₂

No CO₂

Growth

Fast growth

Where it goes

Floats

Temperature

22–30°C

pH

6.5–7.2

Height in a tank

5–15 cm 2–6 in

Difficulty

Easy

What it does for your tank

Long hanging roots give fry and shy fish cover, and it soaks up nitrate.

Fish that eat or uproot it

Goldfish and large plant-eating fish chew the leaves and roots.

Growing more

Sends out runners with baby rosettes you can snip off.

Grows well with

Same light and temperature, but a different spot in the tank, so they fill it out together.

African water fern

African water fern

Plant · RhizomeSome care

  • Medium light
  • CO₂ helps
  • Slow growth
  • On wood, rock
  • 22–26°C

Dark, see-through fronds give cover and suit river-style tanks.

Tropical Africa

African water fern

Bolbitis heudelotii

Tropical Africa

Temperature
22–26°C
pH
6–7
Height
6–16 in · 15–40 cm
Light
Medium
CO₂
Helps
Growth
Slow
Goes
On wood or rock
Difficulty
Some care

More plants. Split the creeping rhizome.

Almost nothing eats its tough fronds; plecos and cichlids usually leave it alone.

Full care guide

Photo: Tsunamicarlos, Public domain

Ambulia

Ambulia

Plant · StemEasy

  • Medium light
  • CO₂ helps
  • Fast growth
  • Back
  • 22–26°C

Its soft, feathery stems give fry and small fish cover and soak up nutrients that algae would use.

South and Southeast Asia

Ambulia

Limnophila sessiliflora

South and Southeast Asia

Temperature
22–26°C
pH
6–7.5
Height
6–16 in · 15–40 cm
Light
Medium
CO₂
Helps
Growth
Fast
Goes
Back
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut off the top of a stem and push it into the substrate; it also sends out runners.

Goldfish, silver dollars and other plant-eating fish will graze the soft leaves.

Full care guide

Photo: kajuko, CC BY-SA 3.0

Anacharis

Anacharis

Plant · StemEasy

  • Medium light
  • No CO₂
  • Fast growth
  • Back
  • 16–24°C

Fast growth soaks up nutrients and helps keep algae down in a new tank.

Southeastern South America (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay)

Anacharis

Elodea densa

Southeastern South America (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay)

Temperature
16–24°C
pH
6–8
Height
16–39 in · 40–100 cm
Light
Medium
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Fast
Goes
Back
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut a piece of stem and plant it or let it float; it roots anywhere.

Goldfish, silver dollars, many cichlids and crayfish eat it readily.

Full care guide

Photo: Ernst Schütte, CC BY-SA 3.0

Aponogeton crispus

Aponogeton crispus

Plant · BulbEasy

  • Medium light
  • No CO₂
  • Fast growth
  • Back
  • 24–30°C

Long wavy leaves fill the back of a big tank and often flower in the aquarium.

Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh

Aponogeton crispus

Aponogeton crispus

Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh

Temperature
24–30°C
pH
6–7.5
Height
12–24 in · 30–60 cm
Light
Medium
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Fast
Goes
Back
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Split the bulb or grow it from seed after it flowers.

Goldfish, silver dollars and some cichlids eat the soft leaves; plecos may rasp them.

Full care guide

Photo: Drhyperlaur at English Wikipedia, Public domain

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