• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Flowering floating plants

frothhelmet

Member
Joined
1 Mar 2010
Messages
443
Location
USA / London
Are there any floating plants that we can keep under a tank lid that will flower in an aquarium? I can't think of any...
 
In general yes, you can get about any flowering plant to flower if you give the proper conditions for it.. And that's where the difficulties start.. :) These conditions depent on species (region), for most plants light hours and intensity is an important factor. Some species flower in spring time, others mid summer and others again late summer. Also some species could need a precursor to make them flower (easier) like extra potasium and or phospor fertilization.

Now a difficulty is with aquarium plants in general is the aim to keep them aquatic and submersed. So in most databases for aquarium plants the flowering properties of the plant are oftenly not described or probably not even known to them. There are also not so much flowering floaters available (suitable) for aquarium keeping. If you find a suitable plant which fits in your tank dimensions and setup, find out it's region and flowering months. Try to find information about it's growth in natural invironment or if it is also cultivated as garden pond plant, searchig these sites the flowering properties are usualy descibed also when and how long it flowers and what it needs. If it can flower in a pond it can flower in a tank.. :) You only need to mimic the proper conditions above and in your tank.

So next difficulty could be is if the plant needs long light periode like 12 hours + which actualy is a bit much for most submersed growth and can induce extra algea growth.
Depending on the tank setup there are not many aquarists having longer periods than 10 hours, more often shorter than longer. Next thing is flowering floaters generaly like stagnant water or at least very low flow in a dead spot.

The tank lid shouldn't be the problem as long there is enough room, many people grow flowering plants in paludariums, ripariums etc. which also oftenly are fully closed due to the need of high air humidity or housing jumping critters.

Some floating plants with flowers to find in LFS or Pond shop are Frogbit, lotus. some potamogetons, eichornias, pistia, water poppy.. There must be more, i do not know them all.. Al depends also on your tank size.. :) And most of them needs loads of light (sun), so you need quite a bundle of light to extend your choises to the max. :thumbup:
 
Never had frogbit and for now in the tank the only floater which floweres is the lily. :) I forgot the Aponogeton, well known aquarium plant, that also seems to develop floating leaves and a flower. Would like to try it one day.. :)

It's less than impressive, as far as blooms go.

That's amazone isn't it? :) Didn't know it flowers like that. There are also frogbit sp. flowering differently like white and Yellow.. :) Oh now i remember i had frogbit once in the terrace pond only one summer, it didn't flower and didn't survive the winter..
 
Last edited:
Hi all,
Never had frogbit and for now in the tank the only floater which flowers is the lily.
I've had a few submerged plants flowers when they've become emersed. Echinodorus spp., Hygrophila corymbosa, Anubias barteri and Heteranthera zosterifolia are all frequent flowerers, although my Hygrophila and Echindorus haven't flowered under a lid.

I've had Cabomba caroliniana flower as well, but it doesn't flower now (too much flow?). Both Cabomba and Heteranthera need to form morphologically distinct floating leaves before they will flower.
I forgot the Aponogeton
Probably the safest bet as a flowering plant, they don't all need form floating leaves to flower.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all, I've had a few submerged plants flowers when they've become emersed. Echinodorus spp., Hygrophila corymbosa, Anubias barteri and Heteranthera zosterifolia are all frequent flowerers, although my Hygrophila and Echindorus haven't flowered under a lid.

I've had Cabomba caroliniana flower as well, but it doesn't flower now (too much flow?). Both Cabomba and Heteranthera need to form morphologically distinct floating leaves before they will flower. Probably the safest bet as a flowering plant, they don't all need form floating leaves to flower.

cheers Darrel

My Enchi Kleiner Bähr is converting itself at the moment, it is growing more and more emersed leaves by the day and seems to shed off it's submersed leaves, for every emersed leave it grows i need to cut a melting submersed leave away. :) It looks like i only will have submersed stems with emersed leaves left in the tank within a few weeks. I wonder if it ever will flower, i guess it will.. Recently i saw a enchinodorus standing at the window in a pot, stood there for years according to the owner and flowers happily. My Anubias Ducky is growing and flowering emersed at the moment, next to a emersed Hygrofilia Lancea, which actualy grows slower at the time as the anubias. Heteranthera zosterifolia i tried, but somehow i can't keep it healthy in my tanks, not high tech, not low tech, tried everything from micro macro to extra iron but it keeps turning white. black leggy i gave up on it for now..

These are my first open top tanks, never tried emersed growing before indoors, at least not like that, it is mighty intresting 10 x more then what a pond can give, to see both forms develop and grow through the glass.. Wonderfull hobby..

Yesterday i found and ordered 10 seeds of a alledged small bonsai cultivar of the Nelumbo Nucifera (Purple Fire). Regarding it's seller it will go from seed to flower within a few weeks if planted shallow, warm and with enough light. I dump it in the tank the day i see the seeds germinate. :) Can't wait..

Under a lid, i get the feeling i might enterpret that idea wrong, is that under a glass lid or a closed hood?? Under a closed hood with only artificial light it probably is not possible to get some plants to flower. Glas lid where still daylaight plays a role would give more opportunities i guess.
 
Or how about Aponogetons? I had what was probably A. natans/A. ulvaceus hybrid, it flowered regularly, and also had floating leaves. There are many others - Google "aponogeton inflorescence"....
8bf5c633278a6bd9d595cfdd5462e468.jpg
 
Or how about Aponogetons? I had what was probably A. natans/A. ulvaceus hybrid, it flowered regularly, and also had floating leaves. There are many others - Google "aponogeton inflorescence"....
8bf5c633278a6bd9d595cfdd5462e468.jpg
- and most Aponogeton flowers are very nice scented........
 
Of you want a REAL treat.........have Aponogeton madagascariensis go into flowering !!!!! It's gorgeous and purple...........
 
Back
Top