Ceratopteris Thalictroides

Water sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) is an aquatic fern with finely divided, pale green fronds that look almost lacy under aquarium light. It is one of the fastest-growing plants commonly sold, and that speed is the point — in a new or lightly planted tank it competes hard with algae for nutrients while slower plants find their feet.

Growing it in your tank

• Can be rooted in substrate or left to float; floating plants grow faster and develop trailing roots.
• Grows rapidly under moderate light without carbon dioxide injection.
• Takes up nitrate and other nutrients quickly, which helps in a tank that is still settling.
• Produces plantlets along older leaves, which can be detached and grown on.
• Undemanding about water chemistry.
• Floating growth shades the tank and calms surface glare.

A good plant for community tanks, breeding tanks and shrimp setups, where the fine leaves and trailing roots give fry somewhere to shelter. It will be eaten by goldfish and larger cichlids. Please put surplus plant material in the household waste rather than releasing it outdoors.

Stock rotates with each delivery, and live plants are available for local pickup at our Lethbridge store. See the live plant collection.