From a few aquatic plants I tested to control algae growth in an outdoor water setting, water hyacinth not only produces showy purplish flowers, it is the most effective too.
I planted the mother plant in a vase and let the daughter plants propagate out in a controlled manner. As water hyacinth is a free floating plant, this anchors the plant at placed position. Here, it acts as a water filtration system and a show piece.
Water hyacinth is nutrient hungry, soaking up whatever nutrient it can get from the water body, thus depriving the algae of food. The end result is clear water once an equilibrium is achieved. In fact, the water hyacinth is really nutrient hungry I have to feed it with bloom fertilizer once a week for it to grow happily and flowers.
Water hyacinth can propagates very fast from a single mother plant, but only in nutrient rich water like polluted waterway or pond with agriculture runoff, or to that effect. Here, it only propagates if I supplies sufficient fertilizer to it. The fertilizer is supplied directly to the roots which is pretty much contained inside the vase.
Occasional pruning is needed to removes dead leaves and spent flower stalks. But it is also fine with no pruning as the dead leaves and spent stalks will slowly decompose, providing nutrient.
Water hyacinth also acts as a good shade/shelter for aquatic life in you water body.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hyacinth
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