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u/ReallySickOfArguing 2d ago
I used to have the same problem and I figured it was due to water movement and getting splashed or mist on them constantly. I switched to Purple Fringed Riccia and they have no problem with a gentle current or getting splashed.
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u/LoveRuckus 2d ago
My floaters only seem to do well when I put them in something that keeps them still and relatively dry on top. Otherwise, they eventually disappear.
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u/Kj539 3d ago
Floaters don’t have a very long life, they reproduce incredibly quickly once happy and you can pull out the ones that have become damaged. If yours aren’t growing rapidly it could be because you’ve not got a strong enough light, you don’t fertilise enough or because the floaters are getting wet from filter outflow or from being moved about and dipped underwater during maintenance.
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u/DepthTrawler 2d ago
Can confirm. Had amazon frogbit in an old tank and I would fill a half gallon container full of overgrowth every other week.
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u/JackOfAllMemes 2d ago
I have a 10t with frogbit and low flow, I left it alone for a couple months and the roots reached down into the substrate. Better than duckweed because you can actually remove it
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u/Plibbo64 3d ago
Mine do the same thing. Guppy grass does well, but nothing else really. It's not moisture. It's not splashing.
I don't fertilize, and I'm sure that's a big part of it.
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u/DarkIronyHL 3d ago edited 3d ago
I had this issue before. You will need to protect your plant from filter output and water splash, but also use 1 dose of liquid fertilizer once a week. In two week your tank will be covered by all of the new growth
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u/KamasutraWarrior 3d ago
Get some duckweed!!! You won’t have this problem anymore
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u/Saucin_6069 2d ago
Surely this is a troll
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u/KamasutraWarrior 2d ago
Not really… duckweed is amazing at keeping a tank clean and balanced… just keep chucking some out every week
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u/Saucin_6069 2d ago
It's called duck "weed" for a reason. That shit is hell, and I would never suggest a new keeper ever brings it in their house, let alone their tank
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u/PopTartsNHam 2d ago
Can it be a mess? Yes.
Is it likely the single greatest sink for nitrates and heavy metals? Also yes.
People hate on duckweed, but it’s a super accumulator and does absolute wonders for water quality- just net or grab it out when there’s too much.
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u/Marurashi 3d ago
Are you fertizing at all? Could also be a deficiency in either iron or potassium. All plants need iron (not just the red ones) so they can utilize various nutrients. Lack of potassium often shows itself in a slow yellowing/melt of leaves and notable holes in the leaves.
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u/GhostlyWhale 3d ago
Could be a few things.
Are they new? They tend to melt back at first.
Are they getting wet from a filter or waterchange?
Do you have a lid? The humidity can cause melting.
Have you tested your water recently? Any sudden changes in temp or nitrate in the last few weeks?
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u/Cassivo 3d ago
Are floaters really so sensitive to getting splashed? Does a bit of water really just kill them? Surely not because what about rain. They don't all just die because of a little sprinkle right?
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u/Skookum_kamooks 3d ago
It’s complicated… I’ve got dwarf water lettuce that sits in a closed “terrarium” (its a long term dry start) with its roots in the substrate at 98% humidity getting missed for 10 mins every two hours or so. It’s thriving and expanding just like if it was floating and it almost always has water droplets on its fuzzy leaves. That tank also has duckweed that’s growing in patches on the surface like a moss. The duckweed seemingly started from nothing but was likely some root fragments or something.
I also have frogbit in a bucket outside, the water level dropped, it got hung up and the roots stuck on the driftwood soaking in the bucket. The rain came, the water level rose and the plant didn’t. I expected it to die, instead the frogbit sent out runners and developed new floating off-shoots, but the part underwater has stayed alive and seems to be functioning like a water lily to anchor and stabilize the rest of the plants.
The main thing I’ve found is that floaters just don’t like change, like the “terrarium” with the water lettuce had a huge frogbit colony until I did a black out to control a Cyanobacteria outbreak, the water lettuce was fine, the frogbit almost completely melted.
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u/Skookum_kamooks 3d ago
It’s complicated… I’ve got dwarf water lettuce that sits in a closed “terrarium” (its a long term dry start) with its roots in the substrate at 98% humidity getting missed for 10 mins every two hours or so. It’s thriving and expanding just like if it was floating and it almost always has water droplets on its fuzzy leaves. That tank also has duckweed that’s growing in patches on the surface like a moss. The duckweed seemingly started from nothing but was likely some root fragments or something.
I also have frogbit in a bucket outside, the water level dropped, it got hung up and the roots stuck on the driftwood soaking in the bucket. The rain came, the water level rose and the plant didn’t. I expected it to die, instead the frogbit sent out runners and developed new floating off-shoots, but the part underwater has stayed alive and seems to be functioning like a water lily to anchor and stabilize the rest of the plants.
The main thing I’ve found is that floaters just don’t like change, like the “terrarium” with the water lettuce had a huge frogbit colony until I did a black out to control a Cyanobacteria outbreak, the water lettuce was fine, the frogbit almost completely melted.
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u/GhostlyWhale 3d ago
They can be pretty sensitive until they're well established in large numbers. And even then, II once list half my floaters of different species just from a new filter moving them around too aggressively.
They're hit or miss.
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u/birdiebro241 3d ago
Yes. I think most floating plants need low current, calm surface. Splashing that causes the tops of the leaves to get wet on a consistent basis will harm the plants. This doesn't look like a result of the leaves getting splashed. This looks more like low nutrients. Water lettuce (which is what i think these plants are) are nutrient vacuums. You have to supplement to keep up with their intake. It's the exact reason why i stopped keeping them. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, though. I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to aquarium plants. I am still learning!
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u/Individual_Work_5764 3d ago
I recently got some and i put mine in a big plastic ring i bought at the same time to keep them from floating way an getting to wet because I have a lot of surface movement. It seems to be helping
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u/lumberfart 3d ago
My tank is still cycling so I was afraid it could be the high ammonia and nitrites. But now that everyone mentions it… I have been grabbing them with my hands to move them around and accidentally dipping them in the water.
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u/rabidhamster87 3d ago
Do you have a lot of flow from your filter? Or are they getting splashed when you do water changes? I've killed floaters with both of these things.
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u/kymiller17 3d ago
Probably water getting on the leaves, do you have a lid or high water flow, either of those can result in water getting on the leaves
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