Water Hyacinth??? don't hear much about it in aquariums???

I started with a handful of Water Lettuce, & it's taken over a tank... I've thinned it a couple times... but am thinking it's too much maintenance if it's in a tank that it grows well... I have a small amount in a couple 10 gallon holding tanks, & it's been manageable... but the original handful in a 45 gallon tall, I think needs to go... the tank is 24 inches tall, & the roots almost reach the substrate in about 6 months.., the fish liked the floating plants, & it's a river tank, so the current pushes it to one side, & I've been trying to maintain a 50% surface coverage... but I could remove half of it every 2 weeks, & now that the roots are to the bottom of the tank, it's crowding the fish into just half the tank... can't complain about the water conditions, but looking for something that can handle the current in the tank, with a bit less maintenance... I ran across Water Hyacinth, & all the info I'm finding show the plants with built in floats, so it should handle the current, & the roots don't appear to get as long...
anyone have Water Hyacinth in your tanks???

Water hyacinth is banned in some places as it's an invasive weed - you need to check if it's legal where you live.

BTW... I'm not finding much on root growth, but it sounds like the bulk of these plants are above the water line, & my tank is an open top tank with the lights 18" to 24" above the tank... so maybe this one will be a good one for this tank... it's also fast growing, so still some maintenance there, as long as it doesn't shoot roots down to the bottom of the tank, I'd let it take over more of the surface, as long as I have enough open water by the filter outlet, to be able to feed fish...

yep... restricted in the state to the east, but not in Minnesota yet... ( actually most plants that we put in tanks, could easily be an invasive species, if we can't keep it contained )... I'm sure it's in the same class, as far as invasive species, as the water lettuce...

Water Hyacinth doesn't do well in aquariums and needs lots of light. Water Lettuce has never done well for me either when grown indoors. Full grown Water Lettuce can reach 12 inches in diameter. Hyacinth grows bigger than lettuce.

You can make a floating loop out of plastic hose and a joiner to stop the floating plants spreading across the top of the tank. You can tie a piece of string (about 12-18 inches long) to the hose and tie the other end to a suction cup that is located about half way down the glass (on the inside of the tank). The string allows the loop to float while the water level goes down and up during water changes.

If the roots get too long, cut them in half with a pair of scissors.

I do have a lot of light for my terrestrial plants...

Try some hyacinth and see how it goes. It has really nice purple flowers if you can get it to flower. I had some in a tub out the back years ago and it was flowering. My mum came out with one of her work colleagues (they both worked for the Water Corp) and her colleague was interested in plants. They noticed the Water Hyancinth and asked what it was. I responded with a native thing I found down south and yet to be identified. It's illegal to keep here and her co-worker should have known what it was because they have a picture of invasive species on the wall of their office with the plant on it. I went out straight after that

I have grown huge amounts in ponds, but have never had it survive indoors, even under a window. It's the same for water lettuce (Pistia) though - it lasts for a few weeks to months, then dies as winter comes and the window light gets weaker.

Essjay said:

Water hyacinth is banned in some places as it's an invasive weed - you need to check if it's legal where you live.

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You can say that about a lot of other fast growing floating plants too.

Used Hyacinth and water lettuce in our pond last year. The Hyacinth was lovely the water lettuce was a failure. The Hyacinth died when temps dropped below 40f. Both wound up in the compost.

I've never tried water hyacinth. Thought about adding some to my South America tank, and I think it would look amazing growing out the back of the tank, but the room is far too dark for it.

Never had any luck with water lettuce either. Lots of floaters do fine for me, but not that one.

I have a lot of light, since the tank is 24 inches deep... but I have too much water movement for most all floaters ( I tried... Fog Bit, Red Root Floaters, Asian water moss, & several others ) the only one that has worked for me so far is the Water Lettuce... I have 20" long roots right now, IMO, it's encroaching into the tank too much...

I have a couple of the Water Hyacinth coming next week, or probably the week after with delivery... & will likely put the water lettuce in the burn trash...

Magnum Man said:

I have a lot of light, since the tank is 24 inches deep... but I have too much water movement for most all floaters ( I tried... Fog Bit, Red Root Floaters, Asian water moss, & several others ) the only one that has worked for me so far is the Water Lettuce... I have 20" long roots right now, IMO, it's encroaching into the tank too much...

I have a couple of the Water Hyacinth coming next week, or probably the week after with delivery... & will likely put the water lettuce in the burn trash...

Click to expand...

You might try Asian water grass (Hygroryza aristata). It's the only floater I've found that thrives in high-flow environments. I have some in my hillstream paludarium, which has so much flow it even kills duckweed, and it's doing pretty well.

Keep us posted on how the hyacinth does.

Floating plants work well as ammonia sinks, they also suck a lot of other (plant) nutrients out of the water. When they do not have enough nutrients the roots grow in search of nutrients. Thin out the surplus and trim the roots with a pair of scissors. Make sure what you throw out can't get into a local water course. I do this weekly with my frogbit. Takes about 2 minutes in my 50G - not sure how much lower maintenance you can get.

Water hyacinth should grow well indoors around pH 7 and low GH. Temp of 23 celsius (water and air temp) will be adequate but shouldn’t be lower. If you have a 4 foot tank with a HOB filter pushing water down the length of the tank you can place the filter on one side and the plant on the other, or leave the plant to float at the other end. Your typical aquarium light will be adequate, and if it doesn’t grow, it may be because GH is too high. When people say it's fast growing, they mean it’s fast growing in a tropical area, not in a fish tank.

It has nice flower which is eatable, although it's not likely to flower in a fish tank.

A well grown hyacinth will grow thick roots and any small fish that hang around the roots will get caught in them if you pull the plant out of the water too quickly.

Be careful if you treat your tank with salt as it doesn’t take much salt to kill the plant. Watch out for other medications too.

Dead water hyacinth will decay and pollute the water and kill the fish - it's a big plant. This is a potentially problem if it happens while you’re away on holiday and not able to remove the bits and pieces for a few weeks. Other than that, it's an excellent ammonia sink, a clump of well growth plant easily keeps the nitrate down to zero in a 4’ tank.

In tropical climate with high temp and humidity it spreads quickly and easily grow to half a metre or more in height, but that’s not going to happen in an indoor tank.

As many have said, it's a declared invasive weed and illegal to keep in many parts of the world, especially so in tropical regions.