Comparing anacharis to traditional methods

[oldraider]

I've had anacharis in my tetra tank before, and it was a hit with my ember tetras. They loved swimming through the anacharis forest I created, and it made for a great arch too. I had it floating and planted, and it grew like crazy - over 3 feet long. I've since switched to salvinia due to a melt problem I had with the anacharis when I was using RO water to soften the water for my soft water tetras. Despite that, I really like anacharis and think it's a great option for providing cover and helping with nitrates.

[kingrise]

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?

1) Anacharis will definitely help you tackle those nitrates - it's a nitrate-sucking machine.
2) If you're set on a floating plant, I'd recommend sticking with something like Salvinia - it's a great choice.
3) Anacharis is also amazing at providing cover and preventing algae growth. My tanks are algae-free thanks to it - it's a nutrient hog.
4) As for the maintenance issue, I'm not sure I can offer much help - I've never had to deal with that specific problem.

[kingrise]

Just toss it in and forget about it. You'll need to add micronutrients like Seachem flourish comprehensive to keep it thriving. I've found that too much filtration can actually hinder its growth. It's amusing when people say you can't have too much filtration - that's just not true. If your bio filter is sucking up all the ammonia, what's left for the floating plants to feed on? On the flip side, if you've got healthy floating plants, you don't have to worry about underfiltration or ammonia spikes.