Description: 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 up-taking 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 (not sharp!) 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 easily propegate via cutting. They prefer a lower current environment. I personally love these plants. 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 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 GuideSalvinia seems to perform best and grow the biggest leaves when it is anchored in one position on the surface. If the aquarium has high water 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: floatingcare level: easy - moderateif 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 those 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 extremely common and beneficial hitchikers.
Price: 6 USD
Location: Danbury, Connecticut
End Time: 2024-10-15T20:09:27.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Unit Type: Unit
Water Type: Fresh
Water Temperature: Tropical
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Unit Quantity: 3
Species: salvinia natans
Difficulty Level: Beginner
