1-2-GROW! Small tussock fern / floating fern / Salvinia natans

The small tussock fern Salvinia auriculata is sometimes also called Salvinia natans. This floating plant comes from in vitro culture, which means that it is grown in the laboratory without the use of pesticides. It is absolutely free of unwanted co-inhabitants such as algae, snails or worms, and can be used immediately in the aquarium.

Salvinia auriculata has relatively small, very dense leaves, each growing in a group of three along the shoot axis. Two of them - the floating leaves - are roundish to oval, green and conspicuously hairy. The third leaf grows vertically downwards and branches strongly, it has a comparable function to a root.

The shoot axils grow 2-20 cm long and are quite fragile. The tufted fern is very easy to propagate by division. The sections are simply left to float and grow into large plants on their own.

The very fast growing, robust floating plant Salvinia auriculata likes temperatures of 10-28 °C. It forms dense carpets, which are very hardy. It forms dense carpets that float freely on the water surface. Open aquariums and, in summer, the garden pond are ideally suited. Permanent contact with condensation is not well tolerated, so covered aquariums with their very humid air are not so ideal. Tussock fern has no special requirements for water.

As a heavy grower and effective shader, tussock fern is a real standout against algae plagues. It can remove nutrient peaks from the water and darken the aquarium somewhat. This way, algae have no chance at all to take over the system. Shrimp and shy fish like it when floating plants give them some cover, while still darkening the light a bit.

Our recommendation: For a splendid plant growth we recommend the premium nutrient medium for the new setup NatureHolic GroundBooster