Water Sprite
$7.99
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Water Sprite
$7.99
- Fine, lace-like leaves
- Can be grown floating or planted in ground
- Easy plant that grows quickly
- Not available to be shipped to Hawaii and Alaska.
Water sprite is an easy-to-grow, aquatic fern with dense foliage that provides excellent shelter for small fish and fry. It can be grown traditionally planted into substrate or used as a floating plant. Water sprite grows fairly quickly when given plenty of nutrients under low to medium lighting. It is often confused with water wisteria because of their complex leaf texture and bright green color. However, water sprite has a more thin, lace-like leaf structure, whereas the leaves of water wisteria are a little more broad and sturdy.
- Scientific Name: Ceratopteris thalictroides (or Ceratopteris siliquosa)
- Native To: Asia, Australia, Americas
- Skill Level: Easy
- Placement: Background or floating
- Recommended Light: Low to Medium Light 10-35 PAR (click to see our PAR chart)
- CO2 Requirement: Low to none
- Preferred Fertilizer: Easy Green liquid fertilizer and Easy Root Tabs if planted in the ground
- Propagation: Trim stems and replant
***Being a natural product, sizes can vary from what is shown.***
How to Plant Water Sprite in Aquarium
1. Remove the potted plant from plastic basket, and split the rock wool in half.
2. Carefully remove the plant roots from the rock wool, and make sure to remove all the small, yellow fertilizer balls. Wash off any remaining debris.
3. Use planting tweezers or your fingers to plant each stem deeply, at least 2 to 3 inches into the ground, which means the substrate may cover some of the bottom leaves.
4. Don’t plant the stem plants all in a single bunch but rather individually with a little space between so that the roots have some room to grow.
5. If the plant keeps popping out of the ground, try inserting the stem at an angle or wrap a plant weight at the bottom of the stem to keep them anchored. If the stems have no roots, some people will float them at the surface until they develop roots and then plant them into the substrate.
How to Grow Water Sprite Aquarium Plant
— Aquarium plant water sprite care is very easy, so start by using low to medium lighting between 10-35 PAR to prevent "leggy" stems (where the bottom portion of the plant starts dropping leaves).
— Why is my water sprite plant melting? This stem plant is grown out of the water at the farm. Once the plants arrive to us, we begin the process of converting them to their underwater form. The plant you receive may be half-converted and still need time to adjust to life under water. To help speed up the transition, provide plenty of light and nutrients to encourage new leaves to sprout as the old leaves melt away. Consider floating the stems at the surface until it grows more roots and can be easily planted into the substrate.
— Why is my water sprite turning yellow or brown? If your stem plant is getting enough light, it may be a nutrient deficiency, so measure the nitrate level using a multi-test strip. Dose with Easy Green all-in-one fertilizer until the water has 20-50 ppm nitrate.
— How to trim water sprite: If the plant is too tall or the bottom half of the stem has lost its leaves, prune off the top portion and replant it.
How to Propagate Water Sprite
Stem plants can be easily propagated by trimming off the top half of the plant and replanting it in another location. The original plant will continue growing upwards from where it was cut and may even create multiple branches.
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Excellent Cover for Small Fish & Shrimp
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Plant Transition
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We Include Heat Packs and Liners Free of Charge
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E
I couldn’t have wished for better plants! I picked this plant to write a review for because every other plant I ordered already had I 5 star review, and I wanted to push this one included in my order as close to that fifth star as I could. I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of plants I received, the excellent customer service, and the speedy shipping; thank you again aquarium co-op!
A
Orfered 3 about a month ago. All for my fish tank. They are doing very well. Thinking about another.
K
Love this plant it is growing like crazy in my tank, but it gives my fry good hiding places.
M
Wanted to add texture to my low tech ten gallon cube tank. The water sprite worked great. Arrived healthy and is thriving.
P
Bought this late March 2026 and it’s thriving in my 21.4 gallon Tideline cube. One bunch came with 3 separate stalks that I planted in the back corner. Two stems broke but it quickly recovered. About 1 new stem a week per plant, and the next stem might reach the top of the tank. No CO2, just LEDs + Fluval Stratum + a root tab. Tiger lotus from the same order has also taken off. Marsilea hirsuta, crypto parva, and Madagascar Lace growing slowly but steadily.
D
I was not expecting this thing to take off like it has. a significant portion of my tank is now taken up by this pretty plant! it had a few stems that melted- in just a few weeks it has exploded! I was away from home for 4 days and i could not believe the growth is has had, it arrived healthy, a great plant if youre looking for something to take up some space or a corner, or even as a main center piece because of its sheer size, the photo doesnt do it justice.
W
This is my second order from Aquarium Co-op. The first one had a few plants, one water sprite. They all were in great condition. Love the water sprite so much I had to order more. This time I purchased two, one was good the other, not so much. It was coming out of the pot and all the branches were broken. I went ahead and planted them both and I'm hoping the damaged one will recover and grow.
Well, after submitting this review Aquarium Co-op reached out to me. They have gone above and beyond to make this right! Great customer service. Definitely the place to buy whatever you may need!
