# Suggest a Texas-legal floater?



## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

try frog bit. it does not flower but is probably leagal


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Nope, illegal in Texas. Too bad, it's pretty. Here, I found this list of illegal plants: 

Giant Duckweed	
All Salvinia
Water Hyacinth	
Water Lettuce	
Hydrilla (Florida Elodea)	
Lagarosiphon (African Elodea)	
Eurasian Watermilfoil	
Alligatorweed	
Rooted Water Hyacinth	
Paperbark	
Torpedograss	
Water Spinach	
Federally Prohibited
Giant Salvinia


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## chibikaie (Aug 2, 2012)

How about small clumps of water sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides)? It does very well floating even though it's usually planted, doesn't require high light, and the roots form feathery clumps. It can grow like a weed, but it propagates easily and quickly from leaves, so you can take out any clumps that get too big for your liking and replace them.

You could most likely do the same to a lot of stem plants if you like the way they look; I've got rotala floating in some small tanks that doesn't do well planted (might need to give it more light than I have).

The only traditional floater I can think of that isn't on that list is azolla, and I'm not sure how much light it needs. I have killed red root floater and hygroryza in a low to medium light setup, your mileage may vary there ...

I prefer riccia floating, although I realize not everyone likes it that way. If it's not banned, you like the look, and don't mind it fragmenting in a strong current, consider it too.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

I'm thinking maybe some red root floater, it's pretty and sucks up nitrates. I've read that it can be weird sometimes, but if I can find some cheap I'll sure try it.
I looked up water sprite, and it's very pretty. I'll probably get some, I bet my pencils would absolutely love it! Plus, I could probably get some store credit from extra hunks of it. 
Thanks! I bet both of these will look nice... Hmm, do you suppose I could clump some water sprite in corners and let the RRF float around in the rest of the tank?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

_Ceratopteris pteridoides_ and _Hygroryza aristata_.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks, those are both good. First one is pretty neat! I'll have to look for some of it. The second one might shade all my plants out too much, though.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

The first one does more shading than the second one in my experience. Also, the ceratopteris grows rather wide.


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## Texan78 (Nov 17, 2013)

Betta132 said:


> Nope, illegal in Texas. Too bad, it's pretty. Here, I found this list of illegal plants:
> 
> Giant Duckweed
> All Salvinia
> ...


Here is a more accurate and updated list. 

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/prohibited_aquatic.phtml


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Giant or Dotted Duckweed, Family Lemnaceae
Landolita punctata
Salvinia, Family Salviniaceae
All species of genus Salvinia, including Salvinia molesta (giant salvinia) 
Waterhyacinths, Family Pontederiaceae
Eichhornia crassipes (floating waterhyacinth) and Eichhornia azurea (rooted waterhyacinth)
Waterlettuce, Family Araceae
Pistia stratiotes
Hydrilla, Family Hydrocharitaceae
Hydrilla verticillata
Lagarosiphon, Family Hydrocharitaceae
Lagarosiphon major
Eurasian Watermilfoil, Family Haloragaceae
Myriophyllum spicatum
Alligatorweed, Family Amaranthaceae
Alternanthera philoxeroides
Paperbark, Family Myrtaceae
Melaleuca quinquenervia
Torpedograss, Family Gramineae
Panicum repens
Water Spinach, Family Convolvulaceae
Ipomoea aquatica (also called ong choy, rau mong and kangkong)
Ambulia
Limnophila sessiflora
Narrowleaf False Pickerelweed
Monochoria hastata
Heartshaped False Pickerelweed
Monochoria vaginalis
Duck-lettuce
Ottelia alismoides
Wetland Nightshade
Solanum tampicense
Exotic Bur-reed
Sparganium erectum
Brazilian Peppertree
Schinus terebinthifolius
Purple Loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria

Looks like watersprite, reed root floater, and this really neat antler fern aren't on there. Great!


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## Takeshi (Aug 24, 2013)

Aldrovanda Vesiculosa? Carnivorous too


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Woah, those are cool! I didn't even know there was an aquatic carnivorous plant other than bladderwort... I think I'll pass on them, though, I hope to get my pencils to spawn and I think those would just eat the fry.


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## Aymie (Jan 8, 2014)

Wow…I had no idea the list of illegal plants here in Texas was so long. I can find a good number of those plants right down the road from my house in the river. Some years back I couldn't help but bring home a couple water hyacinth and hydrilla bits. The water hyacinth didn't do well and my apple snails ate the hydrilla…and of course I got pond snails. I only considered the risk of bringing a wild plant in to a tank, and never the risk of getting in trouble for propagating an illegal invasive plant. 

It also turns out that most of my favorite plants down at the river are problems.


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## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

Eichornia diversifolia(harder to find) seems legal and is a tiny water hyacinth, but harder to find. Often grown submersed, it can adapt into a floating lily-pad-like form. IT grows pretty blue flowers when happy.

Red root floater, Ceratopteris siliquosa and Ceratopteris thalictroides(usually sold under the same name of Watersprite or Ceratopteris sp.), Hygroryza aristata, Hydrocotyle leucophylla and Hydrocotyle verticiliata, and Hydrocotyle tripartia/sp. 'Japan'(harder to find), Cardamine lyrata(harder to find), and cabomba species are legal referring to the list.


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