Plant typefloating
Native range
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- India
- Laos
- Malaya
- Myanmar
- Sumatera
- Thailand
- Vietnam
floating surface Conservation status: LC
A floating fern with small cupped leaves that hold air like tiny bowls. It has no long roots, so it shades a tank without curtaining it off.
- Light
- medium–high
- Difficulty
- easy
- Temperature
- 18 – 32 °C
Parameters
Growth ratevery fast
Tolerates lightmedium – high
Carbonate hardness0 – 21 °dKH
Placementsurface
Propagationfragmentation, division +1
Grows emersedno
Appearance
Round leaves the size of a coin curl upwards into little cups, covered in water-repellent hairs. Beneath there is almost nothing — this fern has no proper roots.
Keeping
Undemanding and very fast: it forms a dense mat and shuts out light below, so it needs thinning every week. It does not like water dripping on its leaves, so an open tank suits it better than a closed one.
Placement
On the surface. Because it has no trailing roots it is a good choice where the roots of other floaters would get in the way.
Propagation
By itself: the plant splits into pieces and each grows on.
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 BotiaMarbled HeadstanderPellegrin's LeporinusLeporinus striatusFalse Black TetraCommon MetynnisMylossoma duriventreRed Whiptail CatfishMolly sphenopsBalloon MollyLyretail MollyMarble MollyHi-Fin PlatyHawaii PlatyBlue PlatyPintail PlatyBlack PlatyChocolate MollyMoonlight GouramiMelanotaenia parva