New plant dilemma

[BlazerFRS]

I've been having some trouble with my plants; and with algae. Now that my goldfish is no longer pooping up the tank everything has gone out of balance and pretty much everything is choked in algae. It's to the point where i'll basically be starting from scratch. I'm looking for new plants that won't be too difficult to cultivate as I'm still very much a newbie at this .

I've compiled this list of possible species from charley's plant list and plantgeek.com... any suggestions on what would be nice to start over with, or any personal anecdotes on keeping them would be really helpful.

Anubias barteri var. angustifolia
Anubias hastifolia
Bolbitis heteroclita
Cryptocoryne becketti
Cryptocoryne wendii "Mi Oya"
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (Pennywart)
Ludwigia repens (primrose)
Rotala rotundifolia "Green"
Corkscrew Val

These are just some possibilies I've come up with, i'm looking to narrow it down by alot, so your advice is appreciated!
TIA

 

[Simpte]

You can add most hygro species, watersprite, and Alternanthera reineckii to your list. Also dwarf sag for a foreground, maybe a glosso foreground. The r. rotundifolia green may be harder to find than the standard which has some red in it.

 

[BlazerFRS]

This topic wasn't too add things it was to take away!

The list above was things I had pulled off the list of plants from the guy (charley) can get. But I do like the look of the Hygros, so maybe I'll give aquariumplants.com a try.

I know the Val and the anubias are going to be fairly easy to grow, so i'll probably get those. Probably the ludwigia too b/c i like the looks of it... I guess there's just too many choices!

 

[Jchillin]

Well, that was one of the problems...kinda hard for plant geeks to suggest lessplants. If it's worth it to you, get the plants from Charley...he is one of my suppliers (and a friend...attends my local aquarium club meetings).

Ok, if there was any plant on your list to drop, it would be the bolbitis.

 

[czcz]

Of the plants mentioned, I think the best is R. rotundifolia, then L. repens, because they are tough and have rewarded me for learning, and both are easy to manage in a ten gal, for what its worth. Crypts are always cool, but as far as I know, C. wendtii Mi Oya is one you are given, trade rare stuff, or pay a lot for. The more common C. wendtii (and wendtii var red and bronze) are beautiful in their own right. Lucens or wisilli are two smaller (and as common) Crypts that look good in smaller tanks. HTH

 

[Robert H]

Algae problems and plant health are in some ways two different issues, and in other ways related. If you have nothing but slow growing plants and you fertilize a lot then you are going to have algae problems. If you have faster growing plants that use up nutrients, then you have to have enough light to keep them happy. I see from your signature that you have over 2 watts per gallon, but is that fluorescent or incadescent light? If it is incadescent, then you actually have very little light at 2 watts per gallon.

Slow growing plants like Anubias, ferns, and Cryptocorynes are the "easiest" plants to grow because of their slow growth they are also harder to kill. Stem plants, bunch plants are in general more difficult to grow because they are more sensitive to light, nutrient, and C02 conditions. There are other general things that help improve the health of your plants: good circulation, good oxygen levels, clean water, regular water changes. This also helps keep algae at a minimum.

The most difficult plants to grow are those that are very sensitive to certain conditions, but you are not likely to have any of those. Lighting and C02 are the most critical issues for any plants.

Vallisneria likes hard water, and although corkscrews are supposed to be the shortest of all the common Vals, they can still get quite tall, so be prepared for them to droop over the entire length of your tank. If you want a short foreground grass plant, consider E. tenellus micro, (not the standard tenellus). It grows fairly quickly and stays about 3" tall

Anubias augustifolia and hastifolia grow to be quite large. They are very slow growing, and if you provide good enough conditions you may be able to keep the plants for quite a while, but eventually they will get a lot bigger than your tank. I think you would be better off with Anubias nana, barteri var barteri, or even coffefolia.

Another plant you may consider for the middle or back is Blyxa japonica.

This picture is a ten gallon tank with blyxa and Petite nana, Blyxa is the grass like plant:

 

[BlazerFRS]

Thanks for your advice everyone,

Jchillin:
I got my first round of plants from charley, and I was satisfied with his service and plants, so I'll definatly be considering him for this next order.

czcz:
Those were two of my favorites on the list so I'm glad they have a good chance of working out.

Robert H:
My lighting is CF so that's not the problem. Would it be ok to trim the val as it got too tall, or would that be bad for the plant?

 

[BlazerFRS]

Are there any good online suppliers of plants besides aquariumplants.com?

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Here tho I've never ordered from there, too many permits to get it into Canada.

You will probably need some cover for your anubias if you are having algae probs, it's very prone to algae.

Nice thing about the link I posted, they have complete biotope kits, so you can order plants that are all from the same habitat/lighting/water conditions.

 

[BlazerFRS]

Well I just placed an order, should be here tues/wed-ish. Here's what I ended up with if anyone's curious:

Rotala roundifolia (6-8 stems)
Ludwigia repens (6-8 stems)
Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis) (6-8 stems)
Cryptocoryne wendtii Var. "Red" (1)
Cryptocoryne lucen (1)

Seems like alot for a 10 gallon, but it was cheap enough that I'll be able to chuck out/donate some if I don't have the room. No real "foreground' plant either, but I've had the worst luck with those so far, so I figured I'd take it easy on myself this time.
Thanks for your advice and suggestions
wish me luck

 

[Jchillin]

You got it Blazer...good luck with your new additions.

 

[BlazerFRS]

Got the plants today and got them in, its a very nice improvment. I'm happy with how it's set up right now; but if anyone has any aquascaping suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Also, I got 3 dwarf puffers-I've added pics in my gallery.
Here's a few pics: