Thinking of starting a planted tank...

[sammbaxter]

I'm thinking of starting a planted tank, because I see them and they just look soooo much better than having fake plastic plants.

I don't want any plants that would be hard to grow or require super special needs, besides specific lighting and some fertilizer, so could any one suggest their favorite plants for beginners? I do really like java ferns but would those be simple for a beginner to grow?

Thanks guys!

 

[big_al01]

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[Fishperson]

Yep Java Ferns are pretty easy. Anubias also. Those need to be tied to a driftwood piece or rock though. Ludwigia Repens is easy to grow also, and can be planted easily.

What tank size do you have in mind?

 

[big_al01]

Right, java fern and anubias do need to be tied, these i buried to take the pic for you and now they are back on a rock. I also have ludwigia repens


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[big_al01]

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[sammbaxter]

Those are very cool looking! Is rock substrate suitable for them? It's what I have in my tank currently but I don't know if sand would be best?

 

[big_al01]

Yeah rock is fine


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[sammbaxter]

My tank is a 55 gallon, but I'm thinking of doing a smaller one, maybe a 10 or 20 to start out with.

 

[big_al01]

Sounds perfect, I recommend beginners starting out small before they get into bigger things. Just so they can get the hang of a planted tank.


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[azmodan]

Java fern ('trident','narrow leaf', 'needle leaf', 'Philippines' are some of my favorite varieties), any anubias, java/Christmas/peacock/or flame moss, bacopa caroliniana or australis, bolbitis, crypts, Amazon swords, and Amazon frogbit are all good beginner plants.

 

[sammbaxter]

Awesome! Thanks for your suggestions..How about lighting though? What light requirements would they need?

 

[azmodan]

Awesome! Thanks for your suggestions..How about lighting though? What light requirements would they need?

Most of those will do perfectly fine in low light, although the swords and bacopas would probably prefer to have light closer to the medium range. The crypts and swords will need root tabs under/near them as they are heavy root feeders. Root tabs can be bought commercially or made yourself (just do a forum search for "DIY root tabs" and you'll see plenty of examples). The other plants will benefit from ferts added to the water column -- a common commercial combination for low light tanks is Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and API Leafzone. Many of us here buy fertilizers in "dry" (powder) form and mix it ourselves as it's much cheaper in the long run but that's something you can learn later once you've gotten a hold of the basics. All of your plants will also benefit from a carbon source, which is different from fertilizers. This is commonly found in the form of Seachem Flourish Excel. Again there are cheaper alternatives but that's something you can pick up maybe after once you've gotten pretty comfortable with things. Hope this helps!

Also can you tell us a little about the lighting that you currently have? Are you looking to possibly upgrade and what sort of budget did you have in mind?

 

[FishCr8zy]

Java fern ('trident','narrow leaf', 'needle leaf', 'Philippines' are some of my favorite varieties), any anubias, java/Christmas/peacock/or flame moss, bacopa caroliniana or australis, bolbitis, crypts, Amazon swords, and Amazon frogbit are all good beginner plants.

Yep these are all great beginner plants. Hornwort, anacharis, dwarf sag, and some vals are pretty easy as well.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Like azmodan said, I would also use root tabs for the swords/crypts. It is up to you if you want to add liquid/dry ferts and liquid co2 or not. Almost all low light plants do not need much fertilizer/co2 so (if you have fish) the fish waste is usually broken down by the plants and is enough.