anyone mix their floaters???

[Magnum Man]

right now I have a couple kinds of floaters... been considering Frog Bit, which I've never had... not sure the effect, or issues, if for example you mixed Red Root Floaters & Frog Bit in the same tank... right now I've just been doing one kind of floater per tank...

 

[Magnum Man]

sorry, looks like I accidentally put this in the marine chit chat section, intended to put it in the plant chit chat section... talking about freshwater floating plants

 

[Essjay]

I've moved it to Planted Chit Chat

 

[Magnum Man]

Thank You

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've mixed floaters before. Usually over time one comes to dominate and the others slowly die out. The same thing happens with my rooted plants--I usually start out with many varieties, and over time some thrive and some die out.

 

[Back in the fold]

My duckweed completely overpowered my Salvinia and choked it out .

 

[GaryE]

I have a Salvinia, duckweed and Pistia war going on in my paludarium. It the moment, Salvinia is winning, though there are serious resistance pockets of duckweed. The Pistia is too individualistic, and loses every time.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I have a Salvinia, duckweed and Pistia war going on in my paludarium. It the moment, Salvinia is winning, though there are serious resistance pockets of duckweed.

 

[BrianK]

I've had red root and lettuce together. I kept them thinned out. I think the lettuce would have smothered the red root otherwise.

 

[GaryE]

It's a gang war at the surface, but down low, the Cryps have total control.

I wonder how much of it is chemical, how much is starving each other is a siege type battle... My fish are peaceful, but my floating plants'll shank you.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

My fish are peaceful, but my floating plants'll shank you.

One summer our garden was invaded by quack grass. When I dug the potatoes and carrots, most of them had been completely impaled by grass rhizomes. It was rather terrifying, like slow-motion murder.

 

[StevenF]

i I've mixed floaters before. Usually over time one comes to dominate and the others slowly die out. The same thing happens with my rooted plants

sometimes this is caused by one plant smothering out the other. But plant nutrient issues can sometimes play a role. Each species of plant has a slightly different level of tolerance for low nutrient levels. Some will grow while others will just sit there.

I had used Salvinia to smother out my duck weed years ago . I let it completely cover the surface trapping the duck weed between the plants. Then I would remove it all .Then i wold selecta couple of plants and clean remove all ducks weed from them and put the Salvinia in the tank. It took several months but eventually my tanks was free of duckweed and years later still is. Red root floaters can also kill off duckweed because once they completely cover the surface it grows up and over Eventually cutting off the duck weed from the light and entrapping them between the plants.Salvinia doesn't.grow up. I generally don't allow my floaters to completely cover the surface of the tank any more. Mainly because it can be hard on the plants below and I like to see my plants pearling. (Oxygen bubbles Clinging to the leaves of the plants).

Both of my floaters were doing well in my tank. Later I figured out that I had made a mistake and didn't make my latest batch of fertilizer Correctly and didn't put in enough phosphate. The red root floater can handle handled it well and kept growing. But the Salvinia grew less and was eventually smothered by they other. I have seen the same thing happen with my rooted plants. My ground cover plant was doing well that but may tall plant was not. Again it was a fertilizer issue.

Note I also learned read root floaters leaves are red when there is not enough phosphate in the water. However when there is enough phosphate in the water they have green leaves. The roots are always red.

 

[sharkweek178]

I have salvinia minima and anacharis going on the same tank. Along with some water wisteria.. The salvinia and anacharis coexist pretty well. Especially since the salvinia sits on the surface abs the anacharis sits just below it. I used to have more water wisteria. But when I added the salvinia, it started to die off. It didn't compete well enough for nutrients.
I constantly have to mess around with this. I just bumped up the light intensity because I don't think some of my rooted plants were getting enough light. It's all about finding the balance. But an aquarium is a dynamic environment. So what worked a few months ago might not work now.

 

[GaryE]

You start the hobby, buy a plant, and think all plants are just plants. Now, here we are, looking at peaceful community tanks with just plants, with fish not being involved. We have aggressive plants, passive plants, group plants, above the surface plants, different feeding, different lighting.

I guess you can get bored with this hobby if you just look at. I'm 57 years into keeping tanks, and looking into has kept me very entertained. I can't see that changing. It's a complex world, even in a glass box.

 

[10 Tanks]

right now I have a couple kinds of floaters... been considering Frog Bit, which I've never had... not sure the effect, or issues, if for example you mixed Red Root Floaters & Frog Bit in the same tank... right now I've just been doing one kind of floater per tank...

Hello Magnum. I combine Anacharis and Hornwort. Floating them next to each other makes for a nice combination and then the bottom plants get filtered lighting, which most low to medium light bottom plants like.

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