20g Selecting Plants

[Arical]

I am just starting to look into plants for my aquarium now and am looking for a some opinions. After spending some time on plantgeek I updated my previous plant list to include a few more med-high/high light plants. I have no idea what combination of these I want to use, but I am starting to get a pretty good idea. I'll maybe post some pictures within the next while of the current setup (with no plants).

Some base information about my tank.

• Size: 20 gallon high
• Occupants: 4 Peppered Corys, 1 Albino Cory.
• Lighting: Hagen Glo T5 (2x24W) (ordered)
• CO2: Pressurized (ordered)
• Ferts: Root tabs
• Substrate: PFS

Full thread can be found here.

Possible Plants

Background Plants
-----------------
Hygrophila salicifolia
Vallisneria
Cyperus helferi

Mid Plants
-----------------
Hygrophila Corymbosa
Amazon Sword [Echinodorus bleheri]
Dwarf Hairgrass [Eleocharis acicularis]
Anubias barteri v. ' nana'

Foreground Plants
-----------------
Microsword [Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis]
Riccia [Riccia fluitans]
Glosso [Glossostigma elatinoides]

Floating Plants
-----------------
Water Hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes]

I don't plan on including all of these, especially at the start. I happened to find these ones intriguing.

If anyone has a favorite plant or any recommendations I would be glad to hear them! Also if people have any of these plants in their tanks I would be interested to see some pictures or just hear about how they are growing and a little about their setup.

Also, would it be possible to recreate anything like this? It is a 15g tank that I find amazing!

[fort384]

For foreground I would go with the microsword over the riccia. In my experience, while riccia looks great, it is really a floating plant so to use it as foreground you have to tie it down with something. It grows quick in the right conditions so constant adjustmant to keep it on the bottom becomes a pain in the butt. The lilaeopsis stays planted and grows well once established. It will do fine with the equipment you have ordered.

[Arical]

Once again thanks fort, I really enjoy the lilaeopsis and from several of the tank logs that I have seen it seems to stay around longer than similar plants.

I should have mentioned that my overall goal is to create a system that won't require constant attention or a high fert dosing regime. I don't mind weekly or so trimming, but I would prefer not to have daily maintenance.

For controlling algae in my plants I have MTS, but I don't really know how effective they are. Should I consider something like an SAE, small pleco, shrimp, something else? I have noticed quite a few people have SAE, would 20g be too small for one of them?

[fort384]

I had 3 SAEs in a 29G with a bunch of other community fish. They did just fine. They really did a good job at cleaning up hair algae and even BBA. Just make sure you are getting true SAEs and not the look alikes. There are several species that are sold under the name SAE (whether unwittingly or otherwise...).

I think they can get aggressive if they aren't kept in groups... so 1 might not be a good idea. Some others with experience might be able to refute that as I never tried it.

[ricardo48]

I think its the opposite... the "true" crossichelus siamensis SAE gets aggresive in groups especially if males while the flying fox ( crossichelus oblongorous ) Fake SAE is not aggresive generally if kept in groups.

I have had both species and they both ate algae in my tank... BUT as the Fake SAE get older they stop eating algae while the True SAE does not. Also it eats a wider range of algae types.

[fort384]

hmm, interesting. I kept 3 true SAEs in my tank and they were about the most docile fish I had. Maybe I got lucky.

[ricardo48]

Maybe... I think there is no black/white answer. Depends on the fish personality, its environment and other tank mates.

And yes I am suggesting fish have "personalities"

[mfdrookie516]

Originally Posted by ricardo48

Depends on the fish personality, its environment and other tank mates.

And yes I am suggesting fish have "personalities"

That is a very good point... ive heard of people having some of the most ridiculous sounding fish together, compatability wise should NEVER be put together in a tank, and live hapily for 5-10 years. There will always be somebody who cant keep two fish together that "should" be able to be kept as well as somebody who can keep 2 fish together that "shouldnt" even be tried.

[timwag2001]

Originally Posted by mfdrookie516

That is a very good point... ive heard of people having some of the most ridiculous sounding fish together, compatability wise should NEVER be put together in a tank, and live hapily for 5-10 years. There will always be somebody who cant keep two fish together that "should" be able to be kept as well as somebody who can keep 2 fish together that "shouldnt" even be tried.

lol true. i have a carinotetraodon salivator as a community fish. he's very docile and leaves all of the other fish alone.

[fort384]

Agreed