What air temps can floaters like Salvinia or Frogbit handle?

[Christhefishman]

Hey everyone I’ve got a quick question. 
 

In the past I’ve kept floaters, some of my favorites being Salvinia and frogbit, but it’s always been a big pain doing so in this tank because of the large HOB aquaclear. I’ve done the whole plant barriers by the filter and this and that and something always ends up going wrong so I’m in the process of converting the tank to sponge filters only. Finally keeping floaters will be more enjoyable! 
 

Anyway, I’ve only tried floaters in summer months in the past. My apartment is older and frankly not insulated well at all.. I live half an hour outside of Boston so it gets pretty darn cold here during fall and winter. My heaters are plenty powerful enough to maintain tropical water temps year round, but during winter the air temp in the apartment can be around 60 degrees while I’m out at work. 

Can plants like these handle those air temps? Would it screw with the plants if their water temp is in the high 70’s but the air temp only low 60’s? 

thanks! 

[FLFishChik]

I’m not sure about the air temps.. but for keeping  floaters with HOB’s… I used airline tubing and created a circle with it and then used a suction cup to secure it to the tank glass to keep it in place. Just unhook it from the suction cup when doing water changes so it will all keep within the tube circle, then attach it back when done.

[asondhi]

I personally have kept salvinia alive in tank temperatures as low as 70°F-72°F and air temperatures as low as 64°F-66°F. 

Note that these are usually tropical plants so they do prefer higher temps but the most important thing will be temperature stability (for any plant). 

Tank lids, even if they're loose, can aid in maintaining humidity and temperature! The air above a tank w/ a decent sized lid will probably match the tank temp. It's also worth noting that even without a lid, the temp of the air right above a tank will be slightly warmer. 

TL:DR I think you'd be okay. Floaters are often prolific growers and I'm sure local hobbyists would be willing to give away some starter portions. If you're worried, try a tank lid for temp stability. 

[Odd Duck]

I have frogbit outside in Texas right now but it’s looking a bit rough. It was doing just fine until the temps have stayed up over 100’F for several weeks at a time now.  Red root floaters haven’t done well but I think that was more about surface agitation and not heat at that point. 

[Patrick_G]

We keep Dwarf water lettuce in rooms that get into the low 60sF during winter months. As long as there’s a tight lid they do well. In the same room I have also grown Salvinia in a nano tank without a lid. 

[Christhefishman]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:54 PM, Patrick_G said:

We keep Dwarf water lettuce in rooms that get into the low 60sF during winter months. As long as there’s a tight lid they do well. In the same room I have also grown Salvinia in a nano tank without a lid. 

Okay awesome that makes me feel hopeful! I like running tanks with floaters without lids but I have a glass top for this tank in the closet so I can use that once the temps really start to dip

On 8/6/2022 at 1:33 PM, asondhi said:

I personally have kept salvinia alive in tank temperatures as low as 70°F-72°F and air temperatures as low as 64°F-66°F. 

Note that these are usually tropical plants so they do prefer higher temps but the most important thing will be temperature stability (for any plant). 

Tank lids, even if they're loose, can aid in maintaining humidity and temperature! The air above a tank w/ a decent sized lid will probably match the tank temp. It's also worth noting that even without a lid, the temp of the air right above a tank will be slightly warmer. 

TL:DR I think you'd be okay. Floaters are often prolific growers and I'm sure local hobbyists would be willing to give away some starter portions. If you're worried, try a tank lid for temp stability. 

Very good point, even if the air temp in the room is chilly, so long as I keep the water temp in the high 70’s the air a few inches above the water level must be warmer than the rest of the room. The LED lighting definitely throws a bit of heat as well I didn’t really think of that until now