Short broad leaf plants?

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NigelK8485

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Louisville, KY
I'm looking for suggestions for short broad-leafed plants to put in my tank at the base of my driftwood. I don't want something I'd have to tie to driftwood. Low to moderate lighting. I love the way tiger lotus leaves look but I just don't want them to grow tall. Any suggestions? It's a low tech tank, no co2 injection, sand substrate supplemented with root tabs and liquid fertilizers.


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Anubias is going to be a sure thing.. anything else may just be a disappointment.

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I second anubias. Originally thought it was kinda boring but once it grows it looks fantastic. The leaves are really wide and have a brilliant green color. You could do the smaller Nana variant but I have regular anubias in my 10g and they're fine.

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Plus they're bullet proof. You could stick them in a bucket with a clip on reading light and it would still grow.

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I think I agree with everyone - anubias will work if you don't bury the rhizome. That's how I have them in my tank. There are some short sword plants that might work as well as some crypts that don't get as tall


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I have Anubias nana and congensis already and they have grown relatively tall and not as tightly as I'd like for this plant to be. I think I found something though, the hygrophilia corydosa var. compact.


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Right now I have two of the current USA led+ lights. I have two marineland Doublebright LEDs in storage. What would be a reasonable height to maintain tiger lotus relatively low?


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How tall is the tank? I had great success with 2 sat plus

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28". It's 6' long, I've got two of the 36" ones laid across it on glass.


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Oh.. not enough...

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If your budget permits and you're willing to use a few small pieces of lava rock you could go with any of the large leafed bucephalandras. Not the cheapest option (prob looking at $10-$20 per plant) but they do fine in low tech and I use them as low covered foreground plants (such as under "trees"). Some of the smaller anubias options like nana 'petite' bonsai could work nicely too. Check it: http://www.aquaplants.biz/pics/anubias-nana-bonsai.jpg (not my pic)

Aside from those I like jetas suggestions a lot, and also crypts.


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If your budget permits and you're willing to use a few small pieces of lava rock you could go with any of the large leafed bucephalandras. Not the cheapest option (prob looking at $10-$20 per plant) but they do fine in low tech and I use them as low covered foreground plants (such as under "trees"). Some of the smaller anubias options like nana 'petite' bonsai could work nicely too. Check it: http://www.aquaplants.biz/pics/anubias-nana-bonsai.jpg (not my pic)

Aside from those I like jetas suggestions a lot, and also crypts.


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Are those the buchephalandras? I love the big leaves on the far left and right but if something like that won't work I do like those a lot.


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Those are the nana 'petites'. The ones on the far left and right are likely the normal version of anubias barteri. There are so many types of really awesome and different looking anubias, crypts, and buces. Even a bunch of crypt parva might work for you (although it isn't large leafed, just short and easy to grow), plus you can often buy it in bulk for pretty cheap. Here's a pic of what buces look like:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/ragn4rok/Plants/Bucephalandra/DSCN0802.jpg

(Not my pic)


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