FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Has anyone tried growing this aquatic bladderwort? I was thinking of trying to grow some in a little 6" x 4" x 2.5" deep plastic container in my terrarium but was wondering if this is too small? Also, would this plant eat fruit flies that land on the water's surface near it or are fruit fles too big? I've read that bladderworts eat very very small things, but that aquatic varieties can eat slightly larger things. Oh, and is stagnant water okay to grow it in or does the water need to be moving somewhat?

Thanks for any info you can give me!

I've tried U. gibba in the past and it's a fantastic floating plant! Once it's settled it explodes into life and I'm sure will quite happily live in a tub if given enough light (would be good to have it a bit deeper than 2.5" though). All you need is clean water and light, really.

It might be worth having a thin layer of peat on the bottom of your container with some sand keeping it held down to help stablilize the pH and stop swings which can damage the plant. You'll need to regularly top the tub up or do partial water changes to stop protein film developing over the surface of the water (I'm not sure if this affects plants but some of mine didn't like it when it happened in one of my betta tanks), it'll also help prevent growth points getting "stuck" above the water line (which happens when water evaporates and the plant dries out). They don't need added aeration.

As far as I know they won't be able to eat dead fruit flies, they eat tiny microorganisms in the water known as copepods, seed shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms and other such critters. They trigger the traps on the plants roots and get sucked in.