Beginner's Advice Needed!!

[cyberkat]

Hi all, I'm planning my freshwater tank, the first one in over 12 years. My tank will have a lot of "plastic plants" (no offense!!) but my interest is growing in live plants. So I am looking for "beginner" low/med light plants that do not require any specialized equipment and only some sort of basic fertilizer if needed.
My aquarium will be a community tank with Dwarf Flag Cichlids, Agassizi Dwarf Cichlids, Kuhli Loaches and some swords. For the substrate I will be using sand (have not decided which type) and I will have either a 40 gallon breeder or a 50 gallon tank.
I have read about Java Moss & Fern and Petite Nana & Moss balls; any other suggestions? Also do any of these plants help with nitrate, nitrite or O2 levels in the aquarium?

Any & all advice appreciated!!

 

[jetajockey]

I'd go with the 40b, it has a great footprint. There's a few different types of java ferns that all work great. Really your plant selection is going to be determined by your lighting. Hornwort, anacharis, wisteria, cabomba, among several others all work well with low end lighting.

I'm not familiar with those fish that you mentioned so I won't comment on that.

I can tell you that with a 40g breeder tank and a single t5ho grow light I can grow most plants yet the lighting is not intense enough to demand Co2 or regular ferts.

Just remember that the toxin reduction properties of plants is directly proportionate to their growth, so if your lighting is really low, don't expect the plants to do much to remove nitrogenous waste.

Best of luck

 

[Gillie]

The dwarf cichlids will do fine in there, if you do m/f with the agassizi get a trio. Males tend to harass single females to death, I've had it happen with a pair i kept in a 40 br and they had the tank to themselves.