Newbie at live plants ...

[FishBoy185]

Hi, I currently have an empty 75 gallon tank with no fish, just a big peice of driftwood in the middle and a fake plant. I wanna start with live plants, but Here's the thing, I dont know anything about live plants. Can you guys reccomend some hardy plants? I love hair grass and moss so a little advise on those plants would be helpful too! anyways for lighting I have a standard T8 Fluorescent bulb. Ill be buying a bulb specifically for plants though to get them to grow. And I know nothing about Co2 and all that stuff about root tablets. I currently have pool filter sand as my substrate. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[jglover]

The amount of light you have available is key. With standard T8s you'll be looking at low lights plants, java ferns, java moss, anubias, anacharis, hornwort, amazon swords and crypts would likely be your best candidates. They're all low tech and really will not need CO2. The swords and crypts will need root tabs, but they're easy to obtain and you just shove them in the substrate near the plants.

 

[FishBoy185]

What about hair grass?

 

[prinzlerr]

Dwarf Hairgrass, from my understanding, is a bit harder to grow without high lighting and no CO2 (I've never grown it, so that's just hearsay). As it's a short carpeting plant, I doubt you would be able to successfully keep it with your current lighting. Moss would be a good foreground option for you, and I'm sure some others will chime in with specific recommendations.

I'm a big fan of anubias, which is a low light slow grower that comes in a bunch of cool different varieties. Cryptocorynes are another low light favorite, and I have both anubias and crypts in my low tech betta tank.

 

[FishBoy185]

Okay then ill probably go with a whole bunch of moss and anubias, java ferns, and Amazon swords!

 

[NanoJack]

Why would you start with live plants when you have already started with an empty 75 gallon tank with drift wood and a fake plant with no fish??? Get bored already?

 

[Fresh2o]

I would recommend going to the FW>Planted stickies sections and read up. There is a ton of useful information in the listed articles. You'll probably have even more questions afterwards but at least the basics should be covered.

 

[GuppyRookie]

Get a finnex light for your tanks, might need two. They're a little expensive but have great feedback. As for plants, I love water wisteria and water sprite, you just can't kill them.

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[Coursair]

I love my Crypts. There are a big variety available.

I have 4 species of Java Ferns.

Skip DHG for now. Read up. It's NOT a beginner plants usually. It does best with High Light and injected CO2.


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[FishCr8zy]

I love my Crypts. There are a big variety available.

I have 4 species of Java Ferns.

Skip DHG for now. Read up. It's NOT a beginner plants usually. It does best with High Light and injected CO2.


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+1 Forget about DHG with your type of light. Go with low light plants, especially since you are still new to plants. Don't jump into the harder plants to keep.
I would also keep crypts, swords, mosses (just not java moss because it is out of control), java fern, anubias, and wisteria. You could try vals but not sure if they can do with your lighting.
Since you have that piece of driftwood, attach the rhizonmous plants to it (anubias, java fern, etc) and moss (flame, willow, Taiwan).

 

[FishBoy185]

Why would you start with live plants when you have already started with an empty 75 gallon tank with drift wood and a fake plant with no fish??? Get bored already?

I will be getting fish after the plants.