Water Hyacinth

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes)

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a striking floating plant found throughout tropical regions, best known for its thick, glossy leaves and bulbous leaf bases that help it float. In ponds and open-top aquariums, it creates an instantly lush, natural look while working hard in the background to absorb excess nutrients and help keep water clear.

Water Hyacinth Overview

In the aquarium or pond, Water Hyacinth forms rosettes of rounded, waxy leaves held above the water by swollen, spongy stalks. Long, feathery roots hang down into the water, creating a beautiful, natural curtain that small fish and fry love to shelter in. In outdoor ponds, the plant may also produce showy lavender-violet flowers under the right conditions.

Aquarists and pond keepers value Water Hyacinth for:

• Fast growth and nutrient export: Its rapid growth allows it to quickly pull nitrates and other nutrients from the water column, helping support clearer, cleaner water when combined with good filtration.
• Shade and cover: The floating rosettes spread across the surface, diffusing light, reducing algae-friendly hotspots, and providing shade and security for fish below.
• Highly adaptable use: It can be used in ponds, tubs, and open-top aquariums or sumps as a nutrient-export plant and natural “floating filter.”
• Natural look & root habitat: The long, decorative roots offer excellent cover for fry and small fish, and create a beautiful contrast with submerged plants and hardscape below.

Water Hyacinth looks especially nice when combined with submerged plants in the tank or pond below—such as swords, Cryptocorynes, or stem plants—and framed by aquascaping rocks and driftwood for a complete, layered look. If you’re planting out a new setup or refreshing a pond, our plant packages (available in 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48-plant bundles) are a great way to stock a variety of species at a value.

Disclaimer: Due to local restrictions this plant does not ship to Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, or Wisconsin. Never release Water Hyacinth into natural waterways, as it can become invasive.

Care Guide for Water Hyacinth

Water Hyacinth is very easy to care for and will thrive in most warm, well-lit ponds and open-top aquariums. It has no special substrate requirements because it floats freely; it simply needs sufficient light and access to nutrients in the water.

Under moderate to high lighting and in nutrient-rich water (such as fish-stocked ponds or aquariums), Water Hyacinth can grow and spread quickly. Because of this, regular thinning and trimming are important—both to maintain open surface area for gas exchange and to keep the plant from shading out everything below. Removing excess plants is also one of the main ways it exports nutrients from your system: each handful you remove is a bundle of absorbed waste leaving the water.

You can use Water Hyacinth in outdoor ponds and tubs, where it excels at providing shade, color, and nutrient export, or open-top aquariums or sumps, where it can act as a floating nutrient sponge, with roots dangling into the water column.

Simply place the plant on the surface and let it float—no planting required. Good surface movement and ventilation help prevent leaves from staying constantly wet and encourage better growth. If growth becomes too vigorous, thin the plants regularly and compost or responsibly dispose of the excess.

• Light: Moderate–Strong (strong light encourages very fast growth)
• Temperature Range: 68–80°F
• Placement: Floating (ponds, tubs, open-top aquariums, sumps)
• CO₂: Not required
• Difficulty: Very Easy
• Growth Rate: Very fast under good conditions

With enough light and regular thinning, Water Hyacinth can be one of the most effective and attractive nutrient-export plants you add to your pond or open-top system.

Aquarium Plants at Modern Aquarium

At Modern Aquarium, each Water Hyacinth plant is carefully inspected, cleaned, and prepared by hand before shipping so you receive healthy, vigorous specimens ready to float and grow.

• Top Quality Store & real reviews: Modern Aquarium has been designated by Google as a Top Quality Store and has thousands of individual verified reviews from real customers, so you can shop with confidence.
• Live Arrival Guarantee & fast delivery: All of our live plants are backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee and shipped via FedEx 2-Day delivery to help ensure they arrive fresh and ready to thrive.
• Trusted sourcing: Our plants are sourced from some of the best nurseries in Florida and handled with care from the grower to your pond or aquarium.
• What You See Is What You Get: The images on our site are typical representations of the plants we sell—no unrealistic stock photos. Because live plants are natural products, individual specimens will vary in size, fullness, and exact leaf shape.
• Support when you need it: You can reach us through the chat feature on our website or simply give us a call—we’re happy to help!

Combined with thoughtfully chosen submerged plants like our value-packed plant packages or specialty mixes such as our Bucephalandra Mix, aquascaping rocks, driftwood, and high-quality fish foods from Modern Aquarium, Water Hyacinth can help you create a vibrant, healthy, and beautifully balanced aquatic environment from the surface down.