Low Maintenance plants

[drudnick]

Hello

I havent attempted live plants yet, but I am wondering if there are any low maintenance plants that are good for apisto tanks. I would like something floating to dim the ligthing some, and some clumpy or bushy stuff for them to hide in. Again, I dont want something terribly hard to maintain as I am just beginning with live plants. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

DAve

 

[KtttK]

Java moss, Java fern and Indian fern are all good plants to start off with from my experience.

 

[kingborris]

cryptocorynes are quite easy to grow, and will do well in most conditions (high light all the way down to virtually no light)

my apistos also like hanging around my smaller sword species such as Echinodorus tennelus and E. quadristaticus (sp?)

amazon frogbit is a very easy to grow floating plant

 

[apistoireland]

Hygrophilia polysperma in it's many varieties, Vallsineria will do well. Most Echinodrus are easy to grow. Are you introducing plants into an already established tank or are you talking about a new set-up? What's your substrate, what size of a tank are we talking about? Essentially a planted tank is much easier to run than one with artificial or no plants.

 

[drudnick]

Any introduced plants would be going into an already establsihed tank. I have a 26G, 2 10G's and a 5.5G.

Small gravel is my substrate...15W bulbs are what come in the 10G kits. Not sure the wattage on the 26G.

 

[Griz]

My 33gal SA tank is getting close to 3 years old now. I started out with an Amazon sword, cryptocoryne wendtii, and java fern. All three are thriving under a 20W Flora-Glow which I have replaced twice now. That works out to around 0.6 WPG which many people will tell you is too low to grow these plants. The sword produced a plantlet which I planted and is now approaching the size of the parent plant. The crypt is many times it's original size and I have enough java fern that I have been able to add several plants to my shell dweller tank. I use liquid fertilizer and root tabs occasionally; nowhere near the recommended doseage.

 

[apistoireland]

small gravel (1-4mm) is fíne as a substrate and there should be plenty of nutrients for the plants since the tanks are already established. Your light levels are ok for crypts, vallis, most Echniodorus (stay away from the red varieties) and even some stem plants should do OK. Sometimes it's just trial and error. It's funny, I can't seem to grow Vallis for some reason (I think my water is too soft) but my sister-in-law has to get rid of her surplus every couple of weeks and her water is only slightly harder than mine. Go for cheap plants. If they don't grow you've lost very little.
By the way, try to stay away from undergravel type filters. Plants don't like them.
A lot of people seem to worry about plants but seriously, it's no rocket sience.

 

[drudnick]

Im not as worried about the plants as I am the fish. I know fish prefer live to fake, but didnt know if it changed any of the water conditions. And what I may need to offset that. LAst thing I want is to do something wrong and have it kill my fish.

 

[valice]

Im not as worried about the plants as I am the fish. I know fish prefer live to fake, but didnt know if it changed any of the water conditions. And what I may need to offset that. LAst thing I want is to do something wrong and have it kill my fish.

The only condition it will change with the introduction of live plants in the reduction of NO3! And maybe a slight change in pH, due to the removal of CO2 in the water during their photosynthesis. But then again, with your low light, the growth will be slow and so uptake of both NO3 and CO2 will be slower too...

And with lower NO3, you will have happier fishes instead. :biggrin:

 

[TetraFreak]

And with lower NO3, you will have happier fishes instead. :biggrin:

And the water will be better oxygenated for even happier fishes! :biggrin: