# floating plants and filters



## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

There is this http://www.hanaquatics.com/floating-plant-guard/

I've made the same thing, by just using air line tubing and a way to keep the air line tubing in place (suction cups with air line tubing clip). You can place it around the HOB like shown or to cut off a section of the tank to keep the floaters in that certain area, and I can keep the floaters from over populating too, but some species can develop runners past the tubing, but you could make bigger devices [bigger tubing, or some mesh] to counter those)

I am sure you can be more creative and think of somehow using a cut up clear plastic bottle.

Most floaters just don't like to have their leaves submerged or they will decay.
Dwarf Water lettuce is more resilient to turbulent waters.
Water wisteria (hygrophila difformis) can be grown floating, and other stems that are bushy as this can be floated in front of the HOB outlet and it will keep the smaller floaters at bay.

Raising the water level closer to the filter outlet, so that the outlet flow is more smooth and gentle would kick down the floaters less.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Won't do anything for the duckweed but you can keep the frogbit in front.
Get one of those suction cups that you use to route the airline inside the tank/w.
Put it on the back just under the water line. Run a piece of string from it to the divider.
It will keep the frogbit in front of it and done right you can't see it.
But full size frogbit is too tall for a 10g. The roots I mean. Try dwarf water lettuce.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

Dwarf water lettuce roots can get HUGE! Seen some over 8" long and very wide as well!


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## rtfish (Oct 2, 2014)

Few threads out there on this. Here is a recent one. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=920721

I use airline tubing with suction cups.


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## goatnad (Aug 13, 2015)

I keep my water level high enough that it pushes most of my floaters to the opposite side of the tank.I usually keep more floaters than what is in the pic but I recently did a raok and got rid of alot.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

goatnad said:


> I keep my water level high enough that it pushes most of my floaters to the opposite side of the tank.I usually keep more floaters than what is in the pic but I recently did a raok and got rid of alot.


Yeah, when the water level is higher and allows the filter outlet to shoot out a gentler/calmer pushing current. But if too strong of a outflow in too small of a tank can still cause too much turbulence and can still flip over smaller floaters.
When the water level is lower and the filter outlet is pouring water straight down, it create a little "gravity" whirlpool/vortex (think of a sink full of water draining and you see the spiraling down the drain, the falling water is creating a void and so the top water surface is constantly being pulled into that void to try and fill it in) which is what draws in the floaters (the air bubbles being forced down by the higher filter outlet and rising back up might also do a little of creating a pull-effect like a airstone stone)


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