Plant Ideas

[cmavrik]

Hello,
I have a 55 gallon tank and was looking to get some plants, I already have Java moss and it is thriving. I really like the looks of live plants so I'm open to anything. Thanks!


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[Spencer1044]

It all depends like what kind of substrate do you use. What's your lighting. Do you dose liquid ferts. Do you use root tabs. Do you use co2 injection. Lastly would you like easy beginner plants or a little more tougher ones

 

[cmavrik]

My lighting is a Current Freshwater LED+ I don't currently use any fertilizer because I only have one plant. I'm open to any plant really. Thanks!


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[F.Sam]

Well i can give you a list of a thousand plants... But you have to put us in a direction here.. Background/foreground? Vertical/horizontal growth? Medium difficulty level I'm guessing?
If you help us out, we'll help you ou in return



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[cmavrik]

Well I would like probably foreground mainly with only maybe one-two background. I would like vertical growth and yes medium difficulty. Thank you for the reply!


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[F.Sam]

Medium difficulty foreground plants:
- anubias nana
- pogostemon helferi
- sagittaria subulata
- staurogyne repens

Midground:
- other anubias species (barteri, coffeefolia)
- amazon sword compacta
- java fern

Background:
- echinodorus (amazon sword species)
- ludwigia
- bacopa
- vallisneria species (my favorite)
- hygrophila species

I chose this plants for you, because they are very easy plants to take care of let me know what you think about their looks. Hope this helped


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[jetajockey]

I love the sat+, I have one on my 120. That said, it's not all that powerful, so I wouldn't go crazy with the foregrounds. I would suggest starting with dwarf sag, maybe try staurogyne repens. If you get brave, try downoi, but it may or may not do very well because of the light. These have already been mentioned btw.

 

[cmavrik]

Alright, thanks for the responses, I'm still debating on what to get but I do have another question. Can 6500 Kelvin Blue promote algae growth? I've had it set on this since I got the light and I think that could be a cause of algae. I now have it set to full spectrum.


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[ppo8820]

If you want a simple set up without having to upgrade your lighting or adding CO2, then I would go with Arubias, Java Ferns, Water Wisteria, and Hornwort. Each one is VERY sturdy and can grow in almost any environment. Some are even considered invasive species in their countries of origin. Hornwort for example cannot be released here into lakes as it will take over, but is a nice addition to aquariums and grows rapidly.

I too love the look and benefits of live plants, but I dont have the time or patience for the CO2, lighting upgrades, and what have you, so I researched and these are the plants I have found recommended across all boards for being easy and durable. Good luck!

 

[ppo8820]

Also, the more live plants you have , the less chance of algae growth since the plants will take the nutrients that algae need to actually grow, thus eliminating the issue in most tanks.

 

[ppo8820]

The ones mentioned in my post wont do well with intense or high lighting. If you have a big new light, then you can pretty much go with the harder to grow ones that need the extra light. The low light, easy plants will actually suffer in a tank with too much light.

 

[jetajockey]

The current sat+ is pretty tame, so he'll be in the low to maybe low mediumish range.

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[cmavrik]

Alright, now where should I look at getting these plants? Thanks!


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[F.Sam]

Search for a local aquashop in your area, they should be readily available or you can have them shipped to you via online stores


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[Fresh2o]

Check the classified section in the forum. See who is selling plants or submit a post saying you are looking for (low light, low medium light) plants.


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[Brookster123]

Yep, like fresh said, members.. including myself will often sell or give away their weekly/monthly clippings for the cost of shipping.. it's a great way to start a planted tank with well established trimmings.

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[Fresh2o]

Some online sites I've used include:
Peabodys Paradise
AquariumPlants.com
PlantedAquariumsCentral.com


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