Care specifications
| Type | Floating |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Light | Medium (20–60 µmol PAR) |
| CO2 | Not needed |
| Fertilizer demand | Medium |
| Growth rate | Fast |
| Max height | 1 in |
| Spread | 2 in |
| Placement | Floating |
| Attaches to hardscape | No |
| Snail & shrimp safe | Yes |
| Temperature | 70–84 °F |
| pH | 6–7.8 |
| Color | Green |
| Trimming | Regular |
| Styles | Jungle, Biotope, Nature |
Get Salvinia Cucullata
Propagation
Divides continuously at the surface; pull apart clusters by hand and skim off excess weekly once it gets going.
Frequently asked questions
How is Salvinia cucullata different from Salvinia minima?
Cucullata's leaves curl upward into hooded, cup-shaped pockets, so a colony looks like a layer of little green beads, while minima stays flatter with bristly water-repellent hairs. Care is similar — both are fast floaters that hate surface splash — but cucullata's cupped form is the visual draw.
Why are my Salvinia leaves rotting or staying small?
Surface agitation is the usual culprit — Salvinia hates having its leaf tops wetted by splash or strong flow, and waterlogged leaves brown and shrink. Corral it in a calm corner with airline tubing or a floating ring, and feed the water column lightly; healthy plants quickly grow larger, fuller cups.
Why are the leaves lying flat instead of cupping?
The signature cups take time — young or freshly shipped plants often arrive flat and unremarkable. As the colony matures under strong light and the humid air trapped beneath a lid, each new leaf folds a little further upward into the hooded pocket shape. Flat leaves are a starting point, not a defect.
Go deeper
Salvinia Cucullata appears in
- Aquarium plants for medium light
- Floating plants for aquariums
- Aquarium plants that don't need CO2
- Aquarium plants that stay under 3 inches
- Aquarium plants for nano tanks
- Snail-safe aquarium plants
- Fast-growing aquarium plants
- Aquarium plants for beginners
- Aquarium plants for betta tanks
- Plants for jungle-style aquascapes
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