Water Sprite Lace Leaf (Ceratopteris thalictroides) - Potted

Water Sprite Lace Leaf (Ceratopteris thalictroides) is the finely cut selection of the classic aquarium fern. Every frond splits into narrow, feathery segments, giving a soft cloud of bright green that catches flow and diffuses light in a way broader plants cannot. It grows fast, needs no CO2, and works planted in the substrate or floated at the surface. This one arrives as a potted nursery plant in rock wool, ready to plant or float. Browse the rest of our live freshwater plants to fill in the tank.

Care Guide

• Light: Moderate to high. More light keeps the plant compact and dense. In dim tanks it stretches and the fronds thin out.
• CO2: Not required. This is a genuinely fast grower without any carbon dosing, which is what makes it such a good nutrient sponge.
• Plant or float: Planted, it forms a bushy midground or background clump. Floated, it trails long roots and throws a shady canopy that bettas and fry love. The lacy fronds look their best floating, where they spread flat across the surface.
• Planting: Remove the pot and rock wool and rinse the roots. Bury only the roots and keep the crown, where the fronds meet the base, above the substrate line so it does not rot.
• Fertilizer: A hungry column feeder. Regular dosing keeps the fine fronds full and green rather than pale and stringy.
• Propagation: Baby plantlets form right on mature fronds. Pinch one off once it has a few roots and leaves, then plant or float it anywhere.

Specifications

Lace Leaf or Indian Fern?

We stock water sprite in more than one cut. This Lace Leaf form has the finest, most deeply divided fronds, so it reads as soft and feathery and is the better pick for a delicate, airy look or for floating. Our Water Sprite Indian Fern is the broader, more upright cut, better as a substantial planted background clump. Care is identical for both, so choose on the look you want. Ask in store and we will show you the two side by side.

Best Uses and Companions

Water sprite is a staple in betta tanks, shrimp tanks, and fry grow-outs. Floated, the fine canopy gives shy fish cover and gives fry somewhere to disappear. As a fast grower it pulls excess nitrate out of the water and starves out algae, which makes it one of the most useful plants you can put in a new tank.

• Neocaridina shrimp, which graze biofilm off the fine fronds all day.
• Java Moss to carpet the hardscape below it.
• Anubias Afzelii for a solid, broad-leaved contrast against all that fine texture.

Recommended Supplies

• Seachem Flourish, water-column fertilizer to keep the fronds full.
• Aquarium Co-Op Easy Potassium for lush green growth.
• CaribSea PyroFlora Substrate if you are planting it in the substrate.

FAQ

Can I float it instead of planting it?
Yes, and the lace leaf form is especially good floated. It spreads flat across the surface, trails long roots, and gives bettas and fry a shady canopy. Planted, it grows more upright and bushy.

Does it need CO2?
No. It grows fast under moderate to high light with no carbon dosing at all, which is exactly why it is so good at outcompeting algae.

Why are little plants growing on the leaves?
That is normal and a sign it is happy. Water sprite sprouts baby plantlets along mature fronds. Pinch them off once they have roots and a few leaves, then replant or float them.

Some fronds melted after I planted it.
Nursery plants are grown emersed and often drop a few original fronds while converting to underwater growth. Keep light and dosing steady and new submersed fronds follow quickly.

Is it safe for fish and shrimp?
Yes, completely. It is non-toxic and one of the best cover and grazing plants for community, betta, and shrimp tanks.