Great water lens

(set of 30 lenses)

More rare and original than the classic water lens, it offers the same advantages, plus a superb reddish hue. Its larger size also makes it easier to manage, both in an aquarium and in a pond.

The great water lentil (Spirodela polyrhiza) is just a distant cousin of Lemna minor, the well-known small lentil. Of a different genus but the same family, it grows in exactly the same way and offers the same benefits for your aquatic ecosystem.

"She is a bit more sensitive to the cold, and it is wise, in cold regions, to bring in a few specimens for the winter to find them again in the spring. She is equipped to regenerate herself from dormant forms submerged in the autumn, but you will gain several weeks as soon as the nice days arrive."
"It is a very beautiful floating plant that, when it is happy, multiplies infinitely until it covers the entire surface. In this case, to allow light to continue penetrating deeply, consider removing some as it grows. This operation is much easier than with the small lens, which slips more between the fingers!"
This rapid and continuous growth occurs by consuming large amounts of nitrogen and phosphates in the water, making it a very active depolluting plant.
On the other hand, it does not oxygenate the water, as its leaves are emerged. Hence the importance of leaving some areas free on the surface so that light reaches the oxygenating plants that live underwater: each has its role!
Like all floating plants, the water lentil serves as a support for countless fauna. The upper side of its leaves, exposed to the air, welcomes springtails and even small aphids, which fish relish when they fall into the water! And the underside, with its roots and the lower side of the leaves, hosts intense microscopic life. It is these bacteria and various protozoa that will naturally nourish your very young fry, as well as your daphnia, which can be seen gathering precisely in these spots!
The size of this plant (about 3 to 10 mm per leaf) protects it from the appetite of goldfish, but not from larger carp, for whom it is an excellent plant food.
Its color is a beautiful soft green often tinged with reddish-brown on the upper side, while the underside of the leaves is reddish. The submerged roots can reach 2 cm in length, and the fry like to take refuge there.

Indicative weight: 5g