TankBud

Salvinia cucullata

Also known as Asian watermoss, Hooded salvinia, Asian salvinia

FreshwaterFloatingFragmentationDivisionSide shoots

Salvinia cucullata (Salvinia cucullata)
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
No CO₂ needed
Temperature
64–90°F
18–32°C
Max height
1.2 in
3 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Floating
Type
Floating
pH
5.0–8.0
Hardness
1–21 dGH
Spread
3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Salviniaceae
Origin
South and Southeast Asia

Overview

Salvinia cucullata is a very fast floating fern for tanks with a still surface. It rates easy.

Did you know

Salvinia cucullata only grows its namesake hoods when conditions allow. In lean conditions its leaves lie flat and it looks like any small salvinia. With plenty of light, warmth and nutrients, the leaves roll into upright hoods, so their shape shows how well it is fed.

Caring for Salvinia cucullata

Float Salvinia cucullata on a calm surface without strong agitation. Keep the lid drip-free, since droplets sitting on the hairy leaves encourage rot.

It needs only medium light and no CO2. It takes all its food from the water column, which makes it a useful nitrate sponge, and any feeding goes in as a liquid fertilizer. It handles 64 to 90°F (18 to 32°C) and a pH of 5 to 8.

Salvinia cucullata grows very fast and gives cover to fry and shrimp. It also shades the rooted plants below, so thin the mat by the handful every week or two. Pieces that break off and the daughter plants it buds off keep spreading it.

Good to know

Salvinia cucullata is a floating fern in the family Salviniaceae. Its name comes from the Latin cucullus, a hood, after the way its leaves fold upward. It has no true roots. Each node carries a pair of floating leaves and a finely divided submerged leaf that hangs down and does the job of a root. Dense water-repellent hairs on the upper leaf surfaces give it a velvety look and keep it dry in rain and splash. In nature it reproduces by spores, like other ferns.

In the wild

Salvinia cucullata is a free-floating fern of still and slow-moving waters across South and Southeast Asia. It drifts in ponds, rice paddies, ditches and wetland margins. Its whole life happens at the surface, and it never grows rooted or on land.

Common questions

Does Salvinia cucullata need to be planted in the substrate?

No. Salvinia cucullata floats at the surface and takes its nutrients straight from the water.

Does Salvinia cucullata need CO2?

No. Salvinia cucullata grows well without added CO2.

How much light does Salvinia cucullata need?

Salvinia cucullata wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

How do you propagate Salvinia cucullata?

Salvinia cucullata propagates by fragmentation, division and side shoots. Pieces that break off keep growing, so pulling a clump apart spreads it. Each plant buds off new ones, so a few soon cover the surface.

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