Giant Floaters

[Melody]

I'm so impressed I had to take pictures! These are the plants that our Mr. SB brought me on his recent visit. They were gathered from a pond at his school. The net is for scale.

Water Lettuce and Floating Hyacinth (I think):

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-WaterLettuce_Hyacinth.jpg


Water Lettuce (all one piece, Mama & babies):


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-WaterLettuce.jpg


Now the question is, how do I keep them like this indoors? I've been doing some digging and apparently it can be done with bright light. Has anybody managed it before? I know a lot of people have Water Lettuce but I think I read somewhere that there are two species, one giant and one small. Its the small one that I usually see.

Any info would rock - thanks!

[Soggybottom]

Glad you like em :)

They were doing pretty well without a whole lot of light, the sun hasn't shined here for months and they were shaded out by papyrus for quite a while as well...

[WaterPond]

i've attemped numerous times... in front of a window... under lots of light... just cant get them to live. Mine always rot.

LOL, an no offense, but i have had bigger ones.... i bought one at a garden centre last year, it could barely fit into a garbage bag to take it home :laugh:

nice plants though... dose nitrate though, those will eat it up really fast... and they need tons of it to stay healthy.

[Melody]

Yup, they can get pretty big when they have room to grow. :D

Mr. SB, could it be air circulation that's the prob? Rot always brings air to mind with terrestrial plants. I've read that others have better luck with them in an open aquarium.

I'm growing them in various set-ups so I'll experiment. :smile:

How about the Hyacinth? That one is supposed to be very difficult indoors. It was a nice surprise, finding those in there :notworthy: . Their roots are awesome for hiding fry!

[mixixe]

I had lots of water lettuce growing very well under bright light and with a glass cover with 4 inches of room from water to glass top. They spread out alot and starting shooting off lots of babies... and then I got a pleco and he ate it all.. hmmph... That was how i got mine to grow well though.

[Corbin]

i love it. does it taste good on a sandwich?

[mixixe]

Oh Mel, just too add to water lettuce, the ones yous ee alot that are prob the shoot offs... my always started off looking like eared watermoss and then eventually grew much bigger.

They seem to grow faster to if you snip off the shoot offs and let them start a new colony.. they jsut keep growing and growing. I got mine at the plant and gardening store in the summer... including some fairy watermoss which is beautiful but that didn't make it. I'm gonna get some more this summer (and some frogbit), I can't wait!

[Melody]

Thanks for the tips! I guess most plants do better if you snip off the little ones, but I hadn't thought of it.

I LOVE Fairy Moss. Same thing happened to the bits I had - lost. I think the fishies/snails like it.

[Melody]

i love it. does it taste good on a sandwich?

Well the fish & snails sure love it so it just might :laugh:

[Corbin]

lol heres the toxicology on it http://www.pesticideinfo.org/List_AquireAll.jsp?Species=2122 (http://www.pesticideinfo.org/List_AquireAll.jsp?Species=212)
i dont think its toxic from what i understood. haha

[Melody]

You go first :wideeyed:

[Corbin]

okay, dial 91 first and if anything happens hit 1 :laugh:

[Melody]

Deal, but CAC gets the exclusive on the video.

[Corbin]

deal. ill try it on a trukey sandwich. mmmm