[Objective] The effects of wetland plant species, plant coverage and treatment time on the purification of antibiotic-containing livestock waste water were investigated in order to provide the basis for utilization of wetland plant floating beds technology to efficiently remove pollutants and antibiotics from livestock waste water.[Methods] Plant floating beds were constructed using Brachiaria mutica and Cyperus malaccensis Lam. var. brevifolius, respectively. Three different plant coverage areas (20%, 40% and 60%) were set for each plant bed. The purification effects of plant floating beds on chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfadiazine (SDZ) were monitored at different treatment times.[Results] The water quality was improved with the treatment time:pH value became neutral, dissolved oxygen (DO) content and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) increased, and the concentrations of COD, nutrients and SDZ decreased. Plant species had no significant effect on water pH value, DO, ORP and COD, but had significant effect on water nutrient removal. B. mutica performed better in the removal of ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) than C. malaccensis Lam. var. brevifolius, but no significant difference was found in terms of SDZ removal between the two plant species. In general, plant beds with 60% coverage area was more conducive to the removal of pollutants in water, but was not conducive to DO diffusion.[Conclusion] The floating beds constructed by B. mutica with 60% plant coverage had the best removal efficiencies. After 47 days of operation, the floating bed simultaneously removed 88% of the COD, 97% NH₃-N, 89% TN, 94% TP and 43% of the SDZ in the wastewater.