# Floating plants? Frogbit or water sprite?



## WayneL (Apr 4, 2014)

Seems like this would be one of those questions that belongs with religion and politics as something we don't discuss in public. Floating plants? Are they a benefit?When to add them? Which?

I have an HOB, so no duckweed--or as I've found out that it's called aquarium herpes, never going away--so if I'm going to add floating plants, I'm stuck on which. I'm leaning frobit.


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

Are they of benefit? Absolutely! They not only provide extra filtration and oxygen to your tank, but foraging, hiding and security to keep fish from getting stressed, they can also suck up toxins in the water and filter those out. 

When do you add them? Any time, from the start of your tank if you want to. Many also add them to help suck up nitrates, nitrites and ammonia. 

I'd go with watersprite. It's more a stem plant, same value as most floating plants and you CAN float them. Frogbit looks like big duckweed...I dunno if it can handle your filter, maybe. 

Why not go for both? The larger floating plant and the fast growing stem plants?


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## ShukiAi (Feb 15, 2012)

I'm actually partial to dwarf water lettuce ;-) And really, I think it depends on the look you're going for and what you like best.


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## jimscott (Jan 24, 2014)

I have a bias toward Water Sprite. They are great for baby livebearers and will become used as part of a bubblenest for anabantids.


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## WayneL (Apr 4, 2014)

ShukiAi said:


> I'm actually partial to dwarf water lettuce ;-) And really, I think it depends on the look you're going for and what you like best.


Could you expand on this with some "if/then" explanations? I have not a clue what I'm going for except the benefit of my ecosystem. "If" I want this, "then" I should get this. Pros and cons. While I'm sure there are exhaustive threads here and elsewhere, I've not been able to run down a comprehensive story on floating plants.

It appears that when one has a hang-on-back filter--I do--then duckweed and salvia are not good choices. Others are better, but have their own considerations. And don't most tanks go without? 

Just looking for more information. Thanks.


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## corina savin (Jul 11, 2012)

I have both frogbit and water sprite. I like frogbit. Looks nicer, cleaner and easy to trim (remove). I tried them both in my tanks with HOB and they died. Could be the T8 lights but also the surface agitation. Water sprite was doing really well under new T5HO bulbs. A year later, it slowed down a lot. I changed the bulbs and it's back again.


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## ShukiAi (Feb 15, 2012)

WayneL said:


> Could you expand on this with some "if/then" explanations? I have not a clue what I'm going for except the benefit of my ecosystem. "If" I want this, "then" I should get this. Pros and cons. While I'm sure there are exhaustive threads here and elsewhere, I've not been able to run down a comprehensive story on floating plants.
> 
> It appears that when one has a hang-on-back filter--I do--then duckweed and salvia are not good choices. Others are better, but have their own considerations. And don't most tanks go without?
> 
> Just looking for more information. Thanks.


The benefits of having floating plants is that they get 100% of their nutrients directly from the water, which cuts down on algae since the algae gets it's nutrients the same way. Some fish also like having the cover (betta and guppies come to mind) and it is very beneficial in fry tanks. Plus, it can be aesthetically pleasing. Here is a link with a little more information and a nice video. 

Some cons would be that the plants can grow quite fast and you'll get more than you know what to do with. Also, if the top of your aquarium is completely covered, then the plants on the bottom of the tank won't get enough light. 

I have a HOB filter and my water lettuce seems to do just fine. It gets caught up in the current a bit, but floats around and gathers in the corners. I don't have a problem. I've never had duckweed or salvia, so I can't comment on them.

So technically you don't _need_ floating plants, it's more a question if you want them. I use them in my community tank that has guppies and they have fry, and I also use them in my betta tanks. You could go without floating plants and be perfectly fine.


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## WayneL (Apr 4, 2014)

Good stuff, y'all. I've ordered frogbit. As I wrote on my Sin City 55 thread, diary, someday maybe a blog and maybe an article--I chose the frogbit because of how it propagates. I will take out the mothership when the baby is disconnected. We'll see. None of the other options seemed as good.

What I'm going for is my version of living work of art behind glass. I think floating plants are necessary for the ecosystem and the aesthetics. Once you've gone this far around the bend, there is only the great waterfall in the future, over which we hope not to go overboard.


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