Floating aquarium plants

Aquarium plants that the sources list for the water surface: free-floating rosettes and ferns, and stem plants that can be grown floating instead of planted. Each one is compared on light, CO₂, difficulty and growth rate.

Plants
12
Height
0–15 in (1–38 cm)
Water temperature
61–86 °F (16–30 °C)
Type

4 Rosette plant

4 Stem plant

1 Bulb plant

1 Liverwort

1 Rhizome plant

1 Thallus (leafless mat)

Compare all 12 side by side

All 12 floating aquarium plants

Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) round floating leaves covering the surface of an aquarium Photo: FrozenAvatar, CC BY-SA 4.0 Amazon frogbit Easy rosette plant for medium and high light. Medium–high light (estimated) Rosette plant
Azolla caroliniana small floating fronds covering a water surface Photo: David Perez, CC BY 3.0 Azolla Easy stem plant for medium and high light. Medium–high lightStem plant
Banana plant (Nymphoides aquatica) aquarium specimen with heart-shaped leaves and roots Photo: Joseph G. Bergstrom, CC BY-SA 3.0 Banana plant Easy bulb plant for medium light. Medium light (estimated) Bulb plant
Brazilian pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucocephala) round lobed leaves, close view Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 Brazilian pennywort Medium stem plant for medium light. Medium lightStem plant
Egeria densa shoot with whorled leaves growing underwater in a pond Photo: Lamiot, CC BY-SA 4.0 Egeria densa Easy stem plant for low and medium light. Low–medium lightStem plant
Ceratophyllum demersum stems with whorls of forked needle-like leaves on pale stone Photo: Víctor Dávalos, CC BY 4.0 Hornwort Easy stem plant for medium and high light. Medium–high light (estimated) Stem plant
Phyllanthus fluitans round floating leaves in green and red with roots below Photo: Monarchatto, CC BY-SA 4.0 Red root floater Easy rosette plant for low, medium, and high light. Low–high lightRosette plant
Riccia fluitans mat of branching green thalli Photo: Piotr Kuczynski, CC BY-SA 3.0 Riccia fluitans Medium liverwort for medium and high light. Medium–high lightLiverwort
Salvinia natans floating fern on the water surface, rows of oval floating leaves Photo: Le.Loup.Gris, CC BY-SA 3.0 Salvinia natans Easy rhizome plant for low, medium, and high light. Low–high lightRhizome plant
Subwassertang (Lomariopsis lineata) gametophyte clump, close-up of the lobed mat Photo: Obsidian Soul, CC0 Subwassertang Easy leafless mat plant for low and medium light. Low–medium lightThallus (leafless mat)
Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) rosettes floating on the water surface Photo: Aris riyanto, CC BY-SA 4.0 Water lettuce Easy rosette plant for low, medium, and high light. Low–high lightRosette plant
Ceratopteris cornuta submerged in an aquarium, lobed light green fronds Photo: Carlosar, Public domain Water sprite Easy rosette plant for low and medium light. Low–medium lightRosette plant

How to choose

  1. Floating plants shade everything below them. In a tank with light-hungry plants, keep the cover to part of the surface.

  2. Surface plants need still or slow water; strong filter outflow pushes them into one corner or under the surface.

  3. Some plants here, such as hornwort, are stem plants that are also grown planted. Their pages show the other placements the sources give.

Compare side by side

Leaf color Placement
Amazon frogbit Rosette plant – Medium–high Easy Floating
Azolla Stem plant 0–1 in (1–2 cm) Medium–high Easy Floating
Banana plant Bulb plant 4–6 in (10–15 cm) Medium Easy Foreground, Midground, Floating
Brazilian pennywort Stem plant 5–10 in (13–25 cm) Medium Medium Foreground, Midground, Floating
Egeria densa Stem plant 4–12 in (10–30 cm) Low–medium Easy Midground, Background, Floating
Hornwort Stem plant 6–15 in (15–38 cm) Medium–high Easy Background, Floating
Red root floater Rosette plant 1–4 in (3–10 cm) Low–high Easy Floating
Riccia fluitans Liverwort – Medium–high Medium Foreground, Carpet, On rock or wood, Floating
Salvinia natans Rhizome plant 2–3 in (5–8 cm) Low–high Easy Floating
Subwassertang Thallus (leafless mat) – Low–medium Easy Foreground, On rock or wood, Floating
Water lettuce Rosette plant 3–6 in (8–15 cm) Low–high Easy Floating
Water sprite Rosette plant 6–15 in (15–38 cm) Low–medium Easy Background, Floating

Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.

Frequently asked questions

Do floating plants need CO₂?

The CO₂ field of each plant says what its source reports. Plants at the surface take CO₂ from the air above the water, which is one reason so many of them are rated as not needing injected CO₂.

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