Comparing anacharis to traditional methods

[brewista]

I've got a 75-gallon tank with Salvinia natans covering about 90% of the surface - it's a traditional floating plant. The thing is, after water changes or maintenance on my other plants, I'm always flipping over the leaves that are underwater. It's gotten pretty annoying, which is why I'm posting this: would switching to Anacharis be a better idea since it can also be floated?

[dungeon]

I'm not a fan of Anacharis as a floating plant, personally. It does grow well on the surface, but the appearance is just messy. When the lights go out, it wilts - not a great look. I've been using it temporarily, until I can get my hands on something better, like Frogbit or Water Sprite.

[dungeon]

I've actually tried using Anacharis as a floating plant, and to be honest, it hasn't really worked out for me. I've got a picture of it here - on the right, it's rooted, and on the left, it's growing across. The thing is, the tips just aren't floating, even with some airline tubing to help it out. I think it might be because of the flow from my filter - it's pretty strong, so if you've got a tank with really low flow, you might have more luck with it.

[brewista]

I'm not a fan of Anacharis as a floating plant, personally. It does grow well on the surface, but the appearance is just messy. When the lights go out, it wilts - not a great look. I've been using it temporarily, until I can get my hands on something better, like Frogbit or Water Sprite.

I've never personally used anacharis, but I've heard it's great for water quality. My flow is pretty low to moderate, so maybe it'll work better for me than it did for dungeon. As long as it's hardy and good for my fish, I don't mind if it looks a bit messy.

[dungeon]

The pic doesn't do anacharis justice, it's a mess. Most of it isn't even rooted. I'm not a fan of those (white) shoots it sends out, reminds me of a tangled mess. I prefer the wispy roots frogbit has, check out @angelica's tanks for a great example - he's swapping out frogbit for water sprite in one of them.

[dungeon]

I've got a 75-gallon tank with Salvinia natans covering about 90% of the surface - it's a traditional floating plant. The thing is, after water changes or maintenance on my other plants, I'm always flipping over the leaves that are underwater. It's gotten pretty annoying, which is why I'm posting this: would switching to Anacharis be a better idea since it can also be floated?

It grows like crazy for me, and I think it does better in cooler temps, under 78F, and with some water hardness, 7gdh+.

It's meant to be a nitrate-eating machine.

If you're set on floating plants, there might be better options out there, but if you're after something hardy that'll help keep your nitrates in check, anacharis is a solid choice - you'll have more than you know what to do with in no time.

[brewista]

I'm not a fan of Anacharis as a floating plant, personally. It does grow well on the surface, but the appearance is just messy. When the lights go out, it wilts - not a great look. I've been using it temporarily, until I can get my hands on something better, like Frogbit or Water Sprite.

Thanks for the feedback, really helpful. I've got a few main things on my mind here:

I'm looking to tackle the nitrate issue, that's a big one for me.
I want to create a comfortable environment for my fish, give them some cover to feel safe.
I'm also trying to prevent algae from taking over my low-tech plants and decorations.
And to be honest, I'm just tired of constantly flipping over my floating plants after water changes and maintenance - it's a real hassle and I'd love to find a solution that's lower maintenance.

Any thoughts on this?

[brewista]

Honestly, anacharis isn't the prettiest thing, but I'm sure it does the job. I personally prefer the way frogbit looks, with its delicate roots (check out @angelica's tanks for a great example). That being said, I'm sure your fish love the cover it provides.

[dungeon]

I'm not too clued up on floating plants to be honest, but I think @angelica might be able to offer some valuable insight here. I've used anacharis in the past when setting up a new tank, but I've always ended up getting rid of it because, personally, I'm not a fan of the way it looks - it does seem to tick all your boxes though. If you're in the UK and you're interested, I've got some spare anacharis I could send your way.

[brewista]

I'm not a fan of Anacharis as a floating plant, personally. It does grow well on the surface, but the appearance is just messy. When the lights go out, it wilts - not a great look. I've been using it temporarily, until I can get my hands on something better, like Frogbit or Water Sprite.

Thanks for the offer, dungeon, that's really kind of you. I'm actually in the States, though, so it would be a bit tricky. No worries, I can easily grab some anacharis stems online and give it a shot. I figure trying new things is all part of the fun in this hobby, right?