What Plant is this?

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Yeti

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
201
Location
Ellsworth AFB,SD
1) My LFS has these plants in their aquariums they look like tiny tiny clovers with a single little root maybe 1/4" in length and they float (some attach to the gravel and decor though) what are these, would you recommend them?

2) I already laid the gravel in my tank, if I decide to put a few rooted plants in there it would require me tearing the gravel out and putting some sort of plant substrate at least below it correct?
 
It sounds like duckweed. I don't have any but when I was at my LFS(fish here in the mall in rapid :) ) I asked about some live plants she pointed out some sutff that basically covered the entire top of the tank with clover like leaves and said it was duckweed.
 
I agree that it's probably Duckweed, aka Lemna minor. Could be one of the other floating plants, but that's the most likely one.
 
yeah its duckweed, it looks like all the stuff on images.google.com .. i wonder how bad that will get into my filter, it says it floats and my filter sucks from the bottom so i should be alright..

I want to put a little java moss in there too.


any easy vine kind of plants out there?
 
Duckweed can take over a tank pretty quickly. Depending on what you are after that may be good or bad. It is easy to end up with lots from a couple of bits hitchhiking home from the lfs with other plants. If you have only low light plants, you may like the cover, but remember that it will block out a lot of light. I will admit that I find it to be a nuisance,.

An easy viney-type plant is hornwort, which will also take the place over if given the chance. I have done this on purpose with great results! Plus, its basically bulletproof.
 
Wysteria too. There are a lot of low light plants that are in the "never use in a high light tank" category. They grow to fast and starve your other plants of nutrients, and in the case of duckweed, light.
 
And no, you don't need to change out your gravel. Many folks have successfully grown plants in plain old gravel. What size tank do you have and what wattage of lighting? These will have far bigger effects that the gravel.

I agree, duckweed is a big nuisance. I would avoid it.
 
okay cool well I was looking into some java moss as well im aware it grows at an EXTREMELY rapid pace but thats fine, every week when i do my PWC i can simply pull some apart and throw it in a baggie, give it to a friend with a tank, or give it to my LFS.. no skin off my nose i have no problem with skimming some plants etc.. thats all the fun of it right?

Ill look into some of those other plants. I have a lot of large roman columns so i want to have some vines grow up them etc..

thanks!
 
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