55 gallon plant help plz

[Lilmack07]

My first 55g planted tank adventure

Just got a 55 gallon I'm going to upgrade my 20 gallon to and I want to make this tank a planted tank. I suck at arranging the plants so they look nice in the tank. I can only grow low light plants I have led lights the tank was the Tetra 55 gallon kit. So what plants would you suggest and where would you place them, like in back, middle or front? I want to get driftwood to go in the tank and also some rock they can swim through and just rocks to lay on the floor of the tank. I want to go with a black substrate, I've heard you can use miracle grow organic choice but I wanted to top it with something to help make sure it doesn't get stirred up easily, but I'm not sure if that's a problem or not. Any suggestions for dark substrates?

For now I am working on spray painting the back of the tank black. May try to start tomorrow if they weather isn't too bad.

 

[Lilmack07]

I want to try out this assortment of plants. Has anyone ever bought an assortment of plants from this website? Also do you think that would be a good way to start the tank off?

 

[nereksnad]

greetings.

if you link the site instead of taking a picture, people can read about what plants are in the package.

in general, the plants that demand more light sould be positioned in the middle of your tank, that is where there is the most light.

it appears these days the standard for planted tanks are shifting over to having some plant soil in the buttom, topped with gravel or sand. I have this myself, and it works well. my gravel is 2-4mm and i don't have any problems with stirr, so you sould be fine with whatever is black, it doesn't have to be fine sand.

 

[Lilmack07]

greetings.

if you link the site instead of taking a picture, people can read about what plants are in the package.

in general, the plants that demand more light sould be positioned in the middle of your tank, that is where there is the most light.

it appears these days the standard for planted tanks are shifting over to having some plant soil in the buttom, topped with gravel or sand. I have this myself, and it works well. my gravel is 2-4mm and i don't have any problems with stirr, so you sould be fine with whatever is black, it doesn't have to be fine sand.

Oh sorry! I will remember that next time. But for this assortment it doesn't tell you what you are getting. It says it just depends on what they have at the moment. But they will all be a selection of hardy low lights.

Oh that makes sense. So I will just have to just figure out what plants I actually have and go from there I i order that assortment.

For the substrate I know what I want now. I'm going to go with the miracle grow organic choice topped with Eco complete. I really love the look the Eco complete gives the bottom.

Thank you so much for all your input!

 

[Rivercats]

You can actually use any Organic Potting Soil, don't buy Organic Potting "mix". I used Just Natural Organic Potting Soil from Lowes. I have the Organic Soil capped with Eco in my 220g and it works great.

As for plants why don't you look at a couple sites like AquariumPlants.com and go through and look at individual plants to see what you might like. Ordering this way gives you the option to pick the plants you like, not just get what you get.

 

[Lilmack07]

Oh ok I may try and look a few others then. The only reason I am going with the miracle grow one is because I knew for sure which one of those to get haha.

Well I thought about starting off with the assortment because it seemed like a good deal money wise and I've heard great things about the site. It just seems the easier way to get a good amount of plants in it right away I guess. Then later I could go on from there picking and choosin what plants I wanted to add. I'd like to work up to a nice heavily planted tank. That way when I one day are able to get my rams they will have plenty of hiding spots and so will everyone else.

I really need to start looking for driftwood and Rick for the tank. In the process of painting the back black today. Got first coat on.

 

[Lilmack07]

Im working on picking out my own plants i want to start with. I did a lot of thinking over what you said i think you are right, i think it will be better if i pick out things that i know are appealing to me.

So far i am interested in:
Anubias, nana
Java fern
Cryptocoryne, wendtii
Anubias congensis

Is there any types of moss i can grow in low light?

 

[Rivercats]

Try Java Moss. I've grown it in tanks with just standard stock lighting. It will grow alittle slower than when grown in higher light but will do fine. It's also the most common moss and usually pretty easy to find.

 

[Lilmack07]

Sweet will do. How man plants would you start off in this size tank? So I can get an idea of the number of plants I want to order to start off the tank.
I was kinda thinking:
Anubis congensis on driftwood x1
Java fern x1
Cryptocoryne wendtii x2
Anubias nana x2
Java moss x1
Anubias barteri x1

What do you think? Too many or too less? Do those plants vary well in places I could put them? Do you think they would look well together? Sorry so many questions. Lol little nervous on actually pulling on a good look planted tank.

Finished painting the back of the tank finally! Laid a blanket down on the stand for now till I know it's completely dry. Lol

 

[fishman793]

Im working on picking out my own plants i want to start with. I did a lot of thinking over what you said i think you are right, i think it will be better if i pick out things that i know are appealing to me.

So far i am interested in:
Anubias, nana
Java fern
Cryptocoryne, wendtii
Anubias congensis

Is there any types of moss i can grow in low light?

I suggest buying your plants from aquariumplantscentral.com.
They have beautiful plants, package them very well and they give you extras.
My order arrived about 4 days ago and they are amazing plus they gave me extras.

 

[Lilmack07]

Thanks for the heads up! I will check out that site and see what's up.

 

[Lilmack07]

I would also like to have some colors other then green in the tank. Are there any plants that have color? I found ludwigia povustris? And cryptocoryne wendtii mi oya. I believe the first is a brownish color and the second is a reddish brown.

