# Water Sprite - a Practical Guide with pictures



## OVT

I have been 'defending' this plant on several threads already, but here I go again. This plant has so many uses, provides so many benefits, grows in so many conditions that I recommend anyone to give it a try.

Evolution-wise, Water sprite resides between ferns and Rosette plants: it does not have a rhizome per say, but it's leaves 'un-furl' in a fern-like way.

*Uses:*

This light, lime-green fine leaved plant will add a light spot to your all-green tank. Great backdrop for colored plants.
Tank cycling: Water Sprite will slurp anything and everything you throw at it
One of the best O2 producer in planted aquaria
Hiding places for fry
Renewable food source for goldfish and cichlids
Lights too bright? Will provide finely filtered light
Algae: will help to balance nutrients in the water column
*Sustainability:*
One way to view and treat Water Sprite would be as a perennial plant. Eventually, water sprite will reach the surface, regardless of the height of your tank. Moreover, some of the stems will decide to grow emersed. As Water Sprite ages, the new stems become progressively thicker and top-heavy. When the stems start reaching ~1/4" in diameter, it's time to replant, unless it's in a pond ​*Environment:*

Temp: Low 60s (goldfish, unheated tanks) to high 80s (discus)
Light: from low to very high
H2O: lean to supper enriched, soft 2GH to hard 20GH
Can be grown imersed and emersed or both
*How to Plant:*
Water Sprite can be grown planted and/or floating
*Floating*:
Either just let it float freely or (best) pull the roots over the spay bar and between the spray bar and tank's side. Floating, Water Sprite develops an extensive root system consisting of thicker roots with finer sub-roots that look very attractive, provide shelter for fry and home for micro-organisms. Individual root can make it all the way down to the substrate.​*Planted:*

Lay roots horizontally on substrate
Put a stone/driftwood on the roots 1/2" to 1" away from the rhizome
Let go off the plant to check that it stays in place
Gently push roots into substrate or add substrate over the roots up to the retaining stone/driftwood
*How to Trim:*
Do NOT top the stems or remove 'leaves' from a stem: the stem will start rotting.
You have to remove the whole stem by cutting/pinching the stem right above the roots. In larger plants, some of the roots will come away with the removed stem: it's ok.​









*How to Propagate:*
Water Sprite is a consistent self-propagating plant of impressive yield. The plant propagates via plantets (baby plants) attached to stems. The best way to 'find' new baby plants is to look for the darker areas of the mother plant. More likely then not, those areas will contain roots of new plants. The leaves (not stems) of the new baby plants and those of the parent stalk surrounding the new root system will start to decay and turn brown. The picture above has a circle around the root system of one of the new baby plants. It is not unusual to have multiple baby plants growing on a single stem of a mature mother plant. It is also not unusual to have baby plants with their own baby plants (grand-baby plants? )​








*How to Separate Baby Plants:​*
Remove the entire stem with baby plants from the mother plant
Cut the parent's stem away from the baby plant just under the baby plant's root system:











Remove all leaves (not stems) that are growing directly from the root system:










Now you have a new plant! (That has it's own baby )










*Conclusion:*
You get the Water Sprite you deserve: trim it, replant it - and you have a plant (or a 100) forever to enjoy.
Ignore it, and it will turn into a monster that will overtake your tank.

Every time I sell plants, most likely then not, a Water Sprite is included, either paid for or not.

[2nd Revision]


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## Seattle_Aquarist

+1 for a great "beginners plant" (although I still keep two species) and thread; thanks OVT!


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## FishFarmer

It's one of my favorite plants. So easy to keep happy, and a very fast grower. Does require a good bit of maintenance though, or else it will literally take over an entire tank (however big the tank is).


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## Trojan

I just picked up a small water sprite plant today. Thank you for the informative post. :icon_smil


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## h2oaggie

Nice guide

I especially enjoyed the MS Paint work :wink:


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## rezco

Nice job OVT. Its good to get this level of detail from fellow aquarists. Plant guides generally do not go into enough detail for me.


