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francais anglais

Freshwater   Plants

Water lettuce
(Pistia stratiotes)

Water lettuce

Alternative species (click on the thumbnail to see the card)

Names

Scientific name
Pistia stratiotes

Common name
Water cabbage
Water lettuce
Nile cabbage
Shellflower

Origin

what are his countries of origin?

Origin: Africa (Nil, Lake Victoria)

Ideal fertilization

how to fertilize this plant?

CO2: 5-40mg/l
Nitrates (NO3): 10-50mg/l
Phosphates (PO4): 0.1-3mg/l
Potassium (K): 5-30mg/l
iron (Fe): 0.01-0.5mg/l

Group

which group is this plant?

Araceae

Kind

what is the type of plant?

Floating Plant

Parameters

What are the Water parameters for the maintenance of this plant?

T°: 17 to 30°C or 63 to 88°F
pH: 5 to 7
Hardness: 1 to 10°dGH

Difficulty

difficulty

Average

Lighting

what brightness is needed?

Strong

Size

what is the maximum size of the plant?

5 to 25 cm (2 to 10")

Plantation

in which area of the aquarium install this plant?

Everywhere

Growth

how fast does this plant grow?

Fast

Presentation

Who is the Water lettuce?

Presentation

Who is the Water lettuce?

This perennial plant floats on the surface of our aquariums. It forms an interesting vegetation cover to sift the lighting (which many fish appreciate), offers hiding places for fry and some surface fish will also use them to build their bubble nest.

Like many floating plants, it participates effectively in the fight against algae by feeding on the nutrients in the water and at the same time depriving the algae of these substances.

Planting and maintenance

How to plant and maintain the Water lettuce?

Planting and maintenance

How to plant and maintain the Water lettuce?

Its favorite medium is an open aquarium, where the plant grows quickly and becomes quite large.

The hardness of the water should not exceed 10°dGH (for this, cut off the water to osmosis water to obtain the desired GH). Good light is also essential for its development. A lighting intensity of 3000 Lux or 1 Watt for 2 liters or 0.5 gallons of water is recommended. If these two conditions are met, water lettuce will grow and multiply rapidly.

In order not to penalize the other plants in your aquarium too much, limit the spread of this plant so that there is enough light below. You can remove part of it during your weekly cleaning for example.

If you keep it in the pool, make sure it does not freeze.

Farming

How to farm the Water lettuce?

Farming

How to farm the Water lettuce?

In good conditions, the multiplication of this plant is fast. It is carried out by numerous lateral discharges.

Good To know

Find all additional information!

Good To know

Find all additional information!

It is an excellent choice as a pond plant because goldfish do not eat it! On the other hand, the koi carp will like it very much...

Its name "PISITIA" comes from the Latin "PISTOS" which means “to drink”.

Pistia stratiotes has become an invasive plant causing serious nuisance in some tropical countries.

Yours photos!

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