Plant database

41 aquatic, floating, pond, and vivarium plants. Filter by setup, light, and difficulty. Every range is what the plant actually tolerates, not a best-case number.

Setup
Light
Difficulty
Walstad

41 of 41

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Java Fern

Microsorum pteropus

  • Setups: aquarium, paludarium
  • Temp 68 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 3 to 15 dGH
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: cover, shade

Attach the rhizome to wood or rock; burying it rots the plant. Slow but nearly unkillable, and it tolerates a wide range.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Anubias Barteri

Anubias barteri

  • Setups: aquarium, paludarium, vivarium
  • Temp 72 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.8 · 3 to 18 dGH
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: cover, shade

Another rhizome plant: tie it to hardscape, keep the rhizome exposed. Thick leaves resist most fish. Prone to melt if the rhizome is buried.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Anubias Nana

Anubias barteri var. nana

  • Setups: aquarium, nano, paludarium, vivarium
  • Temp 72 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.8 · 3 to 18 dGH
  • foreground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: cover

The small Anubias, right for nano tanks and the front of a scape. Same rules: rhizome stays exposed.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Amazon Sword

Echinodorus grisebachii

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 72 to 82 F · pH 6.5 to 7.5 · 3 to 15 dGH
  • background · medium growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: nutrient uptake, background mass

A large rosette that wants root nutrients: a dirted substrate or root tabs. One plant fills the back of a 20-gallon in a season.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Cryptocoryne Wendtii

Cryptocoryne wendtii

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 72 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 2 to 15 dGH
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: nutrient uptake, midground mass

Reliable low-light crypt. Expect crypt melt (it drops leaves) for two to three weeks after a move, then it regrows from the roots. Do not pull it.

medium lightintermediatewalstad

Cryptocoryne Parva

Cryptocoryne parva

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 72 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 2 to 15 dGH
  • foreground · slow growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: foreground carpet

The smallest crypt and one of the few true low-tech foreground plants. Very slow: a carpet takes months, not weeks.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Java Moss

Taxiphyllum barbieri

  • Setups: aquarium, nano, paludarium, vivarium
  • Temp 64 to 82 F · pH 5.5 to 8 · 2 to 20 dGH
  • any · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: shrimp habitat, fry cover, biofilm

The default beginner moss and the best shrimp-tank cover: baby shrimp graze the biofilm it holds. Tie it down or it drifts.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Vallisneria

Vallisneria spiralis

  • Setups: aquarium, pond
  • Temp 64 to 82 F · pH 6.5 to 8.5 · 4 to 20 dGH
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: oxygenator, background curtain, nutrient uptake

Fast, tall grass that sends runners into a jungle back wall. Handles hard, alkaline water many plants refuse. Melts on a big trim; thin instead.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Hornwort

Ceratophyllum demersum

  • Setups: aquarium, pond
  • Temp 59 to 86 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 5 to 15 dGH
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: oxygenator, ammonia sponge, fry cover

Grows floating or planted and pulls ammonia fast, which makes it the go-to plant for a fishless-into-fish-in cycle. Sheds needles when stressed; expect a mess after a move.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Water Sprite

Ceratopteris thalictroides

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 68 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 3 to 12 dGH
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: nutrient uptake, fry cover, shade

Plant it or float it. Floated, it grows faster and shades the tank, which starves algae during the first cloudy weeks of a new build.

high lightintermediate

Dwarf Hair Grass

Eleocharis parvula

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 70 to 82 F · pH 6.5 to 7.5 · 2 to 10 dGH
  • foreground · medium growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: foreground carpet

A grass carpet, but it needs strong light to carpet rather than grow leggy: 40+ PAR at the substrate. Carpets faster with CO2, though it is possible without.

high lightintermediate

Micro Sword

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 70 to 82 F · pH 6.5 to 7.8 · 3 to 12 dGH
  • foreground · slow growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: foreground carpet

A grassy foreground that also wants high light to stay short. Slower than dwarf hair grass, and it needs rich substrate at the roots.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Bacopa Caroliniana

Bacopa caroliniana

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 68 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 4 to 15 dGH
  • background · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: background mass, nutrient uptake

A forgiving stem plant for the back of a low-tech tank. Thick stems resist melt, and cuttings replant to make more.

high lightbeginnerwalstad

Ludwigia Repens

Ludwigia repens

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 68 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 4 to 15 dGH
  • background · medium growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: background color, nutrient uptake

The easiest red stem: green in low light, red-orange under strong light. A rare red that colors up without CO2, given enough light and iron.

high lightintermediate

Rotala Rotundifolia

Rotala rotundifolia

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 70 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 2 to 12 dGH
  • background · fast growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: background bush, color

