One of the most fun parts of building an aquarium is filling it with live plants. Unfortunately, it can be hard to pick out plants, and not all plants for tanks are equal in terms of care. In addition, some plants need to be planted in your aquarium’s substrate to grow, which increases their care needs.
However, many aquarium plants can be added to aquariums without needing to be planted in the substrate. This makes them easier for you to add to your aquarium and makes them compatible with aquariums that don’t have a substrate that’s friendly to plants. Here are ten plants you can add to your aquarium that don’t require substrate.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites
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Best Overall
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Hornwort Aquarium Plant |
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Best Value
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Java Moss |
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Premium Choice
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Anubias Nana Aquarium Plant |
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Java Fern Aquarium Plant |
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Water Lettuce Aquarium Plant |
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The 30 Best Aquarium Plants that Can Grow Without Substrate
1. Hornwort Aquarium Plant — Best Overall
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Amphibious |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Hornwort is an excellent plant for beginners that doesn’t have too many care needs. That’s why we chose it as our best overall aquarium plant that doesn’t need substrate. Hornwort is usually found floating on top of the water in the wild, and you can do the same in your home tank.
However, hornwort can be planted in the substrate and grown as a submerged plant in aquariums; if you ever decide to build a tank that does use a plant-friendly substrate, you can take some of your hornwort plants and plant them in your new tank as well.
Hornwort grows pretty fast, a feature usually seen as a downside in the wild. But in the aquarium world, this lovely plant will quickly beautify the tank with its presence. Hornwort will also provide a little bit of shade to your tank since it floats on top of the water!
2. Java Moss — Best Value
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Moderate |
Java moss is an excellent option for pet parents looking for a submerged plant that doesn’t require substrate. Java moss will attach itself to rocks and driftwood in your tank rather than needing to be planted in the substrate. You can also buy it in bulk, so we chose it as the best aquarium plant that doesn’t need substrate for the money.
Java moss doesn’t just look lovely in your tank; it’s also beneficial to your fish. For example, Java moss makes a fantastic meal for newly formed fry (very young fish.) Fry are often hard for owners to feed because they aren’t as powerful as the other fish and can get bullied away from food.
Luckily, Java moss can be an excellent food source for them. Java moss will also provide much-needed shelter from the sun since moss that doesn’t attach to rocks or driftwood will float on top of the water.
3. Anubias Nana Aquarium Plant — Best Premium
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Anubias Nana is the “Nana” variation of the Anubias barteri plant. It attaches itself to driftwood and grows gorgeous, thick, green leaves. Once connected to a piece of driftwood, it grows on its own with very little intervention from humans, making it a great addition to a beginner or experienced aquarium.
It’s a tough plant that can withstand many conditions and algae-eating fish that may attach themselves to its leaves. It can even handle a lot of plant-eating fish that might look at it as a tasty snack.
Anubias nana can be a little pricey. So, don’t start grabbing these until you’re sure that fish-keeping is for you.
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It covers all you need to know about the ideal tank setup, tank size, substrate, ornaments, plants, and so much more!
4. Java Fern
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Amphibious |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Java ferns are named for the Indonesian island of Java, where they come from. Like Anubias Nana, Java ferns like to attach to rocks and driftwood to grow. It generally grows in and around freshwater streams or ponds in the wild.
The base of the Java fern resembles a stick and must be planted above the substrate. Ideally, this base will attach itself to a rock or a piece of driftwood. Placing the plant near a stone or piece of driftwood will help it find its forever home in your tank.
5. Water Lettuce Aquarium Plant
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Water lettuce is another popular beginner plant because it’s easy to grow. So easy that it has become an invasive species in Florida and has been banned. It’s a floating plant, so it will grow on top of your aquarium and resembles a head of gray-ish green lettuce.
It’s a surface plant that is good for providing shade and protection from the light in your aquarium since it will grow at the water’s surface. It’s best suited to cold water fish tanks but can be successfully introduced to tropical tanks.
6. Green Cabomba Aquarium Plant
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Amphibious |
| Care Level: | Moderate |
Green cabomba is another excellent floating plant for aquariums. Like hornwort, green cabomba can be planted in a plant-friendly substrate and grown as a submerged plant. However, you can also grow green cabomba as a floating plant using liquid fertilizer to stimulate its rapid growth rate.
Green cabomba is a little more intensive of a plant than some others on the list. To grow properly, it requires warm water—ideally between 72° and 82° Fahrenheit. You can also have a green cabomba float on top of your aquarium and grow!
7. Duckweed
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Duckweed is a low-maintenance plant perfect for beginner fishkeepers or lazy fishkeepers. There are no secrets to growing duckweed, you just sort of put it in the tank and let it float there, and it will grow.
Duckweed grows extremely fast, so some aquarists dislike it and view it as a virulent pest plant. But those who love duckweed cannot be swayed away from this easy-to-care-for surface plant.
Aside from being easy to grow, duckweed can also provide the necessary shade to your tank. Just be sure it doesn’t overgrow and prevent your other plants from getting their essential sunlight.
