# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Sal..(..vinia) I think I LOVE you!



## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Dear Salvinia auriculata, 

I had my doubts. Right away, I thought you were cheap. Heck, you weren't just cheap, you were FREE! I saw you in the garden center, inconspicuously floating among the tall spikes of aquatic rushes and alocasias, their tall elegant presence destined for cherished ponds and intricate water structures. Yet you were nonplussed, loitereing there among the duckweed. And when I asked the guy in the garden center if I could buy a portion of you, he gave me an incredulous look. I apparently had some mental defect that he had just become aware of. But still I persisted. "Just take some, no charge" he said, offering a bag as he hurried away. And so you came into my life. My aquarium life, that is. 

I had read the Walstad book, and introduced you to my newly established soil-based aquarium. I knew to expect a spike of nutrient release into the water as the soil layer settled in, and the consequent algal growth it could bring. Yet still I hoped, watching your colony spin around lazily on the surface of the water. As the days passed, your colony grew. And so did the number of long hairy roots dangling into the water, removing harmful heavy metals, using up excess nutrients and denying iron to the invisible algae that lurked everywhere. You grew into a floating raft, and the danios occupied themselves nipping at unseen critters among your roots, or simply relaxing in your shade. The Neocardinia shrimp frolicked there too, hanging upside down while checking the edges of your leaves for scraps of food. Your surface became thick with little leaf hairs, reminding me of one of your common names, water velvet. And when a piece of you would get tossed beneath the water's surface, these little hairs would trap air, and bouy you back up to the surface. 

Granted, you did not prevent ALL the algae. But what little grew was picked at by the shrimps, or grazed into control by the snails - little Red Ramshorn snails by day, and Malaysian Trumpet Snails by night. 

And now, Sal(vinia), I must say goodbye, at least in part. You see, you have entirely covered the surface of my little "el natural" aquarium, and while I appreciate your presence, I need to thin you down. You obviously have the "arial advantage" Ms. Walstad spoke of in her book. You have grown remarkably fast, reaching out across the surface of my aquarium until it has become a rich green carpet. 

If anyone would like a portion for the cost of postage, you may yet have a future in someone else's aquarium. Otherwise, I will pass several handfuls of you on to the next life. Do not worry - you will be composted, and eventually may even return again in the substrate of another aquarium. Sal(vinia) you are really great! Easily removed from my aqurium (much better than the pesky little duckweed), and oh, so effective at what you do. My neighbor, with her little betta setup, even enjoys you now, as her fish inspects his personal three clusters in his 7-gallon estate.

Sal(vinia)....... I think I LOVE you. And so, you may go to other aquariums, help others control their algae populations, and establish new rafts of green in waters unknown. Or, become part of the growing compost bin. You just keep giving.

My esteem for you has really grown, Salvinia. And I appreciate you.
I hope others will as well.

your friend,
Jane


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## Endlersmom (Feb 29, 2004)

What a great song Jane,

I hope salvinia is still available next year.


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## fuddmain (Oct 6, 2005)

Rats! I was going see if I could get a batch from you, but I checked here http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/prohib.html and discovered Salvinia auriculata is prohibited and cannot be possesed in Florida. You may want to check before sending any out that you (or the receipient) won't get in a load of trouble.

Great post by the way


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

not that i am for breaking the law, but if you look at your local petsmart, you will usually see ambulia, which has been on that list for over a year now.


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## MyraVan (Feb 13, 2005)

Great post Jane!

Although my love letter would probably go to water letuce. I do have salvinia, but it doesn't do all that well. It doesn't have that folded up look that it did when I got it (from a pond shop) like in this picture:







but just has small leaves sitting on top of the water. It doesn't grow very fast.

I have duckweed which, well, grows like a weed!

And then there's water lettuce, which grows at a good pace, looks nice above water, and also has long attractively branched roots. To keep it under control I compost the biggest pieces and let the babies grow up...


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hi MyraVan,

the one in your picture is a different type - there are several salvinia types. I should have bookmarked a page which had side-by-side comparisons for identification. (I can't find it now). 

Also, it apparently bunches up in response to crowded conditions. Yours doesn't grow fast? Mine seems to double in area every few days!

Yes, COMPOSTING is the way to go with this.... it can take over if "released". 

Fuddmain, you're right, it is listed as a "noxious weed". But, hopefully with forums like this, even new aquarium keepers will learn to dispose of excess aquatic plants responsibly, and that "letting it go" is ultimately NOT the kind thing to do.

I dispose of it either in the garbage, or in the compost (why waste all those good nutrients?). 

So folks - any other "odes" out there?
-Jane


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Loved your poetry!

One comment: In my book, there are no "noxious weeds". Anything green that takes up CO2 and produces oxygen should be respected. While rules require that Salvinia be disposed of properly, it is still a lovely plant and worthy of odes and poetry.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Thanks Diana!

There are quite a few algaes I'd personally classify as "noxious", but no plants, really! I'm with you on that one. 

One of my favorite quotes (Emerson, perhaps?) is:

"What is a weed? A plant whose qualities have not yet been discovered."

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, *grin*. The problem is with the PEOPLE, who let loose invasive plants. I suppose labelling it like that is the way to impress how serious a matter it can be.

-Jane


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

Jane, your ode to Sal(vinia) reminded me of how I acquired one of my very favourite plants, Thin Duckweed (_Landoltia punctata_), when I was 10. Here is my poem dedicated to this tiny gem:

_The mighty Duckweed so small and green
Above the water makes a beautiful sheen
Its roots below a suspended lawn;
Without it my tanks would be forlorn._

From Alex.


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## zoogan (Sep 15, 2005)

Hi All
MyraVan I think it is S.cucullata from Sumatra, Borneo.
Salvinia is a fern so it has spores not seeds so if you use this plant please use all water from water changes to water your garden plants a great source of N and other goodies. You just might not see the spores and let it lose S.molesta does double in quantity in 5 to 7 days and is a major problem anywhere but its natural habitat,so just a word of caution.
Bye


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Ooooh, Alex!

BRAVO!


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