Floating plants

[ganjero]

I know aquatic plants need co2 in the water, I also know the floating platns can get that co2 from the air. My questions what do floating plants need in the water ( other than nutrients)? co2 or oxygen or what?

I have water hyacinth and some leaves seem to be dying, is that normal?

Thanks

[djlen]

There is a natural exchange of gas that takes place between tank water and the atmosphere.
When not using CO2, the best way to aid in this exchange is surface movement, but IME the max. yield in a tank by this method is 2 - 3ppm. Fish will help a bit, but it's minimal by comparison to injection.
An alternative to CO2 injection in a small tank is SeaChem's Excel. I am experimenting with this stuff and am rapidly finding many pluses via it's regular use. This is in conjunction with CO2 injection, but it's also very effective alone, IMO.
BTW, floaters don't get any more CO2 than any other plants in the tank, to my knowledge.

Len

[ganjero]

There is a natural exchange of gas that takes place between tank water and the atmosphere.
When not using CO2, the best way to aid in this exchange is surface movement, but IME the max. yield in a tank by this method is 2 - 3ppm. Fish will help a bit, but it's minimal by comparison to injection.
An alternative to CO2 injection in a small tank is SeaChem's Excel. I am experimenting with this stuff and am rapidly finding many pluses via it's regular use. This is in conjunction with CO2 injection, but it's also very effective alone, IMO.
BTW, floaters don't get any more CO2 than any other plants in the tank, to my knowledge.

Len

Thanks a lot. But do you know what kind of plants I'm talking about? I'm not talking about plants that will float but still are under the water. I'm talking about plants for like ponds or tank with no covers, where the plants is actually outside of the tank, and only the roots are in the water. like water hyacinth or water lettuce, etc etc.

Thanks

[djlen]

Yes, I do. My guess is that the plants you have would be better suited to a pond, outdoors where they can get the light they need to thrive.
If you are supplying very strong light, it might be that a period of adjustment is needed for them to start to grow under the artificial conditions, indoors.
These are just guesses however. I'm not much into pond plants.:)
Hope however that this helps some.

Len

[greendeltatke]

I'm not a plant expert, but I know plenty of amphibian keepers who have tried like crazy to keep water hyacinth inside. Newts really love them. The problem is what djlen says, water hyacinth need tons of light. Mine would also always get too tall, even in a 29 g only filled two-thirds. I've had much better luck with water lettuce.

[Leopardess]

I suspect lack of light. How much light is on the tank?

As an aside, this is a little article I've written on it in the past.

Common Name: Water Hyacinth
Scientific Name: Eichhornia crassipes
Light: High to Very High
Co2: Not essential to growth
Level of Difficulty: Medium

This pan tropic plant is a floating plant that develops large, dark green, and glossy leaves.It is famous for its beautiful lavendar/purple flowers which grow on stalks atop a large stem. It is now found throughout the United States, particularly the Southeast, though portions of the West and Northeast now contain this plant. It is considered a "noxious weed," "invasive species" and a "plant pest".

In the aquarium, it is suited for open top tanks, otherwise the plant will not have room to grow. It provides a dense, lush floating canopy, offering shade and refuge to light shy or skittish fish. Gouramis and anabantoid species appreciate the hanging root structure. It blocks significant amounts of light, however, and is not suited for tanks which must have a lot of light for the plants below. When adequately housed, it makes for a stunning appearance and is a wonderful alternative to the more common floating plant species.

In aquariums with clean water and adequate light, it reportedly maintains a smaller size.

In the wild, this plant has been responsible for clogging waterways, pushing out native species, and altering entire ecosytems, and has plagued Florida for over 100 years. Make sure that this plant is disposed of only in ways which do not put native waterways at risk.

[Kissofthegorami]

I'd say light although HIGH light isn't totally essential. I grow water hyacinth outdoors in a pond. I start with one or two plants and by this time int he summer I am throwing them out in the trash I have so many. I have 18 mother plants right now with lots of babies. Water hyacinth actually grows more lush outdoors with a little shade. In full sun they devout energy to flower production which results in smaller, lighter green plants. I suppose partial shade outdoors would equal high light in an aquarium. They are HEAVY feeders. I use them as a filter for a goldfish pond. I only have a sponge prefilter in a fountain and my ammonia and nitrites are always 0 due to the hungry water hyacinths. It could be lack of light but could also be a lack of nitrogen in the water.

[clayt101]

They are HEAVY feeders. I use them as a filter for a goldfish pond.

I believe that there are efforts to use them as a natural water purifier. I know that they even take lead out of the water...of course, once the plants die, the lead goes back into the ecosystem.