I tried a bit of a large ornamental and also the red pigmy ornamental one, split off plants put in a large pond. They did not do well, the larger one staggers on four years later as a couple of leaves, the pigmy one died. They have a deep layer of substrate. The plan was to grow them on faster than the ones in an outside tub and pond. It did not work. I did get one flower, once!
The water conditions are good and other plants, especially watercress grow well. I use brighter lights than most, two fluorescent strips and until recently an 18 hour photoperiod.
The stems of the leaves are very easily snapped if you need to catch a tank resident and when they are growing well they block the light from lower levels in the tank.
Sorry to be so negative, they are beautiful pond plants but I've given up on putting them in any new tanks I create.
I have seen the very vigourous yellow water lily grown in a tank for its underwater leaves but have no personal experience of growing it.