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## BBradbury

*Water sprite*

Hello O...

I grew Water sprite for several years in my "Livebearer" tanks. The plant does grow in low light conditions if it's floated. However, it isn't long lived in those conditions. I've found Water wisteria and Pennywort to be more resilient and tolerant of different water conditions than Water sprite. 

Water sprite is a beautiful plant, but Water wisteria is just as nice as is Pennywort, but these are better suited to low light, low tech conditions.

Just an opinion from a water keeper who has had some experience with Water sprite.

B


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## mrbprint

Mine has been growing like a carpet across the bottom about 2 inches high. It used to grow tall in another tank. It is quite shaded due to all the Najas and Hornwort in the upper reaches of the tank. It may not be the same stuff. When I got it it was called some kind of a Oak Leaf something and is not as fine leafed as what you show.


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## ucantimagine

lol @ the free form writing. 
Well now I want some!


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## plantbrain

Thanks, it's a good all around plant for many reasons, hard to kill.


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## reddhawkk

OVT thanks for the tutorial. Watersprite is a great plant and the first one I ever had luck growing when I first got into aquariums.


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## thesis

I love water sprite. It's a good back corner plant, and awesome for sucking up excess nutrients and preventing algae growth.

In my boyfriend's tank, it used to grow like crazy, needing to be trimmed down every three or four days. (I would trim it down by pinching off one of the baby plants grown halfway up the stem and tossing out that baby plant.) One day, he got fed up by how big and bushy it was and took out most of the plant, only leaving in only a tiny little bush of water sprite. That was the day his algae problems started and the water sprite's had a hard time making a come back since then.


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## rainbuilder

This is an awesome plant. I got some unexpectedly and didn't know where I would put it but I found a place and now it looks great.


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## kurosuto

this is awesome. I was wondering how to trim mine as its taking over the corner...poor bonsai sp.


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## OVT

Few things beat being useful to others.
Thank you.

---> :bounce: Happy OVT


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## ArchimedesTheDog

Thanks for this, sorry to resurrect it a bit, but I like the idea of this as a floating plant for my tank, do you think it is viable as such in a 5-gallon tank, or will it choke me out too quickly?


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## OVT

I have 2 floating over a spray bar in a 4g. In my case, it takes them about 3 weeks to start covering the surface, but usually by that time they have couple of baby plants. I replace parents with off-spring and the cycle repeats.


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## ikuzo

yes it can
i basically just throw a few stems into the sump filter of my outdoor cichlid tank
it grew fantastically
definitely a weed


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## james0816

FishFarmer said:


> It's one of my favorite plants. So easy to keep happy, and a very fast grower. Does require a good bit of maintenance though, or else it will literally take over an entire tank (however big the tank is).


 
This is an understatement.


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## finsNfur

Water sprite is practically indestructible, I have it in all my tanks. It positively thrives in low-light conditions. Someone initially gave me a few stems a few years ago, and since then I've sold lots of it, or tossed it out by the bucketful.


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## ItsDubC

Awesome guide. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Very useful!

Floating water sprite has helped me nip an algae problem in the bud in the past, tho I never really knew how to plant it.


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## HD Blazingwolf

reminds me much of wisteria


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## Trail_Mix

Thanks for making this post, great little tutorial!


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## Hmoobthor

awsome thread...i start out with some and have tons taken over my tank...

it went emerse form too!! this plant grows fast ..was taking them out each week.


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## Amandas tank

What a great thread OVT! You rock! You know that right? :biggrin:


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## Trail_Mix

If anybody has extra that they can part with, I'd happily pay shipping, just let me know, thanks!


