To plant.. or not to plant

[lyquidphyre]

As some of you know im getting a 75gal aquarium soon. I am debating on weither or not I want to have live plants or not.

I do want something fairly easy to maintain with regular aquarium lights... I have no idea where to start! I know java moss and java ferns can be grown in low light. What else is there?

Also, I kind of like the planted tanks that have the "grass" at the bottom- what is that and is it hard(er) to keep?

Sorry im so naive about the topic... I guess im a plant newbie =o)

[patryuji]

the "grass" plants are usually higher light plants (and sometimes I think some stores sell plants that aren't even aquatic but have that grass like appearance).

Hornwort does fine in low light if you let it float (it will be floating next to the light and the intensity will let it grow).
Hygrophila is also a low light plant.

[lyquidphyre]

So I looked at some of the sponsers and I found this at aquariumgardens.com

http://www.aquariumgarden.com/index....&plantid=as081

I don't want a bunch of plants or anything and that is on sale, and cheaper than the "low light" package. Bleh, I dunno

[Fruitbat]

liquidphyre....

If you're up to a trip to Dallas, there are a couple of fish stores that have a reasonable selection of plants that you can keep in a 'low light' tank. As patryuji stated, the 'grass-like' or ground-cover type plants like Glossostigma require relatively high light.

Most Cryptocoryne species and all Anubias species will do well in lower light. There are enough variations in those two genera that you can have tall, strap-like plants in the background, accent plants in mid-ground and low-growing plants in the foreground (or whatever other combination you might desire).

The Fish Gallery on Greenville Avenue (slightly north of the intersection with Park Lane) has a number of nice Anubias species available, along with a few Cryptocoryne species. Boutique Pets on Garland Avenue near the intersection with Buckner Boulevard has a number of different Cryptocoryne species and some very nice Anubias that just came in a couple of days ago. Check these stores out if you have the chance!

Of course...you can always spring for the extra cash and buy a light upgrade for your new 75gallon. You want to shoot for about 2.5 watts per gallon (translates into about 190 watts of light) or more if you want to keep some of the 'higher light' plants. At that level you could try things like sword plants, Vallisneria, and many others.

[lyquidphyre]

Hey! Thanks!!

I tried to look online but you just don't get a true feel of what the plants look like and what you can do with them.

Are their prices reasonable? Im sure when stocking my tank I might take some trips out there as well.

[Fruitbat]

Prices depend on what you're trying to get. The Fish Gallery has some pretty good prices on their Anubias. Boutique tends to be a little higher but they have more variety. They've got some gorgeous Cryptocoryne usteriana there but they're about $16.99 each. They've also got Cryptocoryne blassii, Cryptocoryne parva, Cryptocoryne lutea and a few other odds-and-ends.