Plant typerosette
rosette Conservation status: LC
A floating rosette that really does look like a small head of lettuce, with a long beard of roots beneath. It shades the tank, takes nutrients straight from the water and grows fast enough to need weekly thinning.
- Light
- medium–high
- Difficulty
- medium
- Temperature
- 15 – 35 °C
Parameters
Growth ratefast
Tolerates lightmedium – high
Carbonate hardness0 – 14 °dKH
Propagationrunners
Grows emersedyes
Appearance
Velvety, ribbed leaves stand in a rosette on the surface; a dense curtain of roots hangs below, sometimes far down into the tank.
Keeping
Simple in an open tank and awkward in a closed one: the leaves rot from condensation dripping on them, and they need space above the water. Bright light and warmth make it multiply quickly, so a share of it goes in the bin every week. In some countries it is treated as an invasive weed and its sale is restricted.
Placement
On the surface, better penned into one part of the tank. The roots are a favourite refuge for shrimp and surface fish, and the shade below suits plants that dislike strong light.
Propagation
By itself: daughter rosettes grow on short runners and separate on their own.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1042 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
Swordtail GuppiesCobra GuppyBlood Red MollyButterflyfishRed Zebra CichlidJulii CorydorasFeatherfin SynodontisRed-finned ParotocinclusGastromyzon monticolaEgg-shaped GoldfishFlame TetraGardner's KillifishAfrican TetraKenyi CichlidCuckoo CatfishGolden SwordtailHypsolebias picturatusCommon ZaccoLabeo BicolorGambusiaFlying barbGastromyzon scitulusAlbino Zebra DanioGeophagus Brokopondo
Will eat this plant
These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.
Bengal LoachZebra LoachBurmese Border LoachEmperor BotiaSpined LoachMarbled HeadstanderPellegrin's LeporinusLeporinus striatusFalse Black TetraCommon MetynnisMylossoma duriventreRed Whiptail CatfishMolly sphenopsBalloon MollyLyretail MollyMarble MollyHi-Fin PlatyHawaii PlatyBlue PlatyPintail PlatyBlack PlatyChocolate MollyMoonlight GouramiMelanotaenia parva