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## OVT

*o2 production*

How to produce 02:

1 Water Sprite
add water
add light
add co2

I want to buy all of your carbon credits. Problem solved. Bye bye global warming


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## ADJAquariums

Great Guide! thanks OVT


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## Trail_Mix

*Carbon Offsets!*

Brilliant! roud:



OVT said:


> How to produce 02:
> 
> 1 Water Sprite
> add water
> add light
> add co2
> 
> I want to buy all of your carbon credits. Problem solved. Bye bye global warming


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## AVN

Just... WOW! Thanks for opening my eyes to this wonder weed!

Now, does anyone want to get me started with some?


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## Trail_Mix

OVT said:


> I have 2 floating over a spray bar in a 4g. In my case, it takes them about 3 weeks to start covering the surface, but usually by that time they have couple of baby plants. I replace parents with off-spring and the cycle repeats.


What do you do with the parent plants? Seems like everyone wants this plant since this thread was created hehe


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## OVT

Dispose of responsively or move them to a larger tank.

At the moment I have a couple of smaller guys I can share but asking for $7 in shipping for a water sprite or 2 just feels wrong. A lot of people could not give it away 2 months ago, but it seems that I'm one of the few who still ship plants in the winter.


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## foogie

I've been searching and searching trying to find some Water Sprite for my 55g since I set it up like half a year ago!! I even left the whole right side of it empty for the day I find some. 

Anyone know where I can get some from in Calgary, Alberta??


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## shadetreeme

OK..... I love this plant, but it doesnt love me! I hve tried 6-7 times to grow it in my 125 planted tank and it always gets brown and melts! I am getting a complex. It is the only thing I can't grow!!! The last batch I got was 10" tall with lots of roots. It has been in my tank for2 weeks and is starting to look horrible.


The day after planting:









Today:









It has grown, but is looking brown and unhealthy.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## secuono

Water Spirit and Wistera, both uber great plants, I love them. Don't have any currently, unfortunately...


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## OVT

shadetreeme said:


> It has grown, but is looking brown and unhealthy.
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Is the base of the leaves planted below the gravel?


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## HD Blazingwolf

Hey those bubbles look like my rotala colorata!


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## shadetreeme

Just the roots are in the gravel. Is that correct???


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## LyzzaRyzz

My water sprite doesnt look like yours! My plants have wider leaves..much wider!
These were my plants when i got them, dates on em, and they quickly out grew my 45 gallon, my two tens and my five [tanks i had at the time].
View attachment 58630

View attachment 58632

View attachment 58631


They were beautiful, and i ended up growing a monster that was six of my hands! 
You can see in the next pictures the floaters? Thats all water sprite. And its thats thick all the way across! The second photo not so much, its after i got rid of the monster. They propagated from the leaves themselves, usually in the curves, a which caused parts of the leave to tear off, and that damages the main leaf! Lots of moving means lots of tearing, and at that time i was rescaping alot, and that leads to rotting leaves, and more ammonia and nitrates than what you could hope for...Finally had to take it all out, and its now in a bucket, waiting to be sorted..i sort more and more everyday, but theres still more!
I tried burying it for a while, but it juts stayed like the floaters leaves. 
Evan when rooted in the substrate, it still looks like this: [Water sprite in the substrate is on theleft side!]
View attachment 58633

View attachment 58634


Do i not ave water sprite?
Id love to get one of you guys plants! =]


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## R.sok

shadetreeme said:


> OK..... I love this plant, but it doesnt love me! I hve tried 6-7 times to grow it in my 125 planted tank and it always gets brown and melts! I am getting a complex. It is the only thing I can't grow!!! The last batch I got was 10" tall with lots of roots. It has been in my tank for2 weeks and is starting to look horrible.
> 
> 
> The day after planting:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It has grown, but is looking brown and unhealthy.
> 
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.


When I first purchased my water wisteria & planted it, it was very vibrant & green like the first picture, but after planting it in my tank it started to look like yours in the bottom picture...It was growing but looked kind of yellow/greenish. What I ended up doing was leaving it like that for about a week until new roots could form on the baby plants, then I removed the complete plant out, cut off all the baby plants being careful not to damage them & replanted them. Now all the new cuttings that I replanted look like your first picture & grow extremely fast!


