Want surface cover that works as a nutrient sponge? Azolla is a floating fern with tiny overlapping leaves that form a soft mat across the water. It shades out algae, strips nitrate fast, and turns red or bronze under strong light or cool weather.
What You’ll Receive
Our Azolla is sold by portion size and packed in resealable bags. The dimensions below refer to the approximate bag size, not the coverage area after the plants are released into your aquarium or pond.
| Portion Size | Approx. Bag Size | Suggested Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 2" × 2" | 20+ | Great starter portion for nano aquariums and small ponds. |
| Medium | 3" × 3" | 80+ | Ideal for medium aquariums and water gardens. |
| Large | 4" × 4" | 320+ | Best value for large aquariums, ponds, and rapid propagation. |
Please Note:
- Plant counts are approximate since Azolla plants naturally vary in size.
- Azolla is extremely small and reproduces rapidly under suitable growing conditions, so the number of plants will increase over time.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Fairy Moss, Water Fern, Mosquito Fern
- Scientific name — Azolla caroliniana
- Placement — Floating
- Growth rate — Fast
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Medium to high. Strong light is what turns it red
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 65–85°F · pH 5.5–7.5
- Substrate — Not required. Feeds entirely from the water column
- Propagation — Fragmentation
Grower’s Notes
- Keep the surface calm. Azolla will not tolerate strong agitation or spray — water sitting on the fronds rots them. Aim filter outflow below the surface or fence the plants off from the turbulence.
- Thin it weekly. It doubles quickly and a closed mat shades everything below, including your other plants. Scoop out a third at a time.
- Red color comes from bright light and cool water, not fertilizer. In a dim warm tank it stays green.
- It fixes nitrogen through a symbiotic cyanobacterium in its leaves, which is why it grows so fast in water most plants find lean.
Want to go deeper? Read our guide to the Best Floating Plants for Freshwater Aquariums.
Notes
- Azolla grows rapidly and may require regular thinning in well-lit or nutrient-rich environments. Not recommended for tanks with strong surface agitation or high flow.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this floating aquatic plant for arriving healthy with "expertly packaged" delivery. The moss multiplies well and adds color to water gardens and tanks. Shoppers loved the "leaf pattern and dangling roots." Some noted it's tiny and harder to see detail than expected, grows slower than duckweed, and portion sizes vary. Overall highly recommended for tanks and ponds.
- Arrived healthy and has since multiplied.
- The plants were expertly packaged and arrived healthy.
- Love this moss! I love the leaf pattern and how the roots dangle down.
S
Love this moss! I love the leaf pattern and how the roots dangle down.
K
I ordered 5 plants, only the floaters survived the trip, the rest were just mush in the bags, I won't be ordering from them again.
R
Amazing plant. Arrived looking good except the roots had died off and they were a little annoying to separate from the leaf part before putting in the tank but it loves it. I was a little sceptical about buying this plant as I have heard many stories of it just shriveling up and dying but I am so glad I did. As soon as it was in the tank it took off lots of new growth and the roots were back in 2 days.
Final statement - Happy Happy Happy.
S
Arrived healthy and has since multiplied.
C
The plants were expertly packaged and arrived healthy. I purchased them for my water garden.
O
I made 2 purchases separately for azolla I think I didn't do a review for the 1st. They were both perfectly good healthy plants I just needed more.
The first batch I didn't have compost tea on hand to help them along & we had a sudden re-frosting in OH that I wasn't expecting & didn't have time to bring them indoors. They seemed to survive with a little browning on their edges, but then some tree cutters doing work for my neighbor (they had just finished up working in my backyard I gave the neighbor their info) dumped the pool of water containing my azollas (I guess they thought it was in their way?) to back their truck up to the tree on my lot being worked on.
This, of course, prompted the 2nd purchase. Can't wait to see them spread I'm testing this plant out for future poultry feeding purposes. The team provided them swiftly, alive, & healthy I have no complaints.
M
I created a balcony pond ant the fairy moss was shipped quickly in secure packaging, was very easy to drop into the water. added a nice pop of color
B
I ordered this as an experiment to see how it does in my moss only tank which contains a strong colony of shrimp. I have just about every common floater plant out there and never heard of this before. Product arrived alive and well, but I wish the portion size was slightly larger. A small covered about a 3x3 inch surface area of my tank.
I am finding that this is just as messy as duckweed, but grows significantly slower and after one week appears less hardy. Hindsight I probably would not order it again, but 5 stars because I got what I ordered and was fun to try.
D
🐠🐠
S
So happy with my order. A very nice amount of only azolla. Arrived in perfect condition.
D
Thank you
K
Arrived ahead of time, very well packed. So far, doing great!
J
Great
B
It was my first time ordering from Aquatic Plants Factory, so I wasn't sure how much I would get from a "small portion" but after receiving my order in the mail one small portion is way more than I expected. It was a small pouch that was just about completely full. They're a tiny floating plant, so it was awesome to get so many at once! It's also important that they survived the shipping process. I would buy this again!
T
The moss is pretty much as pictured, healthy etc. BUT the scale is hard to determine from the pics. It's really pretty but the beautiful texture is quite hard to see unless you're sticking your face right up on it. In any case, I'm sure it'll do it's plant job of filtering etc, so it's going in the tanks.
A
Super clean and healthy plants. Typical duckweed and snails in but minimal. This was my second order if that says how I feel about it. Would recommend
O
Can I feed my chickens and fish withe this azolla
Hello,
Whether Azolla is suitable as feed is ultimately up to you and depends on your animals' dietary needs.
Our Azolla is 100% organically grown and is not grown using chemicals or pesticides. We cultivate it specifically as a live aquatic plant.
If you plan to use it as feed, we recommend researching whether Azolla is appropriate for your particular species and feeding requirements. If you have any questions about how we grow our Azolla, we're happy to help.
O
How can I get the seeds , can the live plans travel in a suitcase for 8 hours without harming it
Hello,
We don't sell Azolla seeds, as Azolla does not grow from seeds. It reproduces naturally by dividing and spreading, so we sell it as live plants.
As for traveling, an 8-hour trip in a suitcase is generally not a problem as long as the Azolla is kept moist and not exposed to excessive heat or direct sunlight. Once you arrive, simply place it back in water as soon as possible.
If you have any other questions, please let us know!
W
Will this grow in a glass hanging orb in a northern window? I’m looking for a plant (suggestions)that will not get big. I can put a small drift wood in the bottom if needed
Azolla (Fairy Moss) is a floating plant, so it does not require driftwood or substrate. It will naturally float on the water surface. For a glass hanging orb, it can grow as long as there’s a small amount of standing water and it receives bright, indirect light.
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