FishChannel Forums / Freshwater Forums / Plant Particulars

Plants for a 10g Tank

Walker Tuff — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:26:33 GMT

I just bought a new light fixture for my 10g tank that is a big upgrade from what it has now. Now it has LED lights that produce a little under 5 watts and the light I bought produces about 48 watts. I currently have 2 anubias and a crypt that do fine and I would like to know of some plants that will grow well in my tank. I am planning on ordering my plants from aquariumplants.com so it would be nice if I could order your suggestions from them but it is not necessary. The ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrate is about 10ppm. Any suggestions would be wonderful. Thanks a lot!!!!!

Filters removing nutrients?

Rabid Puffer — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:07:21 GMT

Can filters with activated carbon remove trace elements and other nutrients that plants need from the tank?

Algae

stephyykinss — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:17:32 GMT

How do I grow my own algae for my otos?
Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

Algae problems

Coryboy21 — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:17:35 GMT

Lately I've been getting rid of an algae outbreak in my tank and I noticed that all of my swords seem to be smaller. I'm pretty sure my amazon swords lost an inch or so. Is this because of lack of ferts? I didn't add much because I wanted to get rid of algae. OR is it because of light? suggestions on what to do thanks.

Goldfish and Plants

GoldfishGroupie — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:19:18 GMT

I've heard it said that I could never have a planted tank as long as I have goldfish. But I've also heard that the goldfish and plants can live peacefully if I do it right... I have a 20gal tank and I'm just looking for a few nice, live, leafy things to put in it so the whole tank isn't just fake stuff. I have 2 Comet Goldfish and a small Golden Apple Snail in it and I've already planted some Anubias. But it has little chomps taken out of the sides and it doesn't seem to be faring well... They haven't uprooted the plant as I've heard they are prone to do, but it's just being chomped and gnawed on and a few of the stems have no leaves. Does anyone have any tips for helping my finned and leafy friends co-exist?

filter media

weezel77 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:53:20 GMT

tank is all cleaned out getting ready to set up for my first all natural planted tank. it a 60 gallon tank. i have a magnum 350 canister filter. was wondering what the best filter media is to use? ive been using the black diamond carbon in all my other tanks with magnum canister filters. seeing as this is my first planted tank just wondering what other people are using in there planted tanks.

New plant owner?

stephyykinss — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:52:02 GMT

Hi, I have a 5 gallon MiniBow tank with 3 otto cats and 1 apple snail.
There is a built in hood lamp.
They have superb aeration and filtration and get frequent water changes.
Recently, I was wondering if I should acquire some aquatic plant life.
I know the ottos and snail would love a healthy dose of algae, the only question is what type of plant? Since my tank isn't too big I was hoping for a small-easy to care for plant.
Any input would be appreciated!

Scared of Snails!

stephyykinss — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:24:19 GMT

I just bought a new java fern at a trusted aquarium store.
I washed it in tap water for at least a hour straight (VIGOROUSLY), picking out anything I could find.

Then, I (stupidly) put it in my aquarium. Quickly I rethought this idea and took it out after about 2 minutes because I was afraid I'd have a snail outbreak (no matter how well I washed it) I then quarantined it in a small vase.
Do you think my aquarium will be okay???
I DON'T WANT A SNAIL INFESTATION!!!
If I would have a snail infestation, I don't think I could get an assassin snail because I don't want it to eat my cute little (non-self-reproducing) apple snail.

Plants on the Internet

lmartin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:42:10 GMT

I will be starting a 75-gallon tank that I want to heavily plant. Before I plant the stemmed plants I want to establish and have spread foreground plants that are 2" or so in height. My local stores do not have a very good selection of plants in general so I want to look at companies on the internet. Can anyone suggest some companies you have had success with and also some low-growing plants that spread to form a lawn like area?

Dangerous algae?

zebraben — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:56:25 GMT

Is there any algae that is dangerous to fish?