A fine-leaved stem that bushes into a hedge and turns pink-orange at the tops under high light. Wants trimming every week or two once it takes.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Water Wisteria

Hygrophila difformis

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 70 to 82 F · pH 6.5 to 7.5 · 3 to 12 dGH
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: nutrient uptake, fry cover

A fast nutrient sponge with lacy leaves. Grows so quickly it is one of the best plants for out-competing algae in a new tank.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Dwarf Sagittaria

Sagittaria subulata

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 68 to 82 F · pH 6.5 to 7.8 · 4 to 18 dGH
  • foreground · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: foreground carpet, runners

A grassy carpet that spreads by runners without high light or CO2, which makes it the practical low-tech foreground. Grows taller in low light.

low lightintermediatewalstad

Bucephalandra

Bucephalandra sp.

  • Setups: aquarium, nano, paludarium
  • Temp 71 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 3 to 12 dGH
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: cover, detail

A rhizome plant like Anubias but smaller and slower, with blue-green iridescence. Glue or tie it to hardscape; it melts once on a move, then settles.

medium lightintermediatewalstad

Christmas Moss

Vesicularia montagnei

  • Setups: aquarium, nano, paludarium
  • Temp 64 to 78 F · pH 5.5 to 7.5 · 2 to 15 dGH
  • any · slow growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: shrimp habitat, aquascape detail

Denser and tidier than java moss, with a fir-branch pattern. Prefers cooler water and clean flow; it browns in warm, still tanks.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Marimo Moss Ball

Aegagropila linnaei

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 59 to 77 F · pH 6 to 8 · 2 to 20 dGH
  • foreground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: shrimp grazing, nitrate uptake

Not a moss but a ball of algae. Roll it weekly so it keeps its shape, and prefer cooler water. Shrimp pick biofilm off it all day.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Duckweed

Lemna minor

  • Setups: aquarium, pond
  • Temp 60 to 86 F · pH 6 to 8 · 3 to 20 dGH
  • floating · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: nutrient export, shade, duck/fish food

The fastest nutrient export there is, and nearly impossible to fully remove once in. Use it on purpose in a pond or a grow-out, not by accident in a scape.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Amazon Frogbit

Limnobium laevigatum

  • Setups: aquarium, pond
  • Temp 64 to 84 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 3 to 15 dGH
  • floating · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: shade, nutrient export, dangling roots

A larger, tidier floater than duckweed with long roots that shrimp and fry hide in. Keep spray off the leaves or they rot; a lid gap helps.

high lightintermediatewalstad

Red Root Floater

Phyllanthus fluitans

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 72 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7 · 1 to 8 dGH
  • floating · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: shade, color, nutrient export

A floater that blushes deep red under strong light, staying green in shade. Wants soft, acidic water and calm surface; melts under a filter's spray.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Guppy Grass

Najas guadalupensis

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 59 to 86 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 2 to 15 dGH
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: fry cover, oxygenator, nutrient uptake

A brittle, fast stem that floats or roots and shelters newborn fry better than almost anything. Breaks into pieces that each keep growing.

high lightintermediate

Monte Carlo

Micranthemum tweediei

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 70 to 78 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 1 to 8 dGH
  • foreground · medium growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: foreground carpet

A small-leaved carpet, easier than dwarf baby tears but still light-hungry. It will carpet without CO2 under strong light; it grows up instead of out if the light is weak.

medium lightintermediatewalstad

Pearl Weed

Hemianthus micranthemoides

  • Setups: aquarium, nano
  • Temp 68 to 82 F · pH 5.5 to 7.5 · 2 to 12 dGH
  • midground · fast growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: carpet-option, nutrient uptake

Flexible: let it grow up as a bright stem or trim it flat as a low-tech carpet. One of the few carpets that works at medium light.

medium lightintermediatewalstad

Staurogyne Repens

Staurogyne repens

  • Setups: aquarium
  • Temp 68 to 79 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 2 to 12 dGH
  • foreground · slow growth · CO2 optional
  • Role: foreground bush, midground detail

A compact, bushy low-front plant that stays put and branches when trimmed. More forgiving than a true carpet, and it works at medium light.

high lightbeginnerwalstad

Hardy Water Lily

Nymphaea odorata

  • Setups: pond
  • Temp 50 to 86 F · pH 6.5 to 8 · 4 to 20 dGH
  • surface · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: surface shade, fish cover, flower

The pond plant that shades the water and holds algae down: aim for pads covering 40 to 60 percent of the surface. Hardy types overwinter in the pond below the freeze line.

high lightbeginnerwalstad

Water Hyacinth

Pontederia crassipes

  • Setups: pond
  • Temp 65 to 86 F · pH 6 to 8 · 4 to 20 dGH
  • floating · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: nutrient export, shade, filtration

