- Scientific name: Pistia stratiotes
- Common name: Water lettuce
- Family: Araceae
- Group: Aquarium plants
- Max height: 10-15 cm
- Distribution: Tropical and subtropical areas
- Habitat: On the surface of slow-moving rivers, ponds and swamps.
- Substrate: -
- Placement in aquarium: Floating
- Lighting needs: Bright
- Temperature: 22-30°C
- pH: 5,9-8,4
- Hardness: 1-25 NK°
Description: Plant with very long, blueish black branched roots, usually floating on the water surface, on the edges of waterways and also anchored in the substrate during receding water levels.This common floating species is available both as an aquarium and a pond plant. In the aquarium, the leaves are 1.2-1.6 in (3-4 cm) long, but in an open environment they may reach up to 6 in (15 cm). The leaves are fleshy in appearance and have a covering of tiny hairs, giving them a velvety texture. Fine, trailinc roots are produced below the surface and these provide good shade from lights and hiding places for smaller fish. The aquarium should be either open-topped or have good ventilation, otherwise the leaves will become dried and damaged. An easy-to-care-for species.
This magnificent floating plant is regularly commercially available in spring and summer for use in garden ponds. P. stratiotes, however, can also find good use in the aquarium as a floating plant, but will remain considerably smaller there. It will develop best in highly polluted, nitrate-rich water and may produce rosettes with a diameter of up to 80 cm. The plants will prosper equally well in both soft as well as hard water and will even cope with a limited to medium light intensity. Warmth and intense lighting, however, will enhance the development of strong specimens.
Breeding with seeds is possible (store seeds in moist conditions). When keeping the plant in garden ponds, be aware that the plant is not hardy. Specimens from greenhouses, too, will recede strongly during winter because they then lack intense light.
(Butterfly splitfin)
(Pike livebearer)
(Half beak)
(Mosquitofish)
(Goldbelly topminnow)
(Metallic livebearer)
(Celebes halfbeak)
(Blackbarred limia)
(Sailfin molly)
(African Freshwater Pipefish)
(Swordtail)
(Platy)
(Variegated platy )
(Peaceful betta)
(Betta, Siamese fighting fish)
(One spot mouthbrooder)
(Honey gourami)
(Chocolate Gourami)
(Pearl gourami)
(Three-spot gourami)
(Croaking gourami)
(Gold skirt tetra)
(Silver-tipped tetra)
(Bentos Tetra, White Tip Tetra)
(Serpae Tetra)
(Bleeding heart tetra)
(Flame tetra, Red tetra)
(Black neon tetra)
(Lemon tetra)
(Lesser bleeding heart tetra)
(Black phantom tetra)
(Emperor tetra)
(Cardinal tetra)
(Glass bloodfish, Glass bloodfin)
(Blackline penguinfish)
(Checkered barb)
(Five-banded barb)
(Gold barb)
(Tiger barb)
(Cherry barb)
(Leopard danio)
(Zebra danio)
(Siamese algae eaters)
(Red tailed black shark)
(Harlequin rasbora)
(Red-line rasbora)
(Orange-finned barb)
(Rummy nose rasbora)
(White cloud)
(Convict cichlid)
(Oscar, Velvet cichlid)
(Peacock cichlid, African peacock)
(Frontosa)
(Moori, Blue dolphin cichlid)
(Nicaragua cichlid)
(Yellow labid)
(Venustus)
(Butterfly cichlid)
(Electric blue haplo)