D
I’ve been looking for a while for this plant but didn’t know the name. I was so happy when I took a chance and ordered it. It was a little shocked when it arrived but bounced back fast. Even had two little ones attached that had roots already so I was able to transplant the little ones to other areas of my aquarium. Thank you so much for your product 🥰
K
Hands down one of my favorite plants. It’s a great floating plant or in the substrate. I like to float it for fry can hide and it looks awesome. Aquarium Co Op always delivers happy healthy plants.
R
Arrived in great shape and has been doing well in my tank! Highly recommended and I will buy more for my new breeding rack!
J
So it arrived in rather bad shape - the longer stems were broken and it looked a bit bedraggled - but after trimming the broken bits, it's recovering well!
Edited to add that the customer service is truly incredible!! I got a gift card for the value of the plant almost immediately after leaving this review. Phenomenal customer service. Very satisfied with that.
S
I ordered Water Sprite and crypts. The crypts came in BEAUTIFUL but the water sprite isn’t looking too hot. Lots of broken and brown stems, much of it fell apart in the packaging…still a little greenery here and there so I planted it anyway hoping my substrate system and some fertilizer can revive it? I’m kind of wondering if water sprite maybe just doesn’t ship well? Who knows! Three stars because the packaging was wonderful, the crypts look great, and they sent the most beautiful little rainbow fish sticker as well!
J
New plant in a healthy aquarium. I planted it in the substrate after burying a new fertilizer tablet beneath in in the sand / small pebbles, and added a couple spritz of liquid plant fertilizer to my 20 gallon. Some of the leaves have browned a bit but I read that can be normal for a Water Sprite as it's getting used to its to environment after being replanted. I haven't had much luck with plants before (besides Marimo), but I'm hoping this time is different. I prefer natural products in my aquarium and it's a beautiful addition.
T
So the Aquarium Co-op is as good as you’ve heard ☺️, my future aquarium needs will be purchased from them ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
R
Plants always arrive with no issues, my water sprite is dropping roots, and making baby floaters in the tank. Nothing but 5 stars from me!
N
Always my go to for plants, great selection and quick shipping!!! Great for summer tub ponds !!
A
Very good looking plant. I just got back into planted tanks and wanted to try something new, and I am glad I did!
I had a bit more die back than I expected but after a few weeks and throwing some root tabs in I have quite a few stems shooting up and have about 3 or 4 "pieces" floating that have shot out roots.
Looking forward to when this really takes off!
J
I let this water sprite float in my beta’s 5 gal aquarium and it looks wonderful! My beta loves to explore through the plant, and it has had a lot of new growth. I have lower light and dose easy green every week, and this water sprite thrives under those conditions. This was my first live aquarium plant purchase from Aquarium Coop and I am very happy with it.
M
The Water Sprite plants I ordered arrived in excellent condition and create a beautiful area in my aquarium. Their color is so vibrant!
M
Beautiful healthy LARGE sprite plants! Super fast shipping! I will always purchase my plants from Co Op!!! I've purchased from other shops online
These came so healthy and packaged so well!
C
This arrived with decent color, a few leaves with brown. A couple stems were brown and broken but so far seems to be recovering and sending up new stems. So far I am happy with this purchase, Thanks! (Plant is on the far left of the photo)
A
When. someone orders a plant, they expect to get get a good product from Aquarium Co-Op. Sure it will grow. but this is something not expected from Aquarium Co-Op.
Frequently Asked Questions
SHIPPING POLICY
We process and ship out 98%+ of our shipments next business day.
Live plants will ship using an appropriate service and typically arrive in 2 to 5 business days. Transit times do not include weekends, holidays, or weather delays. To avoid delays in the shipping network we recommend
ordering live plants on Saturdays and Sundays for a Monday ship out.
Dry goods such as fish food, medication, filtration products, etc. can be ordered any day and will ship the next business day with an appropriate service. Typical shipping times are 1 to 7 business day transit time,
depending on delivery location.
Faster shipping options available at checkout for an additional charge.
Alaska and Hawaii have a $17.99 surcharge. We do not ship to Puerto Rico currently.
90 DAY RETURN POLICY
90 Day Return Policy
At Aquarium Co-Op, our goal is to have satisfied customers. We make every effort to inform our customers about how our products work, and what is
to be expected. We recognize that sometimes a product may not completely
meet the expectations of a customer. We take pride in having a
no-hassle 90 day return policy. If you have purchased an item and are not
satisfied, we
will take it back.
To start a return, email our customer service team at shipping@aquariumcoop.com. Please note that the shipping cost of returning an item is not covered by Aquarium Co-Op.
Items being returned may be sent to:
Aquarium Co-Op
Shipping Team
800 Enterprise Dr.
Lexington, KY 40510
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? CONTACT US
Email: Shipping@aquariumcoop.com
Contact form: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/contact-us
Visit our physical store:
Aquarium Co-Op
9661 Firdale Ave
Edmonds, Wa 98020
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Aquarium Co-Op Warehouse
800 Enterprise Drive
Lexington Ky, 40510