8. Floating Crystalwort Aquarium Plant
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Floating crystalwort, or Riccia fluitans, rose to popularity when the famous aquarist Takashi Amano began tying the plants to his driftwood and rocks. Like Java moss, floating crystalwort is a moss plant that will attach itself to solid structures to grow.
Floating crystalwort does need a fair bit of light to grow properly. So, shady tanks are not the place to put this plant. However, it’s a straightforward plant to care for as it can withstand a wide variety of water conditions, making it excellent for beginners and experienced aquarists.
Its ideal tank temperature is between 56° and 86° Fahrenheit, a wide range that encompasses both cold and warm-water tanks. Liquid fertilizers are recommended to encourage healthy growth for this plant.
9. Ludwigia Repens
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Easy |
Ludwigia repens is an excellent plant to add a little color to any aquarium since it comes in many colors. In addition, Ludwiga repens will grow whether you plant it on a substrate or allow it to float freely in your aquarium. So, this is great for any aquariums that don’t have a plant-friendly substrate.
Ludwiga repens doesn’t have any special care needs, making it great for beginners. However, experienced fishkeepers can supplement the plant’s CO2 to get the leaves to turn a gorgeous red color that will add a splash of color to your aquascape.
10. Rotala Indica
| Aquatic or Amphibious:: | Aquatic |
| Care Level: | Moderate |
Rotala Indica is a fragile but gorgeous plant that can be planted in a plant-friendly substrate or allowed to float freely. Unfortunately, because it’s a delicate plant, it won’t be suitable for tanks with aggressive fish that may damage or kill the plant. Instead, this is best for tanks with fish that will be gentle and respect the plant.
Additionally, Rotala indica does require strong lighting. Indoor tanks will need a light that provides at least 3–5 watts of power to their plant. It’s also a tropical plant. Your tank will need a heater that keeps the water at a temperature of at least 72° Fahrenheit for the plant to thrive.
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Aquarium Plants that Can Grow Without Substrate
When buying aquarium plants, you want to ensure that your fish and plants will be compatible. Both fish and plants are alive and have care needs that must be considered when housing them together. Research the plants and fish you intend to keep thoroughly to ensure compatibility.
When building an aquarium, you create a closed ecosystem filled with plants and animals. This means that all the ecosystem members must function within the ecosystem to provide for themselves and each other.
In a water ecosystem, plants provide oxygen to the water, and fish provide carbon dioxide. The fish and plants have unique needs but provide for each other. So, it’s essential to ensure that the members of your ecosystem can thrive together and won’t hurt each other.
Temperature
Plants grow at different temperatures, and each plant has different temperature needs. Keeping plants at the wrong temperatures will stunt their growth or even kill them. This is true of fish as well. So, you must know what temperature your ecosystem will be kept at.
For instance, Clown Killifish can be kept in a cold-water tank without a heater, but Rotala indica requires a warm-water tank that stays at a temperature of at least 72°F. So if you have a cold-water tank with no heater, you can’t keep Rotala indica in it.
Water Hardness
“Water hardness” refers to the mineral content dissolved in water. Some plants can tolerate hard water, while others will wilt. This is true of fish as well. You can’t keep plants and fish that require soft water in hard water and vice versa. Ensure that your water is appropriately hard or soft for your ecosystem to thrive.
pH Balance
Different plants and fish also have different acidity needs for their environments. Some plants need to be kept in an acidic environment, while others thrive in an alkaline environment. Ensure that your plants have compatible pH needs.
Light Requirements
You also want to make sure that you buy plants with compatible light requirements. While all plants need light, they need different amounts. In addition, some plants can be damaged by receiving too much light. So, you’ll want to make sure that you can provide the correct amount of light without providing too much.
Minimum Tank Size
Plants also have minimum space requirements to grow and thrive. They are living creatures that require space to live. Therefore, you want to ensure that your plants are in a big enough tank for themselves and in conjunction with the other plants you have in your tank.
Fish Compatibility
It’s also essential for your fish to be compatible with your plants. While most fish owners will feed their fish daily, some fish will eat the plants in the tank. Many plants will be able to thrive even if there are aggressive fish, plant-eaters, or algae-eating fish that may attach to them. However, some plants are more delicate and will wilt. Ensure that your tank has a thriving ecosystem by choosing compatible fish and plants.
Substrate Needs
While this list focuses on plants that don’t require a substrate to be planted in, buying plants means ensuring that they will be able to thrive in your tank. While you may leave plants floating in your tank, some of those floating plants could later be planted in your tank’s substrate. Therefore, ensure that your substrate is suitable for the plants you want to buy before you buy them.
- See also: 4 Best BiOrb Aquariums
Final Thoughts
Picking out plants is a fun and exciting part of aquarium-keeping. Try buying some Hornwort plants for the best overall plant that can be planted without substrate. If you want to get a lot of bang for your buck, Java moss is a great option that you can buy in bulk. Last but certainly not least, Anubias nana is an excellent premium option.
Featured Image Credit: Musca Cristian, Unsplash
