The only noticeable difference here is the temperature. Dwarf water lettuce doesn’t like cold water, so you should keep the water temperature in the mid-70s. Tip: To prevent Water lettuce to be pushed around the tank by the current, you can install some kind of barrier to prevent the plant to go near turbulent water. For example, use a floating rope or tube to divide the surface area and keep them there. Humidity: While it is possible to replicate those conditions in a home aquarium, it’s not very common. Typically, dwarf water lettuce will propagate asexually in closed tanks.

It’s not particularly difficult to cultivate, but it’s not a walk in the park either! This plant does have some specific growing conditions. If things are just right, it’ll flourish without much intervention on your end. Fortunately, this plant comes with more pros than cons, thanks to its appearance and physiological activity.Water lettuce is a floating perennial plant found across the globe in tropical and subtropical regions. It requires growth temperatures of at least 15 oC (59 oF), and grows best around 22 to 30 oC (72-86 oF). This plant is particularly sensitive to dissolved minerals and requires water with a salt content of 2.5 ppt or less and an absence of lime. The oldest fossils representing the Pistia clade date from the Middle Eocene epoch, 48.6 to 37.2 million years ago. Pistia itself is first known from seeds from the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene and mid-Miocene periods of Europe and Russia, up to 33 million years ago (Renner & Zhang, 2003). Ensure the water parameters are correct. Moderately hard water with a temperature of 72–86°F and a pH of 6.5–7.5 is best.

These plants float on the water’s surface and don’t have roots that anchor them down. The roots are free-floating in the water, so your choice of the substrate material won’t have a direct impact on the health of this plant at all. Ruffled water lettuce: Has clusters of small wavy leaves, and is smaller than common water lettuce plants. Regarding snails, certain varieties of snails that cannot harm or try to devour Dwarf Water Lettuce. For example, Ramshorn snails, Nerite snails, Malaysian Trumpet snails, Japanese trapdoor snails, Mystery snails,etc., Although the leaves normally have a bright green tint, the lighting and water conditions may cause them to alter significantly.Loss (yellowing) of color: Sometimes, yellowing of the leaves might take place due to increased sun exposure or continued nutrient deficiency. Water lettuce is known to propagate both asexually and sexually. When you are growing the plant in a home-based aquarium, sexual propagation is not so common. Upon propagation, the flowers of the plant are extremely tiny and are situated towards the center of the plant. Each plant is known to feature either a male or a female flower set. Upon the occurrence of successful fertilization, you will observe the appearance of multiple berries featuring multi-seeds towards the center.

Use small, full-range bulbs. Keep the lights on throughout the day, and don’t keep them too close to the water’s surface. If possible, consider placing your aquarium near an open window! The residual lighting should be more than enough to help those lettuce florets reach their full potential. Substrate Water lettuce propagates both sexually and asexually, but in aquariums, it mainly propagates asexually, and you’ll find the small daughter plants it reproduces attached to the mother plant with a stolon. Don’t worry if their growth starts slow because it’ll increase in a few weeks. How to Use Water Lettuce in Aquarium Why is the variation in leaf form significant? How a plant absorbs light and nutrients depends on the form of its leaves. Because Pistia Stratiotes has round leaves that maximize light absorption, the plant is frequently used in aquariums with low lighting. Also fondly referred to as the Nile Lettuce, the Dwarf Water Lettuce was originally abundant in the fast-moving bodies of water in Africa. Though it was first discovered near the Nile River — hence its alternate name — the Dwarf Water Lettuce was already observed and described by Greek scholars two millennia ago.

Getting the water and environmental conditions right is only half the battle. Once your tank is correctly set up and cycled, you can start thinking about adding your plant. The less flow you have in your tank the bigger Dwarf Water Lettuce will get. So, if you want to keep them small, it is best kept in an aquarium with gentle water flow. I will repeat – the gentle flow. It’s preferable not to put another aquatic plant with them. By now, you know that they like their space and who can blame them? Water Lettuce is a super easy to grow and maintain aquarium plants that anyone owns. Even new aquarium owners with minimum experience with aquatic plants can safely keep this plant in their tanks. By now this guide has fully prepared you to care after your water lettuce without facing any issues. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), the Swedish scientist who developed the consistent use of binomial names for both plants and animals that we use today to classify all life, and who himself validly published over 9,000 plant names. Linnaeus erected the genus Pistia, the name derived from the Greek pistos, meaning watery, which contains just this single species. The species epithet stratiotes is Latin and means reminiscent of the Stratiotes genus of submerged aquatic plants.