Plant help please! Quick summary at bottom if too lazy to read :)

[PleaseHelp]

So i have a nice 50 gal. I have about 15 fish, all tropical community. tetras, botias, platys danios ect. My tank has a few toys and places to hide, and i want to plant it, as i am seeing these very beautiful planted tanks. I want to get something like that. I currently have a measly 3 plants, 2 are sword tails i believe, and another plant that i am not sure of the species (it's ugly and wilting) I put in co2 about once a month (it should be weekly, i know but i forget, and am not exactly inspired with just 2 healthy plants and a dying one!) I have a few concerns about planting. How do i get my plants to be bigger? Mine are about 3 inches high only! Do I have to take them out of the plastic that contains their roots that they came in to help them grow? Also, another concern is costs. Sword tails are like 5 dollars (maybe a bit more or a bit less, haven't bought plants at petsmart in months. To get a good amount of my tank planted would be a fortune! I don't want to get lots of plants for the to die, I don't have much money to waste. Please help

P:S I am aware this was hastily written and poorly punctuated, sorry about that

If too lazy to read, i just need to know how to get mine to grow, which ones to buy, how to help them live and be pretty, and how to save money while planting the tank. Thanks a ton!

 

[biondoa]

I don't know what kind of lighting you have, but I would imagine it is not an expensive plant light, so you would be best to go with low light plants that do not require co2, or high light. They usually will live and grow with just the fish waste as fertilizer. Some of the easiest are Java Fern, Anubias, and Valisneria. Plants can be expensive so you can start with just one or two. You should take them out of the pots and remove the stone wool that is around the roots. You can usually make 3 or 4 plants that way. They grow slowly, but they will spread. The Val you just plant in the gravel and it will spread by runners and before you know it, you will have a jungle. It is a pretty tall plant that sways in the current of the water, but you do have to keep it in check. Hope you have good luck with you new plants. Also, lights should be on from 8-10 hours for the plants to thrive.

 

[PleaseHelp]

thanks so much

 

[ImACoolguy]

I answered your other thread but please don't make more than one thread of the same topic you will get answers.


Caleb

 

[Bbarb27]

Low light plants don't grow fast but can survive and flourish in a low light aquarium. Water sprite (wisteria) and anacharis are both plants that you can let float at the top (closer to the light) until they become established and then plant them in the substrate. Java fern and anubias both can be tied to driftwood or small rocks (don't bury the rhizome part of the plant). Amazon swords are root feeders, so it's advisable to buy root tabs to help them grow.

I put aponogeton bulbs in a 10 gallon aquarium to help establish a planted look without a lot of work or money. Some died or got moldy, but the ones that started to grow really took off. Bulbs are inexpensive way to add plants to a tank too. Just make sure they are aquatic bulbs

 

[biondoa]

Almost all of my bulb plants got moldy fairly quickly and did not produce a nice look in the tank. Through many years I have never liked anacharis. I may just be unlucky with it, but I find it usually falls apart and makes a mess. Java fern is a fool proof plant. Slow growing, but very hard to kill and needs just some fish to make it happy. If you have any snails or shrimp in your tank, you may want to check with your pet shop. some of the large chain stores treat the plants with snail killer and you may not want to introduce that into your tank.