What plants should I add to my 20 gal

[keegster803]

What plants should I add to my 20 gal high tank?


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[azmodan]

Can you tell us more about your tank? Lights? Ferts? Co2/excel?

 

[keegster803]

I don't have any ferts or CO2 diffusers and all of those things. I have the lights that came with my Marineland 20 gallon starter kit


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[azmodan]

Cool, sounds like you have a lowlight lowtech tank. Java fern, anubias, crypts and Java moss are all plants you can try in your tank. The crypts will need root tabs under them while the others will benefit (although not required) from ferts added to the water column. Something simple like Seachem Flourish Comprehensive would suffice.


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[keegster803]

Do I need any substrate? Or is gravel fine?


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[azmodan]

Gravel is fine. There are definitely better substrates out there but for the most basic lowtech tank gravel will grow easy plants. Any java fern or anubias you get will be tied into something (such as driftwood or whatever decor you have) anyway and not places into the substrate.

 

[keegster803]

I have some amazon swords in there, what do they need?


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[azmodan]

Root tabs under them and potentially more light (not exactly sure what lights your kit comes with but it's likely pretty low). Swords are heavy root feeders and gravel will not retain nutrients, hence the need for root tabs. You can buy commercial root tabs from places like Amazon, your LFSs, variously online retailers, jetajockey here on the forums, or also make your own. Just do a forum search for DIY root tabs, they're pretty easy to make.

 

[keegster803]

Ok, thanks, and would a layer of substrate on top of the gravel help the plants?


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[azmodan]

Potentially, depending on what it is. However if you're going to do that I'd just aim at doing all of the substrate one thing. A common and relatively inexpensive substrate that is good for plants is Eco Complete (around $20 shipped for a 20# bag on Amazon). If you have deeper pockets there are a ton of expensive but excellent plant substrates out there too, but in the beginning as you're getting started I'd try to keep it simple and inexpensive.

 

[Hoffman]

+1 for Azmodan!

Java Ferns are awesome! You'll get some free plants out of them.

Crypts are beautiful! So neat. Sometimes they get crypt melt, but soooo great watching them grow back!

Anubis are ok, nice and green!

If you want some quick growing, you can get hornwort. You'll be throwing out handfuls of the stuff in no time.

For a fast growing background plant, cobomba is pretty good. You can trim and replant the stems.

 

[Hoffman]

Oops....I see the cabomba....sorry!

 

[keegster803]

Wait, the ones in the back are cabomba? And they aren't doing that well, any advice?


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[Hoffman]

Not really, they just grow. I use to let mine grow to the top, and then cut them and planted the tops close together to make them look like a bush. Take the tops, group them, get some plant weights, and plant. If you wanted you could eventually have the whole back covered!

They should be pretty easy. When I had them I didn't have any special soil,and just regular soil. The only ferts I used were liquids.

 

[keegster803]

Ok, thanks, and how much off the top did you cut them by?


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[Hoffman]

Once they reached the top I'd cut off about 8-9 inches or half way down the plant depending on how high they were and plant the tops. Then I'd leave it grow back up to the top. As they grow the bottoms get all ratty looking. Lots of people throw that piece out, I keep them. It's the top that is the bushiest, and it's that part that grows the most, but if you keep the bottom they could grow side shoots depending on tank conditions, so basically two tops. It's really up to you. A great plant and really easy to keep.

 

[keegster803]

Ok, and would the DIY tabs be safe to use if I have RCS I'm there?


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[Hoffman]

Do they have copper? Shrimp don't like copper.

 

[keegster803]

Copper sulfate, is that harmful?


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[Hoffman]

(I think) copper sulfate is a trace element of copper. I could be wrong. Copper found in meds is what is harmful for the shrimp. Copper sulfate that can be found in some fish food is usually one of the last ingredients. Just like our food, the last item in the ingredients list is the stuff that's the lowest in quantity. You might want to do a bit more research on it.