Freshwater

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Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants
Floating Plants
Floating plants are important for aquariums that require dim lighting,
because they block the light from above. They also provide a lot of place for
small fry to hide and provide privacy for mating. Even in setups that don’t
require dim lighting, one small floating plant can give a realistic river or pond
look to your aquarium.
Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum)
The frogbit plant grows into the shape of a rosette. It will then produce
shoots that will form a tiny plant at the end. Once this end breaks off, it will
become a new plant on its own. The leaves are waxy green and tend to resemble
a pond lily. Although it is a floating plant, you want to make sure that the
leaves do not get too close to the aquarium lights, because they are sensitive
to burning.
Level: Moderate
Temperature: 64–82 degrees F
Light: Medium to bright
PH: 6.5–7.5
Placement: Floating
Duckweed (Lemna minor)
This is a wonderful fast-growing plant for ponds, because it blocks out a lot of
harmful sunrays that can quickly overheat the water or produce algae.
This plant also provide shelters and is a great incentive for spawning among
its numerous clusters of oval green leaves in an aquarium. You will have to
prune it to keep it from getting out of hand.
Coldwater and pond fish love to eat this plant, and it provides good nutrition
because it is high in vitamins and minerals. Duckweed is good for your pond’s
water, too, because it helps to absorb excess nutrients and ammonia.
Level: Easy
Temperature: 64–79 degrees F
Light: Medium to bright
PH: 4.5–7.5
Placement: Floating