Low light plants with a bit of color (other than green)...

[w1kk3d]

Hey guys, have a 55g tank with a mixture of 60lbs of sand and fluorite as a substrate, a pair of t5 HO florousent bulbs, 3 large pieces of driftwood, and 5 bundles of Anacharis. Looking to add more plants but would love to add some color. Help!

[Coursair]

Originally Posted by w1kk3d

Hey guys, have a 55g tank with a mixture of 60lbs of sand and fluorite as a substrate, a pair of t5 HO florousent bulbs, 3 large pieces of driftwood, and 5 bundles of Anacharis. Looking to add more plants but would love to add some color. Help!

Ludwigia repens has pink under the leaves and gets some nice color.
Ludwigia "red"
Dwarf Red Tiger Water Lily
Crypt wendtii red or bronze

Look at texture and shape also

[TheNamelessPoet]

Rotala Macrandra was always one I liked

[aqua_chem]

Most of this will either need CO2 to flourish, or will have disappointing color without it.

[Luananeko]

You have similar lighting to what I use in my 75 gallon. I've been told the dual T5HO fixtures are actually medium to high lighting. These are the non-green plants I've been keeping so far successfully without CO2, just dosing Excel on water changes:

Sunset Hygro (Hygrophila Polysperma var Rosenervig, gorgeous pink top leaves with white veining, illegal to ship across state lines but you can get from in-state traders)
Ceylon Hygro (Hygrophila Polysperma var Ceylon, coppery red leaves, illegal to ship across state lines but you can get from in-state traders)
Red Cabomba (Cabomba Furcata, fine leaves that range from coppery to pink, grows like crazy)
Narrow Leaf Ludwigia (Ludwigia Repens x Arcuata, green leaves with pink undersides)
Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea lotus 'Red', big red lily leaves, trim the long runner leaves if you don't want it growing on the surface)

All of these appreciate iron supplements to really bring out their color. Hope this helps!

[w1kk3d]

Originally Posted by Luananeko

You have similar lighting to what I use in my 75 gallon. I've been told the dual T5HO fixtures are actually medium to high lighting. These are the non-green plants I've been keeping so far successfully without CO2, just dosing Excel on water changes:

Sunset Hygro (Hygrophila Polysperma var Rosenervig, gorgeous pink top leaves with white veining, illegal to ship across state lines but you can get from in-state traders)
Ceylon Hygro (Hygrophila Polysperma var Ceylon, coppery red leaves, illegal to ship across state lines but you can get from in-state traders)
Red Cabomba (Cabomba Furcata, fine leaves that range from coppery to pink, grows like crazy)
Narrow Leaf Ludwigia (Ludwigia Repens x Arcuata, green leaves with pink undersides)
Red Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea lotus 'Red', big red lily leaves, trim the long runner leaves if you don't want it growing on the surface)

All of these appreciate iron supplements to really bring out their color. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the advice! Curious though, why are the Hygro's illegal to ship across state lines?

[Luananeko]

Originally Posted by w1kk3d

Thanks for the advice! Curious though, why are the Ceylon Hygro illegal to ship across state lines?

All of the Hygro Polysperma varieties are on the noxious weed/invasive species list (at least in the US). Although we keep the plants in our personal aquariums, there's always the bad egg that doesn't properly dispose of their cuttings, which allows the plant to get a foothold in the local waterways. Since these plants are so easy to grow, adapt to a lot of water conditions easily, and grow so quickly, it's hard to get rid of them once they're established. Shipping across state lines is prohibited to attempt to limit the plant's spread. Hence the only sanctioned way to get any cuttings/specimens is from in-state traders or your LFS.

You'll occassionally find some folks that don't know about or don't care about the ban, so it's still possible to get the plants from someone out of state. You probably wont get anyone beating down your door or slapping you with fines, but obviously it's highly frowned on.