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## Crob5965

Nice Guide Thanks 
I'm going to Subscribe to this and come back later


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## sowNreap

I want to know how to get it to grow to the top of my 75 gal tank before it breaks off the baby plantlets. It gets at most 12-15" tall and then the "top" breaks out of it. Could it be the current from the HOB filter that causes that? Lacking something to make stronger stems?

I've never trimmed this plant because it just keeps breaking the top off on it own. The mother plant got about 15" tall then bam the whole top came out and my mother plant was only 8" tall after that. I don't even know which or where the original "mother" plant is. I probably have great-great grandbaby plants. LOL 

It works very good for tucking into or wrapping around branches on my driftwood to keep in place and mostly stays put .. until more plantlets break off. 

How can I get it to grow tall? Should I keep pruning it while it's small to make the stems stronger and thicker?


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## OVT

sowNreap said:


> I want to know how to get it to grow to the top of my 75 gal tank before it breaks off the baby plantlets.


I would try removing all but ~3 stems and let them reach for the light. Mine have no problem getting to the top and out of a 75G Tall tank.


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## sowNreap

OVT said:


> I would try removing all but ~3 stems and let them reach for the light. Mine have no problem getting to the top and out of a 75G Tall tank.


I'm definitely doing something wrong then. So are you saying when the plantet is removed, either on it's own or by pruning, I should trim it to only 3 stems before replanting it? Or pull out the ones that are planted now and remove all but 3 stems on those?

The last one that the top plantlet broke off, the top was taller than the bottom. The top was probably about 8" while the stem it came from was only about 5". Left a big space right where I need a tall plant. I never noticed it turning brown before it did that. I just remember thinking it was growing nice & tall & looking good then a couple days later saw it was no longer attached and then saw the brown stem hanging down. The top had floated up some but got hung up on something so kept it from floating all the way to up and away. I left it that way because it made it nice and tall. LOL Until I did my water change .. then I ended up planting the top and moved the bottom elsewhere. 

It's like some of them are not growing tall enough before they make plantlets so the plantlets end up being taller than the stem they come from.


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## OVT

When a plantet is detached, pinch off the entire parent stem at the roots.

Chose one already planted plant (no need to pull it out) and pinch off all but 2-3 stems.


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## sowNreap

OVT said:


> When a plantet is detached, pinch off the entire parent stem at the roots.
> 
> Chose one already planted plant (no need to pull it out) and pinch off all but 2-3 stems.


Ok ... thanks for the help. I really want to get these to grow tall. It was my favorite plant until it kept making babies and getting shorter. LOL

Maybe one day I'll do a RAOK with all the babies I've got. I'm running out of tanks to put them in.


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## shadetreeme

May have found part of my issue.... my CO2 tank was empty! I am thinking that with that much light and no CO2 it was frying my plants.
Got a refill today.... will see what happens.


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## tommyr

I also want to says thanks for this thread and the instructions. I got my first water sprite about a week ago. Love the stuff!


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## JasonG75

I am a HUGE Water-Sprite advocate. If you're new to planted tanks, this plant helps stabilize the nutrients.


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## Aquaticz

GREAT plant
I have a few tanks and a few months ago started to grow it emersed. In the mean time I did not have any in my tanks. Well I decided to put some back this week and the transition back to submerged was effortless. That is what I like about emersed- its like putting the plants in storage


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## chubky

great post, I was considering water sprites before and now i'm sold! :icon_smil


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## peachii

This was a great post, thanks for posting it in detail. 

OVT sent me the most beautiful mother water sprite a few weeks ago and I have babies everywhere now. Just paid it forward and sent some to someone else yesterday.


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## gus6464

I got some water sprite from OVT a couple of months ago and it's completely taken over the right side of my tank. It's so green and pretty though that I don't want to get rid of it.


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