Plant Plans

[WaterPond]

Well, i am setting up my 50gal this weekend, and i wanted to run by my plans for plants.

I temporarily have three different lights
one 25w flourecent strip, one 20w flourecent strip, and one 26w CF =
71w total.

The tank dimensions are 3ft. x 19inches high x 18inches wide

Plants wanted:
-Vals of different kinds
-crypts of different kinds
-lace java fern
-java moss
-anubias species
-hygro polysperma
-brazillian pennywort
-dwarf hairgrass(maybe)
-water sprite

Any other good low -med light plants i could add?

Critisism is welcome, please tell me if anything is wrong with what i am doing.

I will eventually do a DIY hood, so i will upgrade lighting then too.

Thanks everyone!

 

[rkilling1]

Sounds good. Make sure you keep a photo log of the process for us.

Are you going to have enough room for all those lights? Oh, and what is one 26w CF 71w?

 

[WaterPond]

i thought that might confuse people. I tries to edit it but i wouldent let me. I for got an "=" sign there. All of those added together = 71w

Thanks for the feedback. Anybody have some more suggestions?

 

[drobertson]

I think he means 71watt total.
Opps he was typing at the same time

 

[WaterPond]

LMAO!, i hate when that happens

 

[drobertson]

LOL, yeah me to

 

[WaterPond]

well, any more advice?

 

[drobertson]

I think your list looks good. The only thing on there that I could help with right now would be Java Moss. I had to trim this weekend and sold them to my LFS. If you can not get any up there let me now and I will check in to sending some. could also have Brazilian Pennywort

 

[WaterPond]

oh, i have loads od java moss which i dont have anything to do with. Same with pennywort. I also have some cardamine lyrata laying around, how do you think that would fair in my tank?

 

[drobertson]

A 50g with 71w of light. Is that going to be enough light for cardamine lyrata, If I remember right most places say that is a high light requirement.

 

[WaterPond]

i have a little bit in my 15gal for my killies to hide in. That is only a 13w CF bulb on that tank.

 

[Jchillin]

*I fixed the wattage total in first post*

I like the plan. I had a similar wpg ratio in my original layout and it worked very well. I also planted quite a few traditional "high-light" plants just to see...

 

[WaterPond]

ok, i think i will try what is there, and maybe a few stems of higher light plants from my 5gal.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

One thing you might look at, Wisteria will probably be better than the Water Sprite. When I had Water Sprite, it grew upward and got so huge at the surface that it kept uprooting itself. The Wisteria not only grows up, but also spreads itself out, so you don't see a narrow stem going on up to a huge wad of plants at the surface, lol.

A couple other ideas for stem plants is R. rotundafolia, L. repens, Hygro, Asian Ambulia. A ground cover that might interest you is Elatine Tiandra. It does very well in lower lighting. I thought it was a ground cover, but it also grows up if you train it. I have some actually climbing another plant like Ivy, lol. It's quite the plant.

 

[WaterPond]

I have Wisteria, but i never have good luck with it. The stem always rots. My lfs has some nice potted water sprite that i am going to get. I will try it, see how it does.

Elatine Tiandra, i was PMing you about that before. You said you would let me know when you have some extra. I love the look of that stuff!

I am going to keep an eye out for asian ambulia too, i like the look of it.

Thanks for your help