Are you looking for a floating aquarium plant that can thrive in just about any
situation, grow rapidly, and require minimal care? Salvinia Natans just might
be right for you. Besides, look at how extraordinary it looks!
Description
Salvinia Natans is a floating plant native to most of the world including
Europe, Africa, Asia, & South America. S. Natans grows much like a vine that
snakes across the surface with two leaves that grow opposite to one another on
the 'vine', a third leaf grows from the bottom and functions as the root
system. Despite what it looks like, this plant has no roots and the root system
is really a specially adapted leaf, sometimes called a frond. These fronds act
like roots by uptaking nutrients floating or dissolved within the water column.
Another fun fact about this plant is that it actually stores air inside of the
leaves! This helps keep the plant afloat. covering the surface of these leaves
are what are called cuticular papillae. These needle like hairs keep water away
from the leaf which aids in floating and prevents the water from interfering
with photosynthesis. Lastly, these plants produce small round spores within the
roots after maturity, which are used for reproduction. These plants can also
reproduce via cutting. They prefer a lower current environment. I personally
love these plants and are they are my favorite floating plant due to their
unique look! The leaves range from light green when they are young. Under
lower light conditions, these leaves will darken but not change color much
until they start to die off. Under high light conditions, I have seen them turn
slightly red or even a mild purple.
It provides some important roles to the planted tank. Some of these include
but are not limited to:
Long, dense root systems provide ample coverage for fish fry, shrimp, or
other small planted tank members!
Thick, waxy leaves with those cuticular papillae make it difficult for a to
eat. This is one of the few plants I can keep with my goldfish without issues.
They eat the roots back sometimes, but that is rare.
Algae control: S. natans is effective at blocking light from reaching very
far underwater, which has proven to be an effective algae control in my planted
tanks without interfering too much with other plant growth.
and of course, those leaves are a great 'wow' factor which gets the
non-enthusiasts in your life asking questions about the hobby we all love!
What you get: one sizeable bunch of Salvinia, roughly the size of an average
man's palm, while supplies last.
Care Guide
Salvinia seems to perform best and grow the biggest leaves when it is
anchored in one position on the surface. If the aquarium has high flow, find a
way to anchor it into one place, one way to achieve this would be wrapping the
vine around something or using a small piece of airline tubing to contain it in
one area.
Light: low - high. I have seen this plant thrive in just about all light
conditions.
CO2: not needed.
placement: floating
care level: easy - moderate
if the waterflow is really low, this plant will THRIVE. However, this also
means that it will accumulate lots of detritus within its root system and will
require the occasional disturbance to release it, I recommend disturbing the
mat at least every few weeks during a water change in extremely low flow
aquariums. Invasive Species Warning: S. Natans can be extremely prolific and
may spread with ease. Please dispose of any living plant tissue responsibly as
it will very likely invade and overtake your local ecosystem. It is already an
invasive species in multiple states within the United States and likely to
continue spreading. Please take care of your local ecosystem!
Disclaimer: I have many types of snails in all of my tanks as they provide a
critical role for the ecosystem. I also have duckweed and other assorted
floating plants that my fish love to eat in-between feedings. I will do my best
to remove any of these common pests, it is only natural that some may slip
through the cracks, thus I cannot be responsible for spreading either of these
extremelycommon and beneficial hitchikers.