Starting with Live Plants

[SpAceGiRl94]

Hello all,

So I've decided to take the plunge and experiment with live plants in a 3 gallon that I'm getting back from a friend. The filter is most likely a whisper 3i filter as the tank is the start up kit from Walmart. There isn't anything in the tank right now, not even gravel. I plan on using some excess gravel from another tank as substrate and I'm going to be doing a fish less cycle. I'm leaning towards making it home to a family of shrimp or snails, or possibly home to a single betta but I'm not sure yet. I don't want to start this process though until I'm sure on what I'm putting in there so then whatever creature I put in there will be the happiest it can be.

My questions are, would it be easier to learn about live plants in a tank this small with or without fish? Should I experiment with live plants in a larger tank (such as my 10 gallon or incoming 30 gallon tall)? As a beginner, do I really need the CO stuff that I've been reading about in some of the other posts? Or can I just put a low light beginner plant in a tank and walk away? (I prefer the walking away option but I'm fine with trimming the plant occasionally as it's a plant and I know it'll grow). And what beginner plants do you guys recommend? I really like the idea of pennywort, but I can't find it anywhere near me and I don't know about getting a live plant (or live anything) shipped to me (anyone experience this? Tell me how it went and what you would change?) I do have a PO box outdoors just so people know (and it's still winter here in Indiana).

 

[SaraB]

I highly recommend a small species of anubias. If you get shrimp they will hide in it or if you get a betta it will rest on it's leaves. They are very hardy plants that don't need a lot of light or any extra care.

 

[ZxC]

Even the most basic, maintenance free tanks should receive a small amount of fertilizers. I would suggest Thrive for low tech, and follow the directions on the bottle.

Flourish Comprehensive can work too, it just does not contain Nitrogen, Phosphate or Potassium. Fish waste in a slow growing tank can supply enough of these, but a small bump in fertilizing can really help plants.

Set and forget for a small tank such as yours:

Anubias nana 'petite' -- Attach to wood / rocks / hardscape
Java fern (any sub species) -- Attach to wood / rocks / hardscape
Basically any moss -- Attach to wood / rocks / hardscape
Crypt lutea 'hobbit'
Crypt Parva
Crypt lutea
Sagittaria subulata
Echinodorus tenellus
Basically any Bucephalandra species -- Attach to wood / rocks / hardscape
Hygrophila corymbosa 'compact'
You can try any species of Myriophyllum BUT YOU WILL have to likely trim.

 

[SpAceGiRl94]

Okay. Thanks! Are most of these plants available at most fish stores? I'll research both of those fertilizers.

With the live plant, do I need to do anything special to quarantine it? Or can I stick it in the tank while the tank is at the end of the cycle, wait a week or so, and then place the betta or snails within the tank? (I'll be "feeding" the tank fish food while its cycling). Is fish waste, light, and some fertilizer the only things the plant will need?

 

[SpAceGiRl94]

Okay. Thanks! Will the plant need anything other than fish waste, light, and some fertilizer? And at what point in the cycle can I put a plant in the tank? I plan on "feeding" the tank some fish flakes while its cycling to give it some ammonia, but can I wait approximately 3 weeks, put the plant in, wait an additional week and then put the snails or betta in depending on ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? Basically at what point in the cycle is it best to add a live plant? And is there anything I need to do differently during water changes with a live plant?

Sorry so many questions, I just want to make sure I do it right and not make any creature have a miserable time in my tank.

 

[ZxC]

Most of those plants I mentioned are commonly available.

Plants require light, CO2 (ambient levels from the atmosphere are fine in your case) and nutrients.

What light do you have? What are the dimensions of your tank?

Fish waste will provide NO3 (Nitrogen) and PO4 (Phosphorous) and K (Potassium). Fertilizers such as Thrive will also supply these nutrients. The other nutrients plants require will found in your local tap water (such as calcium, magnesium, iron etc.) but others might not be, which is why I recommend an all-in-one fertilizer or at least a basic Flourish Comprehensive fertilizer to supply the micro nutrients plants require.

You can look for some Osmocote+ granular fertilizer and push some of the granules into the gravel near rooted plants such as the crypt species I had mentioned. This is a good option for low tech.

Add plants straight away, they actually utilize ammonia "better" than nitrate. You should rinse them off in tap water to remove loose/dead tissue, snails and algae. Or you can avoid all impurities and buy tissue culture cups that are commonly available such as Tropica 1-2-Grow

 

[SpAceGiRl94]

The light is the one that came with the tank. It says it is an LED light with multiple colors and it comes with a timer for continuous, 4 hours, or 2 hours. The tank is a cylinder tank that is 9.5 inches in diameter and 13.75 inches in height.

So should I get the Flourish Comprehensive? I was looking at aquarium fertilizers earlier today and it seems like a good option for both my budget and fish happiness. And then in addition to that get the granular tabs?

 

[ZxC]

The light is the one that came with the tank. It says it is an LED light with multiple colors and it comes with a timer for continuous, 4 hours, or 2 hours. The tank is a cylinder tank that is 9.5 inches in diameter and 13.75 inches in height.

So should I get the Flourish Comprehensive? I was looking at aquarium fertilizers earlier today and it seems like a good option for both my budget and fish happiness. And then in addition to that get the granular tabs?

Flourish Comprehensive contains no Nitrate, Phosphate or Potassium. I would look into Thrive or ThriveC instead. It contains all nutrients needed by plants except Ca and Mg which should be in your tapwater anyway.

Tabs are a good option as well. DIY ones or granular ones are more efficient than the Flourish ones.

I'm unfamiliar with that light, so I'm not sure it can supply enough light for plants or not.