 

[Rivercats]

Sweet will do. How man plants would you start off in this size tank? So I can get an idea of the number of plants I want to order to start off the tank.
I was kinda thinking:
Anubis congensis on driftwood x1
Java fern x1
Cryptocoryne wendtii x2
Anubias nana x2
Java moss x1
Anubias barteri x1

What do you think? Too many or too less? Do those plants vary well in places I could put them? Do you think they would look well together? Sorry so many questions. Lol little nervous on actually pulling on a good look planted tank.

Actually in a 55g that isn't many plants at all. When starting a planted tank, even a low light one it helps to start with alot of plants if possible. Since you have low light your more limited in plant selection but were it my tank I'd get:

Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Red, Bronze, or Mi Oya x3
Cryptocoryne Lutea x2 (has a very unique leaf growth and different than Wendtii)
Corkscrew Vallisneria x1 (for verticle growth)
Red Tiger Lotus x1 (for non green color and unique leaf shape)
Java Fern Wendilov x1 instead of regular Java Fern (for unique growth and leaf shape)
Water Sprite x1 (fast grower for absorbing excess nutrients)
Anubias on your list

This will give you a very full look with enough plants that are low light tolerant. You are also going to need to get some type of fertilizer. To start you could get a good liquid fertilizer such as Seachems Flourish Comprehensive and also using a liquid carbon such as Flourish Excel which aids in photosynthesis and plant growth.

 

[fishman793]

I would also like to have some colors other then green in the tank. Are there any plants that have color? I found ludwigia povustris? And cryptocoryne wendtii mi oya. I believe the first is a brownish color and the second is a reddish brown.

The red plants in my tank are the Indian Red Sword, Ludwidia Ovalis, Nesaea sp red, and some dwarf lily plants. The nesaea is the difficult one to keep apparently. The others so far have been putting out new leaves like crazy. Im gonna start a thread about my tank since i just replanted it. I'll try to some pics of the tank and plants but im using a phone for this so no promises.

 

[fishman793]

Remember that all red plants need added iron in whatever way you choose. If you dont add iron then, depending on what plant it is, the plant will either die or the leaves will turn green.

 

[fishman793]

Here are some pics

 

[fishman793]

The bright red is the nesaea, behing it ludwigia ovalis, to the left is the indian red sword and if you look closely at the bottom of the tank at the front near the right corner you can see the dwarf lilies.

 

[Rivercats]

The red plants in my tank are the Indian Red Sword, Ludwidia Ovalis, Nesaea sp red, and some dwarf lily plants. The nesaea is the difficult one to keep apparently. The others so far have been putting out new leaves like crazy. Im gonna start a thread about my tank since i just replanted it. I'll try to some pics of the tank and plants but im using a phone for this so no promises.

Remember the OP has low light and most non-green plants need higher light and are unsuitable for his tank with his current light. Red/pink/yellow/orange plants with a few exceptions need higher light, higher phosphate, low nitrate, and some iron and either CO2 or liquid carbon to attain their best coloring. I keep more non-green plants than green in my 220g.

 

[Lilmack07]

Sweet will do. How man plants would you start off in this size tank? So I can get an idea of the number of plants I want to order to start off the tank.
I was kinda thinking:
Anubis congensis on driftwood x1
Java fern x1
Cryptocoryne wendtii x2
Anubias nana x2
Java moss x1
Anubias barteri x1

What do you think? Too many or too less? Do those plants vary well in places I could put them? Do you think they would look well together? Sorry so many questions. Lol little nervous on actually pulling on a good look planted tank.

Actually in a 55g that isn't many plants at all. When starting a planted tank, even a low light one it helps to start with alot of plants if possible. Since you have low light your more limited in plant selection but were it my tank I'd get:

Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Red, Bronze, or Mi Oya x3
Cryptocoryne Lutea x2 (has a very unique leaf growth and different than Wendtii)
Corkscrew Vallisneria x1 (for verticle growth)
Red Tiger Lotus x1 (for non green color and unique leaf shape)
Java Fern Wendilov x1 instead of regular Java Fern (for unique growth and leaf shape)
Water Sprite x1 (fast grower for absorbing excess nutrients)
Anubias on your list

This will give you a very full look with enough plants that are low light tolerant. You are also going to need to get some type of fertilizer. To start you could get a good liquid fertilizer such as Seachems Flourish Comprehensive and also using a liquid carbon such as Flourish Excel which aids in photosynthesis and plant growth.

Oh ok see thats what i wasnt sure on, i didn't know if i should start slow with a few plants or if its better to go ahead and really plant the tank. I am going to write down all the plants you listed and look them up and get a feel for them so i can start trying to think of placement. See if i can find them all also for purchase as well. This is getting so exciting, i rushed into my 20 gallon so it feels nice to plan out things. lol I will also look into the fertilizer and liquid carbon. I was reading how you use the liquid carbon with your 220g! Which looks amazing! I showed my boyfriend your tank and he was like wooooow. Haha I didn't think you could get a tank like that with out one of those co2 systems though for sure. Will the bottles tell me how much to use of each? Does it just go by tank size? Or the amount of plants you have?

Fishman- Unfortunately right now i don't think i have the proper lighting system for those plants. But thank you so much for your suggestions! Your tank looks really lovely.

 

[fishman793]

Srry, i forgot that you had low light. Rivercats suggestions are great. My main suggestion for a low light plant would definitely be cryptocornes. Before i redid my aquarium about 5 days ago i had low light and a forest of crypts. Very versatile plants.