Low light, low tech tank!

[Welsh]

After nearly 2 years I have given up on trying to 'aquascape' my fish tank! I have recently realised that I can only grow anubias and java fern - those really are the only things I can keep alive, but trying to 'scape' your tank around these types of plants..... is really difficult!! I have 1.21 wpg over a 12 UK gallon tank.

Here is a picture of my tank..... I know its terrible!!!

Basically my question is..... can someone please help me with ideas of what I can put in this tank, and where? lol If the tank is only an anubia and java fern dedicated tank... thats fine. I just need help! haha

Thanks

 

[jpchin]

i think the tank actually looks very good. do you have artificial plants and live plants? i'm wondering because i see that red plant in the corner and i'm not sure if it's live. the only thing you might want to do is put some kind of background on your tank. but i do really think it looks great.

 

[aqua_chem]

There are plenty of naturally red plants. Some don't even require high light levels.

 

[Welsh]

Yeah its a mix of fake and live plants, at the moment, its not really working for me though lol. I changed the background to an all black just last night, I think I prefer it haha

 

[gabysapha]

I think it looks good, too!

Try wisteria: i use it in all my low light/low techs and it has grown really bushy and nice.

I highly recommend using seachem flourish fertilizer. I know you're low tech, and so am I, but your plants will show great improvement from the use of fertilizer. Although I'm unsure if using it regularly will cause algae blooms in low light tanks? Because the plants may not use up all the fertilizer, which may give algae a hold? I dunno. I don't use Seachem regularly. Maybe once a week? Whenever I feel like using it. That's not what you should do but it's what I do and I've never had problems with algae and my wisteria and cabomba grow really well.

Oh you can get hornwort and java moss. I don't like hornwort but it's useful for fry.
You can tie java moss bundles to rocks or wood in your tank, or make it sink or float. Or make a lawn!

Najas grass also floats.
Amazon frogbit is floaty too and i like how it looks in moderation. But mine doesn't do very well it gets yellow. It may be too close to my light...

So you have lots of options! I think cabomba and wisteria are killable, everything else not so much

 

[Welsh]

Thank you

I had wisteria and cabomba - the cabomba I killed and threw out just last week but wisteria I've managed to keep alive before, however, I can't find it in stores over here anymore.

I have seachem comprehensive too but since its for larger tanks, I'm never sure how much to use and always end up killing my fish I'm useless haha

I mainly want to use anubias but I'm not quite sure how, or where to place them lol I'm sure if I just keep buying them and throwing them in the tank, they'll find their own placement sooner, or later haha

Thank you for your help

 

[jpchin]

There are plenty of naturally red plants. Some don't even require high light levels.

could you suggest some red plants that can be in a low light aquarium? i know there aren't many that do well in low light that's why i thought the red was artificial. any help would be appreciated.

 

[aqua_chem]

Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Red' and Alternanthera reineckii (sometimes erroneously called Scarlet Temple) come to mind. The latter might not be red in 'low light' necessarily, but I can definitely see it keeping at least some red in medium-low light. The term "low light" has different meanings to different people.

 

[jpchin]

my tank is a 45 gal. and i have 48w of light. the only good thing is my tank is 56" long but only 12" deep so the light doesn't have to travel very far to get to the plants. i have a few low-med light plants that are doing o.k. but not as well as the low light ones.

 

[Coursair]

There are a lot of low light plants. Mosses can be tied to rocks or DW. Bolbitis also.

With root tabs and weekly liquid ferts you should be able to grow many stems and swords. Crypts are awesome !

Anubias can be tied to something. Or if you plant it only cover the thin roots not the RHYZOME ! There are YouTube videos of how to plant or tie them. You can tie or glue them to decor as well.

 

[Coursair]

It's not just Wattage per Gallon anymore !
Make sure the light is the right spectrum.
The Kelvin rating can save you a lot of headache.

My tanks do well under 5500 to 6700K

I have small tanks so I'm using screw in CFLs on two tanks and LEDs on my newest 10g.

All have live plants.

Decent light, root tabs, weekly liquid ferts after PWC is easy, cheap and grows a lot of plants. NO CO2 beyond liquid CO2 if I remember. None in my Shrimp tank.

 

[StuG]

Also, keep in mind, there are various shapes and sizes of anubias available. Eg. 'Nana' will stay small and compact with more rounded leaves, while 'Hastifolia' will get taller and have narrower leaves. It would be possible to 'scape the tank using just those, java fern, and some java moss if you wanted.
Also, because it looks like you're substrate is gravel you could probably plant them directly, instead of tying them to rocks, wood, etc.
Just make sure you don't bury the rhizome.

 

[Welsh]

Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Red' and Alternanthera reineckii (sometimes erroneously called Scarlet Temple) come to mind. The latter might not be red in 'low light' necessarily, but I can definitely see it keeping at least some red in medium-low light. The term "low light" has different meanings to different people.

I've tried growing the Alternanthera but it doesn't do well - the leaves go limp and die. I wouldn't say it was red, more of a light pink, but its still pretty.
I would like to try the crypt wendtii though, I just can't seem to find it over here - its a pain. lol

How would you describe a 'low light' tank?

Also, keep in mind, there are various shapes and sizes of anubias available. Eg. 'Nana' will stay small and compact with more rounded leaves, while 'Hastifolia' will get taller and have narrower leaves. It would be possible to 'scape the tank using just those, java fern, and some java moss if you wanted.
Also, because it looks like you're substrate is gravel you could probably plant them directly, instead of tying them to rocks, wood, etc.
Just make sure you don't bury the rhizome.

I love 'Nana' I'll definitely be getting more of that one, and the 'Barteri'. I think I tried the Hastifolia before, or it might have been Hetrophylla, and I didn't like it, it was just a bit....leggy? and where ever I put it in the tank, it didn't look right lol.


Would DHG grow in my tank? I have 1.21wpg. 15 watt - 6500k bulb. I also have a 17 litre tank with 7.21wpg - 27 watts- 6500k - The lamp is temporary until I find a new one, I'll likely be getting an 11watt.


Thanks for your help guys