One of the main secrets for getting rid of algae is using floating plants. They help soak up excess nutrients in the water, block too much light from reaching other plants, and provide excellent cover for surface dwellers and baby fry. But there’s a catch—floating plants multiply out of control. If you’re not careful, they can block all the light from reaching the lower layers of your tank and even limit oxygen exchange when the surface is completely covered. So today, I want to give you my honest review of four floating plants.

Dwarf Water Lettuce

This floating plant is beautiful with its green, giant flower-like shape. I have had this before unfortunately, the one I previously had didn’t last. It melted pretty quickly, and I believe the long roots all shed off due to a lack of nutrients. But an alternative way to keep it longer is to trim the roots to about three inches so they wouldn’t break off during shipping, which I thought was really smart. Put it in a 20-gallon high tank and it did great. The only issue was I couldn’t get it to grow into that big flower form I fell in love with. The leaves stayed in these smaller 1.5-inch clumps, which wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. And you know how I feel about small leaves! If you happen to know the secret to growing Dwarf Water Lettuce into its big, full shape, please let us know in the comments—and share your ideas!

Amazon Frogbit

The leaves look like little green lily pads, about the size of a nickel to a quarter. It propagates through runners, which keep all the little plants connected together in a long string. That makes it super easy to lift out an entire mat during tank maintenance. It’s also one of the hardiest floating plants I’ve ever had, second only to duckweed in terms of resilience. One downside is that the long roots can snap easily during maintenance or water changes. That’s why I recommend making a ring out of airline tubing or using a floating corral to keep them all together. It keeps the plants from floating all over the place, prevents them from getting pushed underwater, and makes it easier to move them when needed. 

Red Root Floaters

This is probably the prettiest floating plant I’ve ever kept. One of the reasons I love it so much is how it changes color depending on how much light it gets. With low light, it stays green, but with medium to high light, it turns pink or even a deep red. It might even bloom white flowers under the right conditions. The roots are short, and it grows in clumps that are easy to move around—as long as they aren’t disturbed too much. It also does really well in floating corrals. I got mine from an Etsy shop that guarantees no snails and, more importantly, no duckweed. The main problems I’ve had with Red Root Floaters are that they tend to melt if the current is too strong, like from an air pump, or if they drift into darker corners of the tank. But overall, I can’t say enough good things about this plant. It’s stunning and relatively easy to manage if you know how to care for it.

Water Sprite

This is the easiest floating plant I’ve ever owned. It’s widely available and usually sold as a potted stem plant, but when you let it float at the surface, it grows like crazy. That’s because the emersed leaves can absorb CO₂ directly from the air. It’s my go-to plant for cycling new tanks because it grows super fast and helps remove waste from the water. It produces these large, lacy leaves that give off tons of shade, which is great for algae-prone plants like Anubias. Just a heads up, if you don’t stay on top of trimming, it can easily take over the tank and block out light for other slower-growing plants like Pogostemon stellatus and dwarf aquarium lilies. But it’s so easy to pull out and transfer to another tank. It’s big, beautiful, and very beginner-friendly.

Floating plants are one of the easiest plant types to grow in aquariums, and if you’re looking for more beginner-friendly plants, check out more of our floating plants at Aquafy!