Long root surface plants

Hi guys,

I am looking for suggestions on surface plants that grow very long roots. I have Salvinia in 2 of my tanks but their roots don’t get to be too long. I’ve attached 2 photos of what I’m aiming for although I appreciate it might not be do-able given I found them on google lol

The left photo seems to be Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), though it could be Frogbit. My WL developed roots all the way down to the substrate (ironically in a tank without fish), and my Frogbit had roots not as substantive. My favourite though is Water Sprite (Ceratopterus cornuta). The photo (not my plant) illustrates.

Either Dwarf Water Lettuce or Amazon Frogbit should indeed work.

Of the two, I've found that Frogbit is a bit easier to grow, hardier, and slightly less prone to being eaten by snails as compared to Water Lettuce. Frogbit tends to have roots that are a bit sparser but also a touch longer. Whereas Dwarf Water Lettuce has feathery and dense roots that seem to be a special favorite for upper water fish like Betta and Gourami.

Both develop much nicer roots if you add a comprehensive liquid fertilizer, like Seachem's Flourish. They also appreciate medium to bright lighting and they spread a lot faster if there isn't much current. They may temporarily lose their roots when switched from a store tank to your own aquarium, but should regrow them quickly as long as there are still leaves.

We call it Indian fern ( Ceratopteris cornuta ) is by far the best floating plant.