Floating plants are an investment every aquarium keeper should know about. Floating plants are used in ponds or aquariums to control algae, effectively used fish waste, and to create a new layer in aquascaping.
1. Duckweed
If you're looking for something to scoop out every week and is impossible to kill, look into duckweed! It is a quickly multiplying small floating plant. It's bright green leaf nodes will quickly cover the top of an aquarium. Be careful when adding this to aquariums with gouramis, bettas or any other fish that requires surface oxygen. They might struggle to push past all the roots and leafs to get a breath. You can purchase some here.
2. Salvinia Minima
Similar in look to duckweed, salvinia minima can be differentiated from duckweed through its bumpy surfaces. Salvinia minima is slightly larger sporting round leaves and only a slightly reduced growth rate in comparison to duckweed. This plant may not thrive in tanks without co2 and is not known for its pond worthiness. You can get some here.
3. Red Root Floaters
Red root floaters are some of the most attractive floating plants on the market. They even are known to flower! Their rooters are slightly longer than the other two and their multiplication method seems to remain attached to the parent plant. Their also slightly larger than the previous mentioned floaters. The downside to these fellas is that they really require co2 to do well. Which is unfortunate for those looking to add a sprinkle of red to their low-tech planted tanks. You can get some here.
4. Azolla
Azolla is a type of aquatic fern that also rests on top of the water. Some refer to it as mosquito fern. This floating plant has quite a different texture than the rests and also has a tendency to color up red in certain water. You can buy some here.
5. Water lettuce
Water lettuce is the largest of these floating plants. They have long flowing roots perfect for fish to hide in and they multiply rather steadily. Because they are so large, they are less likely to get stuck in filter intakes and are easy to manage their population. You can buy some here.
Be careful with removing these plants. Do not release them into local water ways as they will negatively impact your local eco-systems.
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