Growing Water Lettuce (Pistia Stratiotes) In The Aquarium

This is a floating plant. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical standing reservoirs. There it is common weed and it can very quickly grow in favorable conditions. The n the plant can tightly cover entire surface of the water.

This species looks like cabbage or lettuce. It has rosulate, thick, spongy, wedge-shaped and pale green leaves with fine hairs. The roots are delicate but dense, feathery and they freely hang in the water. The inflorescence is small but it rarely develops in aquarium. Individual plant is up to 20 cm wide.

This is relatively easy to grow species but it is sensitive to low temperature above the water surface and condensing water vapor on surface of its leaves. When you need dimmed light in your aquarium, you should use this species. Its roots are also perfect refuge for a young fry and they are perfect place to spawning. This plant takes nitrogen compounds from water and it has filtering properties.

This is spermatophyte species but in aquarium we reproduce it vegetatively - by well rooted runners.