Water Sprite
Ceratopteris thalictroides
Aquatic Plants Difficulty: Very Easy
📖 About this plant
A highly versatile fern-like aquatic plant that can be grown rooted in substrate or free-floating on the water surface. Its soft, deeply divided, light green leaves create a delicate, lacy appearance. Baby plants develop on the margins of mature leaves and drop off to form new plants, making propagation effortless.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Low to bright
💧
Water
Submerged or floating
💨
Humidity
Aquatic (100%)
🌡️
Temperature
18-28°C
🪴
Soil
Can be planted in substrate or left floating — adaptable to both methods
🧪
Fertilizer
Liquid aquarium fertilizer every 2 weeks, benefits from iron for lush green growth
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
वॉटर स्प्राइट
BN
Bengali
ওয়াটার স্প্রাইট
MR
Marathi
वॉटर स्प्राइट
TE
Telugu
వాటర్ స్ప్రైట్
TA
Tamil
வாட்டர் ஸ்ப்ரைட்
GU
Gujarati
વોટર સ્પ્રાઇટ
UR
Urdu
واٹر سپرائٹ
KN
Kannada
ವಾಟರ್ ಸ್ಪ್ರೈಟ್
OR
Odia
ଓଟର ସ୍ପ୍ରାଇଟ
ML
Malayalam
ജലപ്പന്ന
PA
Punjabi
ਵਾਟਰ ਸਪ੍ਰਾਈਟ
AS
Assamese
ওটাৰ স্প্ৰাইট
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Pantropical — found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide
- 📏 Max height
- 20-50 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 30-60 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Non-flowering
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Insignificant (rarely observed in cultivation)
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Light Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to fish and humans, leaves used as food for herbivorous fish
- 🌱 Propagation
- Adventitious plantlets form on leaf margins — new plantlets drop off and root independently
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic to fish and humans, leaves used as food for herbivorous fish
Common issues
- Melting when moved between emersed and submersed conditions
- Bland color in low light
- Fast growth requires frequent trimming
- Susceptible to snail damage on soft leaves
💡 Care tips
- Delicate lacy fern-like foliage looks like underwater lace
- Can be floated on the surface or rooted in substrate
- Very fast grower that helps absorb excess nutrients
- Great plant for breeding aquariums as baby fish hide in its fronds
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 7 days, fertilizing every 14 days.
