"Cute plants! I love their furry roots! :)"
-Natalie S. Via Etsy |
Beautiful floating texture that does not reproduce at quite the level most other floaters do!
Salvinia Cucullata, also called 'Velvet Spangles', does indeed look similar to the common Salvinia Minima (sometimes called 'Cat's Tongue' for the adorable resemblance.
Wonderful cover for shrimp and fish fry, these little floaters also grow out from nodes along their sides, creating a raft of soft, cup-like plants.
Velvet spangles prefer still water, so be sure to coraal these in a corner if you have a filter outlet or airstone that kicks up water.
These are grown with minimal fertilizer and average light/ room temperatures. They grow in my unheated, unfiltered Walstad tanks as well, so you know they are hardy! Do note, however, that you can expect stronger growth and brighter colors when they live under better light.
For reference, I have Nicrew SkyLEDs on ten gallon tanks. Temps fluctuate between 65F in the winter to 80F in the summer. I grow these in my personal happy community tanks with colorful guppies, snails, shrimp, and of course, lots of plants! If you'd absolutely rather not have snail hitchhikers, It would be best to look up how to do a preventative bleach dip on the interwebs :)
3x Plantlets will be at least an inch across each, with multiple leaves.
As I like to keep real ecosystems in my aquariums, there's always the possibility of harmless snail or dwarf shrimp hitchhikers!