Azolla Caroliniana, commonly known as Carolina Water Fern, is a tiny and hardy floating fern that brings a captivating, micro-textured look to the water surface. Originating in the Western United States, this fast-growing species forms clusters of tiny, two-lobed leaves along branching stems that naturally split as the plant expands. While mostly emerald green, these unique aquarium floaters can blush with shades of pink, orange, or deep crimson when exposed to medium-to-high lighting. Perfect for low-tech aquariums, paludariums, and outdoor ponds, Azolla creates a vibrant surface carpet that competes heavily against nuisance algae while providing a shaded haven for your aquatic livestock. Please note: Portions may occasionally contain trace amounts of duckweed.
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. Team Buce Plant encourages you to do thorough research to ensure healthy growth!
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Azolla caroliniana |
| Common Name(s) | Carolina Water Fern, Fairy Moss, Mosquito Fern |
| Family | Salviniaceae |
| Plant Type | Floating Plant / Micro-Fern |
| Height / Size | Individual fronds 0.4–0.8 in. wide |
| Care Difficulty | Easy |
| Light Requirement | Medium to High |
| CO2 Requirement | Not Required |
| Placement / Usage | Water Surface Canopy, Algae Control, Livestock Shade |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Water Parameters | pH 5.0–8.0 | Temperature 65°F–78°F (18°C–25°C) |
| Propagation Method | Division (Self-Splitting Stems) / Spores |
| Origin | Americas (Western United States) |
1. How do I keep my floating aquarium plants from dying due to filter flow and splashing?
High water turbulence and constant water resting on the leaves are the main causes of rot in floating aquarium plants. Keep surface flow low, or use an airline tubing loop or floating ring to shield your aquarium floaters from direct filter return or bubbling air stones.
2. Can floating plants help control algae and absorb nitrates in a fish tank?
Yes, these aquarium floaters act as incredible biological filters. Because they sit at the surface with direct access to atmospheric carbon dioxide, they grow exponentially faster than fully submerged species, aggressively consuming nitrates, ammonium, and excess nutrients that fuel nuisance algae.
3. Should I trim the hanging roots or thin out excess surface growth?
Azolla Caroliniana has very short, delicate rootlets that do not require trimming. However, routinely scooping out excess surface growth with a fine-mesh aquascaping net is essential so that your floating plants do not completely block light from reaching your submerged stem and ground plants below.
Overall rating: 3.7142856 / 5 from 14 reviews.
Review topics: ["plants"].
"I literally can't use this. As soon as I opened the box, I could smell the rotting azolla. Like a bag of brown with some green flakes. Held my breath and cut it open to try to salvage some. Realized it's mixed with duckweed. I can't use this, not worth trying to sort duckweed out of the muck. $5 straight into the trash."
"Got the azolla in a pretty small sealed bag and it was immediately obvious it was in bad condition. Brown mush for the most part but I saw bits of sickly green and bits of healthy bright green so I tried letting it do its thing to see if it would bounce back. Now I know on the page it states that there may be "some duckweed mixed in", but as it would turn out the only healthy plants left after everything has fully died off is of course only duckweed. Kind of a lot too compared to the original amount of mush."
"Great! Came quickly and super well packaged. Everything was thriving when it arrived. The rest is up to me!"
"Wonderful plant arrived in bright green colors and a little bit of browning due to delay by Fedex but otherwise gorgeous"
"Nice little floating plant. Got an alright amount."
"the aquatic plants that I have received have all been very healthy, beautiful plants. they have been planted and are all doing well. fast shipping. I would recommend Buce Plants for all of your aquarium needs."
"Everything was delivered in great shape! $200 order. Fast shipping and packed nicely!"
"The product came in okay, but they had planaria and some kind of (large and black) larva. The bladder snails as well as the larvae that came with it eventually ate all of it within a month. I quarantined the plants, but the larvae were not initially obvious."
"Azolla doing great in tank but was sent with a whole bunch of duckweed and Calc. No big deal but I did Hague to spend some time picking those out."
"Out of all the floaters I bought the Azolla has by far done the best and is coloring up in a beautiful red with long, healthy, curly roots! I adore this little fern and I hope to add it to my other tanks."
