A few months ago I found a thumbnail-sized plant floating in one of my aquariums. I still don’t know where it came from, I hadn’t bought any plants for a long time.
It was a little Water Sprite plant. I hoped it would grow, expecting it to get maybe 3 or 4 inches across.
It grew…
…and grew…
…and grew.
Eventually, it started reaching out of the aquarium. It’s leaves take a different fern-like form when they are above water.
This thing is crawling out to get me! Help!!!!
The main plant covers half of a 55 gallon tank. It’s 24 inches across!!
Also, the plant forms baby plants along the big stems and I have many Water Sprite plants now and have given some away.
The Water Sprite can float or be be planted in the gravel. It’s leaves are soft and the snails will eat some of it. I crush the snails and that makes my Angelfish and Swordtails very happy.
If you look up Water Sprite on the Internet you will mainly see reference to a fine-leaved variety of plant called Ceratopteris thalictroides. I believe my plant, I mean PLANTS, are Ceratopteris cornuta, which is the broad-leafed Water Sprite, even though it sounds like a dinosaur. I think both varieties of Water Sprite take the same care: Water, light, fish poop.
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