Need a floating plant for babies to hide in the roots of

[Bamf Comics]

I

 

[MaloK]

Frogbit ?!?

 

[seangee]

+1 for Frogbit
Make sure you get Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) and not European Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) which is a temperate plant and will probably melt. IMHO its worth paying a bit extra for tissue cultured plants, no hitchhikers and likely better quality. You really don't need much.

 

[seangee]

Oh and if you forget to trim the roots

 

[seangee]

That fits the description but is it small? The images make it look massive. I've got 8 by 12" floating squares.

Once established you tend to throw out about 50% a week. Just break off the new growth and throw out anything that's too big.

 

[Colin_T]

Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) is the best floating plant for baby fish and also for Bettas. It has lots of branches that slow or stop the bigger fish going in, grows in most conditions, and if you get too much it can be planted in the substrate where it grows into a lovely light green shrub.

 

[connorlindeman]

Duckweed won't really get long roots either.
I would get some water sprite and float that. It makes a great floating plant.

 

[MattW]

I've used most stems as floating plants. Hornwort and Rotala does well for me. Water lettuce is another option to.

 

[JohnnyReb]

I just got scammed by an E-Bay seller. Ordered Giant Duckweed with Priority Mail shipping and instead get it arriving 6 days late, shipped the cheaper Ground Advantage option and worse, it's mostly a container filled with that tiny nuisance duckweed I didn't want. It appears I'll now have that one forever since it's impossible to get rid of I suspect now that it's out.

I want small plants that float on the surface with long root systems baby guppies can hide in. What would be some good options for filling small areas thickly? I'm now looking at Salvinia Minima Water Spangles but the pictures are from above and appear to have the roots going out sideways more than down. Any favorites I can order while I start an E-Bay claim with the current crook?

Red root floaters are a waste of time, hard, hard to get good plants to start with. I use Water Lettuce and Frogbit. Also, you can float a piece of Styrofoam in the tank with some holes punched in it and grow, Spider plants/Airplane plants. They have great roots. Start them in rocks in a pot and them pug them into the Styrofoam holes you make. That way the roots are pretty and white.

 

[JohnnyReb]

I too go at the "shotgun method". As a side note, next time try to grow your own Java Moss from a starter in a separate tank. The frogbit is easier to grow but as it's tricks too.

 

[JohnnyReb]

Yes, that looks like you are doing a good job with the Java Moss. All Red Root Floaters I ever got were half dead when they arrived. I love the Frogbit, Water Lettuce and Airplane plants.

 

[JohnnyReb]

If they can pull out the Red Root Floaters and you go back to water ASAP, they might live if they have live red roots on them. Tell him you want to buy plants not so many leaves as the Ebay guys say, it is usually that, a fist full of leaves.