A powerful floating filter for a summer pond, with roots that strip nutrients and starve string algae. Banned in many warm states as invasive: never release it to the wild.

high lightbeginnerwalstad

Blue Flag Water Iris

Iris versicolor

  • Setups: pond
  • Temp 40 to 85 F · pH 6 to 8 · 4 to 20 dGH
  • margin · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: marginal filtration, flower, wildlife

A marginal (shallow-shelf) plant whose roots polish water in the pond edge. Native blue flag is the safe choice over the invasive yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus).

high lightbeginnerwalstad

Pickerel Rush

Pontederia cordata

  • Setups: pond
  • Temp 45 to 86 F · pH 6 to 8 · 4 to 20 dGH
  • margin · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: marginal filtration, pollinator, flower

A native marginal with blue spikes that bees and dragonflies work. Sits on the pond shelf in a few inches of water and pulls nutrients from the root zone.

high lightbeginnerwalstad

Parrot's Feather

Myriophyllum aquaticum

  • Setups: pond
  • Temp 50 to 85 F · pH 6.5 to 8 · 4 to 20 dGH
  • shallow · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: oxygenator, nutrient uptake, spawning cover

A feathery oxygenator for the pond shelf that fish spawn in. Invasive in warm climates: keep it contained and never release it.

low lightbeginnerwalstad

Golden Pothos

Epipremnum aureum

  • Setups: vivarium, paludarium, aquarium
  • Temp 65 to 85 F · Humidity 40 to 90 %
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: nutrient export, background cover, vine

The one plant that does everything: rooted in a vivarium wall, or with roots dangling in aquarium water, it strips nitrate fast. Leaves are toxic if eaten, so keep it out of reach of animals that browse.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Creeping Fig

Ficus pumila

  • Setups: vivarium, paludarium
  • Temp 65 to 85 F · Humidity 60 to 95 %
  • background · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: background carpet, cover

A small-leaved vine that clings to a vivarium background and carpets it green. Fast enough to need pruning every few weeks in a warm, humid tank.

high lightintermediate

Neoregelia Bromeliad

Neoregelia sp.

  • Setups: vivarium
  • Temp 65 to 85 F · Humidity 60 to 100 %
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: dart-frog microhabitat, color, water cup

The classic dart-frog plant: its central cup holds water where frogs deposit tadpoles. Wants bright light to keep its red-and-green color, and no soil around the base.

medium lightbeginner

Nerve Plant

Fittonia albivenis

  • Setups: vivarium, terrarium, paludarium
  • Temp 65 to 82 F · Humidity 60 to 100 %
  • foreground · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: ground cover, color, detail

A low, veined groundcover for the front of a humid terrarium. It wilts dramatically when dry and recovers within an hour of watering, which makes it a living humidity gauge.

medium lightbeginner

Spikemoss

Selaginella kraussiana

  • Setups: vivarium, terrarium
  • Temp 60 to 80 F · Humidity 70 to 100 %
  • foreground · medium growth · CO2 none
  • Role: ground cover, moss-look carpet

A fern relative that carpets like moss but grows faster and greener. Needs steady humidity above 70 percent; it crisps in a dry, unlidded tank.

low lightbeginner

Cushion Moss

Leucobryum glaucum

  • Setups: terrarium, vivarium
  • Temp 55 to 78 F · Humidity 70 to 100 %
  • foreground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: ground cover, detail

The pillowy mound moss sold for terrariums. It prefers cooler, bright-indirect setups and hates being waterlogged: mist it, do not soak it.

medium lightbeginner

Air Plant

Tillandsia sp.

  • Setups: vivarium, terrarium, paludarium
  • Temp 55 to 90 F · Humidity 50 to 90 %
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: no-soil accent, vertical detail

Grows on air with no roots in soil: wire it to wood or rock in the upper, drier part of a vivarium. It rots if it sits wet in a low, soggy corner.

medium lightbeginner

Peperomia

Peperomia sp.

  • Setups: vivarium, terrarium
  • Temp 65 to 82 F · Humidity 50 to 90 %
  • midground · slow growth · CO2 none
  • Role: structure, color

A small, thick-leaved plant that gives a terrarium some height and structure without taking over. Tolerates a range of humidity, which makes it forgiving for a first build.

medium lightbeginnerwalstad

Salvinia

Salvinia natans

  • Setups: aquarium, pond
  • Temp 64 to 82 F · pH 6 to 7.5 · 3 to 15 dGH
  • floating · fast growth · CO2 none
  • Role: shade, nutrient export, fry cover

A small floating fern with fuzzy, water-repellent leaves that shade the tank and strip nutrients. Grows fast in warm light, so thin it weekly before it blankets the surface.