Jungle Val, or more commonly known as Eichhornia crassipes, is a floating aquatic plant that has become increasingly popular in the aquarium trade. Its popularity is due to its ease of care and propagation, as well as its ability to help keep aquariums clean by absorbing excess nutrients from the water. Jungle Val can be found in most pet stores that sell aquarium plants.
To grow Jungle Val, simply place it in an aquarium with plenty of open space for it to spread out. It will quickly start to send out runners and form a dense mat of foliage on the surface of the water. Unlike many other aquatic plants, Jungle Val does not require any special substrates or fertilizers and will do just fine in regular aquarium gravel or sand. It also does not require any specific lighting conditions and will do well under both low and high light levels. For best results, however, provide it with moderate lighting and plenty of CO2 if you have an aquarium with live plants.
Jungle Val is a very fast-growing plant and can easily become overgrown if left unchecked. To prevent this, simply trim back the plant whenever it starts to get too big for your liking. You can either remove the trimmings completely from the tank or leave them in – they will quickly decompose and add valuable nutrients back into the water column