Aquarium plants

[seedcorn]

29 gallon aquarium; average to below average lighting, no extra CO2; I can kill anything it seems w/aquarium plants. Hard water

So what takes low lighting & is hardy?

Pet shop suggested ribbon plant--but it is a semi aquatic. What about java ferns?

 

[patandchickens]

What is "average to below average" lighting? The hood that came with the tank with a single 'normal' fluorescent bulb? Or something else?

The three lowest-light plants there are, are Java moss, Java fern, and Anubias. The latter is distinctly more expensive than the first two but also more "feature plant" looking, as opposed to "miscellaneous green messy stuff". All three of those are pretty darn hardy. If you can't grow them, you need to go to plastic plants LOL

Cryptocorynes are also often reasonably low-light, but many are MUCh pickier about water chemistry, substrate, astrological sign, correct voodoo rituals, etcetera. If you find some cheap healthy-looking ones you can try them, but I would not place bets one way or the other.

One smart thing to do if your light hood is "rather inadequate" for the plants' happiness is to not grow the plants on the "floor" of the aquarium, but rather have them partway up the tank. With Anubias, which has to be potted, this means having it up on something and can be rather difficult to make look nondorky; but java moss and java fern are quite happy to be tied to the mid to upper reaches of a piece of aquarium-type wood/root using some monofil fishing line, and they will get more light there and hopefully be happy enough to attach further growth to the wood on their own.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

((oops, double post))

 

[vfem]

I worked at a pet store years ago, and we have tank 'grow' lights that were available for tanks with real plants. Did they not have any available for you to just switch out bulbs?

http://www.amazon.com/AQUARIUM-FLUORESCENT-FISH-TANK-AQUA-GLO/dp/B0002AQLQU

One like the "sun-glo" would be perfect for your tank and take out the guess work on most of those plants.

 

[Jared77]

If you have screw in bulbs, get the CFLs that are are in a plant friendly spectrum like 6700k.

Leave your lights on about 10hrs a day. Much more and your opening the door to algae.

Java moss, java fern and Anubias are all great choices. Anubias is a pretty good genus of plants to select from with Anubias nana being the most common and easiest to grow. When you plant anubias, just don't bury the rhizome or it will rot. Thats why most folks leave them potted. I've had plenty of success growing them if you just let the roots into the substrate without burying the rhizome. Thats what causes them to die.

If you also put some substrate fertilzer tabs Seachem makes a Flourish tab, so does/did Jungle you can place one of those under your Cryptocryne to help prevent it from rotting. Most will die back, then grow again, but thats because they don't tolerate any damage to their root systems. But they will come back.

(Cryptocorne = crypt) Crypt wendtii, crypt spiralis or retrospirals are two good choices. So is Crypt. lutea if your interested in trying some of those. If nothing else those are some plants to google and see if your interested in trying them.

I've got a lower light 2.5gallon tank on my night stand that has a variety of Cryptocrynes, anubias, and mosses. I deliberately kept it lower light for ease of maintance and not have to get crazy with my lighting. I do dose with Flourish Excel and Flourish to help suppliment the lack of CO2, and helps give the plants some micronutrients they may not be getting.

Read the tags on the plants too. See if you can get a scientific name then google it. If they only sell it on a common name or a trade name then pass on it. Its either a bog plant, or they don't know what it is, and both of those are bad reasons to buy a plant.

You could do some of the smaller Amazon sword plants. Ozelots are a good choice. Again you'll need to suppliment them with a substrate tablet, but you can grow them with low to decent light. They will grow slow, as light is your limiting growth factor, but it can be done. Just stay away from Rubin swords, and Ulvacious and you'll be ok.

Any pictures?

 

[seedcorn]

What is "average to below average" lighting? The hood that came with the tank with a single 'normal' fluorescent bulb? Or something else?

The three lowest-light plants there are, are Java moss, Java fern, and Anubias. The latter is distinctly more expensive than the first two but also more "feature plant" looking, as opposed to "miscellaneous green messy stuff". All three of those are pretty darn hardy. If you can't grow them, you need to go to plastic plants LOL

Cryptocorynes are also often reasonably low-light, but many are MUCh pickier about water chemistry. Pat

Read that Crypt's like soft water, mine is hard 7.9pH. Yes to hood that came w/tank. Don't want to go to bother of adding CO2.

thanks for the help from all, will probably try Java Fern, maybe anubias.

 

[beavis]

I've got hard water too, but for some reason, my Crytocornes and Amazon Swords are doing great. Give it a shot!