(Flower horn fish)
(Gold nugget pleco)
(Clown botia, Clown loach)
(Giant Cory, Barbatus Catfish)
(Leopard catfish, Three line cory)
(Spotted sailfin pleco)
(Zebra pleco)
(Midget Catfish, Midget Sucker Catfish)
(Giant Whiptail, Golden Whiptail)
(Cuckoo Synodontis, Multi-spotted synodontis )
(Striped panchax, Lineatus panchax)
(Madagascar rainbowfish)
(Splash tetra)
(Elephant nose)
(Boeseman's rainbowfish)
(Neon rainbow)
(Brown pencilfish)
(Congo tetra)
(Bluegreen lampeye)
(Peacock gudgeon)
(Bumblebee goby)
(Mono, Fingerfish)
(Scat, Spotted scat)
(Green pufferfish)
(Archerfish)
(Spiny catfish)
(Spotted talking catfish)
(Saddle Corydoras)
(Blue acara)
(Pearly lamprologus)
(Compressed cichlid)
(Long-finned characin)
(Striped Anostomus, Striped Headstander)
(Bloodfin tetra)
()
(Banded gourami)
(Dwarf corydoras, Pygmy corydoras )
(Midas cichlid)
(African butterfly cichlid)
(Cockatoo dwarf cichlid)
(Three-stripe dwarf cichlid)
(African red-eyed characin)
(Blue tetra, Cochu's Blue Tetra)
(Spotted headstander)
(Giant pacu, Black-finned pacu)
(Badis, Blue Perch)
(Jack Dempsy)
(Keyhole cichlid)
(L155 catfish, Polka Dot Lyre Tail Pleco)
(Vermiculated synodontis)
(Upside-down catfish)
(Swordtail characin)
(Spotted hatchetfish)
(Common hatchetfish)
(T-bar cichlid)
(Slender cichlid)
(Striped Raphael Catfish)
(Pictus catfish)
(Swallow-tail glass catfish)
(Royal Panaque)
(Whiptail catfish)
(Bala shark, Silver shark)
(Arulius barb)
(Black-ruby barb)
(Yellow Congo Tetra)
(Glowlight Tetra)
(Red hygrophila)
(Dwarf anubias)
(Congo anubias)
(Wavy-edged swordplant)
(Compact aponogeton)
(Giant bacopa)
(Orchid lily)
(African fern, Congo fern)
(Yellow cabomba, Giant cabomba)
(Red cabomba)
(Indian fern)
(Giant crypt)
()
()
(Water hedge)
(Straight vallisneria)
(Dauben's waterlily)
(Tiger lotus)
(Crystalwort)
(Giant sagittaria)
(Dwarf sagittaria)
(Lizard's tail)
(Dwarf vallisneria)
(Cupid cichlid)
(Peacock Bass)
(Red Terror, Festa's Cichlid)
(False bandit cory)
(Mini Cory, Nanus Cory Cat)
(Panda Catfish, Panda Cory)
(Golden Pheasant, Red Aphyosemion)
(Black ghost knifefish)
(Red-chinned Panchax, Black-lipped Panchax)
(Peacock Eel)
(Fire Eel)
(Tire Track Eel)
(Dwarf Rainbowfish)
(Patrizi's Notho, Red-tailed Torquoise Notho)
(Clown Knifefish)
(Zebra Obliquidens)
(Blue Victoria Mouthbrooder)
(Four-eyed fish)
(Leopard cactus pleco, L-114 catfish)
(L-14 catfish, Sunshine pleco)
(Blue-eyed Pleco)
(Playfair's Panchax)
(Coolie Loach, Kuhli Loach)
(Butterflyfish)
(Senegal Bichir, Cuvier's Bichir)
(Celebes Rainbowfish)
(Two spot barb)
(Salmon-red Rainbowfish)
(Giant Puffer)
(Congo Puffer)
(Silver Needlefish)
(African Knifefish)
(Red-Striped Earth Eater)
(Redhump eartheater)
(Butterfly Pleco, L-168 Catfish)
(Dwarf Loach)
(Blunt-Jaw Elephantnose)
(Thread-finned Acara)
(Banded Dwarf Cichlid)
(Frogmouth catfish)
(Needle Catfish, Farlowella cat)
(Brichard's slender cichlid)
(Congo lamprologus)
(Oil Catfish, Perugia's Woodcat)
(One-spot Synodontis, Domino Syno)
(Yellow Regal Cichlid)
(Giant Raphael Catfish)
(South Amrican Bumblebee Catfish)
(Pygmy Cory)
(Schwartz's Cory)
(Elegant poeciliid, Tiger Teddy)
(Silver Arowana, Arowana)
(Glass Knife Fish, Green Knifefish)
