Best beginner plants?

[missriss126]

Hello all. I am starting up a 20 gallon long tank that will house some Blue Rams, Rummy Nose Tetras, and Cory Cats. I am wanting to have a few live plants in there and was wanting to know what the best hardly, low-light plants for a beginner are. As far as lighting, I only have the stock full spectrum T8 that came with my Aqueon deluxe hood.

I know Java Fern and Anubias are going to be good options for me. Also, how do you get the plants to start growing on rocks, driftwood, or to take root in the gravel?

 

[Alan79]

You can usually tie roots to rock with some string which will eventually decay and leave the roots attached. Or you cn use rubber bands in some cases. I have two Anubias attached to rocks with rubber bands. For planting things in the substrate i usually just grip the roots with some tweezers and pull the roots down into the substrate until they are pretty much fully covered. The plant can usually take over from there.

Some plants that i found easy to grow under low light are
-Ludwigia (i think it is repens)
- Dwarf chain sword (if the fish don't taste it if they taste it take a photo so you have something to remember the plant by)
- Java moss
- Pennywort
- Anubias
- Crypt Wendtii was added to my tanks with some other crypts last week and it has doubled in leaf size very fast so seems like it may be an easy plant too.

I have two tanks running with plants one has large pebbles, the other a coarse black sand (2mm grains) Plants don't take root particularly well in larger grains in my limited experience. I'd go with a reasonably small grained substrate.

 

[Khuligirl93]

All the above suggested plants are great. I would just add dwarf sag is also very easy and has a short, grassy look to it if you like that. And water wisteria is also very easy and can grow into a nice bushy plant with beautiful lacy leaves.