# Help identifying floating plant



## miguel.svq (Jan 16, 2010)

Can't find this floating one using the plant finder.
Can someone help me to identify it?
The scale in the photo is in cm.

















Thanks.
Miguel.


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## CraigThor (Aug 5, 2007)

Mini Water Lettuce.

Craig


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## miguel.svq (Jan 16, 2010)

So, it is just Pistia Stratiotes or is a different species?
It doesn't seems to grow more than this and it have been for month in the aquarium, and compared with water lettuce it looks very different.


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## fishyerik (Oct 8, 2008)

It's Pistia stratiotes, same species, size and appearance vary greatly with it's environment. With no, or almost no water circulation, no fish nibbling it's roots, lots of nutrients and light, and without very hot or dry air you can grow very large plants from the ones you have.


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## miguel.svq (Jan 16, 2010)

I knew about plants that greatly changes depending if they were emersed or not, but could never imagin that Pistia could change so much.

Thanks a lot.
Miguel.


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## SJInverts (May 26, 2009)

CraigThor said:


> Mini Water Lettuce.
> 
> Craig


x2


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Pistia stratioides
In my pond, in the summer they grow really large (almost a foot in diameter) and stand up out of the water by 6" or more. They grow a lot of stems sideways, each with a baby plant that quickly reaches the size of the mother plant, then send out runners of their own. One mass can be several feet across. 
In an aquarium they do not seem to grow so large, though they try. I have glass lids, and the water stays up pretty high, so they cannot grow so tall, and they do not seem to send out runners very much at all. Still, the small ones (like in your picture) can still grow so many that they can completely cover the surface very quickly. 
The roots hold a lot of muck, too. When I thin them out the tank gets very cloudy. 
Growing so fast, they are a great nitrogen sink, so I do let them grow for a while, but I do not like it when they cover the surface.


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