(Gunther's cichlid)
(Compressiceps Dwarf Pike Cichlid)
(Zebra Shovelnose)
(Shovelnose Catfish, Lima Shovelnose)
(Threadfin Rainbowfish)
(Clown Pleco, Ringlet Pleco)
(Paraguay eartheater)
(Red tailed catfish)
(Six-banded Distichodus)
(Thick-lipped Gourami)
(Featherfin Synodontis)
(Spanner barb, T Barb)
(Flying Fox)
(Macmaster's Apisto)
(Forktail rainbowfish)
(Chocolate-colored catfish)
(Moonlight Gourami, Moonbeam Gourami)
(Cinnamon Loach)
(Julii Cory, Leopard Cory)
(Common Bristlenose Catfish)
(Atlantic Mudskipper)
(Smudge Spot Cory)
(Sterba's Cory)
(Black band catfish)
(Knife Livebearer, Knife-edged Livebearer)
(Glowlight Danio)
(Harald Schultz's Cory)
(Jaguar Cichlid)
(Para molly)
(Indonesian Tiger Fish)
(Flagtail Catfish)
(Ornate pimelodus, Ornate Pim)
(Lavender Mbuna, Rusty Cichlid)
(Hovering Zebra Loach)
()
(Snowball Pleco)
(Knobnose Whiptail Catfish)
(Regan's pike cichlid)
(Redhook Myleus)
(Salvin's Cichlid)
(Figure Eight Puffer, Eye Spot Puffer)
(Merry Widow)
(Seba Mono)
(Ceylonese combtail)
(Spotted ctenopoma)
(Mottled ctenopoma)
(Banded ctenopoma)
(Giant Gourami, Common Gourami)
(Brown Spike-Tailed Paradise Fish)
(Snakeskin gourami)
(Dwarf Puffer, Malabar puffer)
(Skunk Cory, Arched Cory)
(Bandit Cory, Masked Cory)
(Eel Loach)
(Clown Synodontis)
(Barfin Synodontis, White-Barred Synodontis)
(Twostripe lyretail)
(African snakehead, Niger Snakehead)
(Zebra Knifefish)
(Fahaka Puffer, Nile Puffer)
(Porthole Catfish)
(Pink-tailed Chalceus)
(Marbled headstander)
(Zipper Loach)
(Bamboo Plant)
(Japanese Bamboo Plant)
(Crypt Ciliata)
(Ornate Bichir)
(Polka Dot Synodontis)
(Red Eye Puffer)
(Jewel Cichlid, Jewelfish)
(Blood-Red Jewel Cichlid)
(Banded jewel cichlid, Five Star General)
(Chameleon Loach)
(Orinoco sailfin catfish)
(Amazon sailfin catfish)
(Panda Garra)
(Bengal Loach)
(Cardinal Brachy, Olomina)
(Pygmy swordtail)
(Melon Sword)
(Half-banded Spiny Eel)
(Zamora Woodcat, Midnight Catfish)
(Black Belt Cichlid)
(Tanganyika Killifish)
(Red Claw Crab)
(Sturgeon Catfish)
(Least Rasbora)
(Golden Zebra Loach)
(Silver hatchetfish, Spotfin Hatchetfish)
(Armoured bichir, Banded bichir)
(Horsemans Cory)
(Honey Blue-eye)
(Demanson's Cichlid)
(Motoro Stingray)
(Bucktooth Tetra)
(Two-spot Pike Cichlid)
(Bumblebee Jelly Catfish)
(Dawn Tetra)
(January Tetra)
(African Giant Filter Shrimp)
(Bugeye squeaker)
(Daisy's Ricefish)
(Pretty Tetra)
(Head-and-tail light tetra)
(Cuban Cichlid, Biajaca)
(Vampire Pleco)
(Golden Vampire Pleco)
(Water star)
(Elliotis cichlid)
(Royal Twig Catfish)
(Redfin Tiger Loach)
(Bumblebee Cichlid)
(Three Beacon Pleco)
(Zebra Oto)
(Australian bonytongue)
(Rosy Tetra)
(Chameleon Whiptail)
(Lava Snail)
(Haplochromis Thick Skin)
(Coffee Bean Tetra)
(Purple Vampire Crab)
(Uaru)
(Burmese Border Loach, Polka-Dot Loach)
(Yo-Yo Loach, Pakistani Loach)
(Zebra Loach)
(Green Phantom Pleco)
(Banded Tiger Loach)
(Redtail Loach)
(Skunk Loach)
(L-306 Catfish)
(Blackline Tetra)
(Broken-line Tetra)
(Purple Emperor Tetra)
(Severum)
(Silver Dollar)
(Diamond Tetra)
(Red-eye Tetra)
(Dwarf Pencilfish)
(X-ray tetra)
(Red Bellied Piranha)
(Penguin Tetra)
(Smooth-cheek eartheater)
(Hairy Snail)