Pond lilies in aquariums

[Wills]

I've seen some outdoor lilies in a garden centre and I was thinking I quite fancy having them in my 4 foot tank but have always dismissed it, thinking they are just for ponds.

I want the oversized cover of them basically and if I got some flowers I'd be over the moon. But are there any negatives?

Wills

 

[Byron]

I would wonder about algae issues from the light. If you have the intensity they need and are getting outside, for as long a duration, it would probably be a real algae problem. When I had Water Lettuce and Water Hyacinth in my outdoor pond, I brought them in for the winter and they survived but barely, I always though because of the light.

 

[Uberhoust]

I tried to grow the smaller Helvola water lilies in my tank from root cuttings I get when I repot the pond waterlilies, I have propagated them often for friends and family. They did not do well in the aquarium, got them to grow but they never thrived. I only have moderate lighting at approximately 80 PPFD on the surface of the water. At the pond surface they get over 700 PPFD. Measured using the Photone App on a Samsung S7 phone.

 

[Colin_T]

Water lilies need full sun for at least 6 hours a day if you want them to flower. Not easy to do with artificial lighting.

Water lilies come in normal and dwarf varieties. The dwarf varieties are better for aquariums because they have smaller leaves. A single normal type water lily can have leaves that are 8 inches in diameter and produce a dozen or more leaves. That would completely cover the top of most average sized aquariums. The dwarf lilies have leaves around 3-4 inches in diameter and are a much better choice for a fish tank.

Water lilies love nutrients and do best when planted in pots/ containers that have clay, fertiliser and gravel in. You have a container about 4-6 inches high for dwarf lilies and put an inch of gravel in the base. Then spinkle a thin layer of lawn/ garden fertiliser over the gravel. Cover that with a 6mm thick layer of red/ orange clay. Dry and crush the clay first. Then cover that with more gravel. Plant the lily bulb in the gravel and when its roots hit the clay and fertiliser, they take off. The clay helps stop the nutrients leaching into the water.

Water Sprite is a good floating plant for aquariums and can be planted in the substrate too.

 

[Stan510]

You would be best to order tropical lilies since temperate types would need to go dormant all winter.
I've seen it done on good LED lighting,long hours like 12-14 a day. Bloomed in purple.
IF the Lily is the focus and (hardy tropicals) fish just in second,make sure you fertilize the plants for best growth. Take a shot at it!

 

[Stan510]

Forgot to mention is that the tropical plants offer ruffled and colorful pads...not seen on temperate Lilies.

 

[davros]

Welcome. I love your avatar: "Fish" from Barney Miller