Phosphorus: Good or Bad?

cmk — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:12:50 GMT

I have been looking in freshwater blue/green algae remove -blue/green as it is not freefloating in the water, not stringy, not brown in color (in fact it is a very pretty green), but it has started to grow on the glass, rocks, etc in what I think is borderline nuisance. PO4 readings with an ELOS kit show 1.0 or maybe greater. I have cleaned the gravel, reduced lighting (TO5 HO with 1-6500K and 1-Roseate bulbs) to 8 hours maximum, doing 1/4 to 1/3 water changes each week, and am using Phos-Zorb. After 4 weeks, the reading is still 1.0. I have changed the feeding pattern to whatever the fish will eat in several minutes even if it required several small applications over that several minutes. The tank is planted with Amazon Swords, which seem to be doing ok. I also have recently added Nerite snails and Otocinclus Algae Eaters. Also have weekly doses of Agae-Rid (or something like that)>

I have read the Phosphorus is the #1 cause for excess algae. Hence the Phos-Zorb and the weekly water changes. I have also read that it is a necessary part of a plants requirements for good health and growth. If true, a zero concentration of phosphorus will not be good either. So now my goal I guess is to have a .5 concentration instead of zero.

Question: Anyone recommend about algae growth reduction ?

Moss balls

Starrfish — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:48:07 GMT

how do you tell the difference between a true marimo ball, and a look alike moss ball?

just wondering

Algae ID?

thefishman84 — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:06:42 GMT

I have had aquariums for quite a while and have recently decided to try mastering the freshwater planted. I have had this 125 gal aquarium running for about 3 months now and over the last couple weeks there is a new algae taking over. I would expect to see a little here and there, but this kind has bloomed and now covers almost all the plants. The closest thing I can find is Thread/Hair Algae. I am wondering if anyone else has come across this and knows how to get it back under control. The lights are on for 10 hours, and until this algae bloomed, the plants were growing very well. I have heard adding phosphorus will help the plants out compete the algae. Has this been proven true?

The coloring is more blue-green.

Thanks in advance for any help.
~thefishman84

Black "Hair" Algae

j_r_smith — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:23:39 GMT

I am having an issue with a brown/black 'hair' algae on my plants.

After being out of the hobby for 16 years I finally was able to return. I wanted to do a fully planted aquarium so I brushed up on the latest developments and planned everything out as best as I could. I had a 38 gallon tank that I was going to use that was 36x12x19. I acquired a 36" 156 watt T5 high output full spectrum light that has a timer set for a 12 hour photoperiod, a Marineland C220 cannister filter, and a 75 watt Hydor substrate heater. I placed about 3 1/2 inches of eco-complete substrate in the tank and planted a habitat pack that contained 6 bunches of Anacharis, 20 Sagittaria subulata "Tall", 6 Sagittaria chilensis, 3 medium Ozelot Swords, 3 Java Ferns, 8 Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red, and 25 Sagittaria subulata "Dwarf". I added 6 Otos, 6 Siamese Algae Eaters, 25 nerite snails, some freshwater crabs, and 1 blue crayfish. As the tank cycled 6 cories and 5 goldfish were also added. At this time the tank has fully cycled and PH is 7.4, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrates 0. My water comes from an RO system without DI. I add Kent RO right to the water for the initial fill and all water changes, which are approximately 20% every week. I also add Seachem Fresh Trace for freshwater fish and C02 booster from API since I do not have C02 injection yet. I was adding liquid fertilizer but have cut this back due to the algae issue. Since the plants have established the snails and the algae eaters appear to be keeping uo with most of the algae and it's growth has slowed with the exception of the 'hair' algae. What can I do about this?

Sump questions

j_r_smith — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:28:46 GMT

Returning to the hobby after 16 years (see previous post). I am going to get a larger tank after this initial success so I am starting the planning. I wanted to know if it is appropriate to use a sump type filter with a planted tank. I wanted to possibly use one that had the large particulate 'socks' that the tank water passed thru first. Some things I have read discourage the wet/dry type because it lowers the C02 levels with the increased gas exchange so I am looking at the refugium type. Should I stick with just the cannister or can I incorportate a sump? Would it be beneficial to use both? I am researching this now because obviosly if I was to go the route of using a sump I would want to get a tank with an integrated overflow.

Thanks!

Question on sumps

j_r_smith — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:19:07 GMT

I am returning to the hobby after a long break.

Trouble with plants in my sump

Trier20 — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:30:33 GMT

I recently added a sump to my discus tank i made out of an old 30gal tank. I have a refugium mud base topped with blank sand. I have a few plants in it: water sprite, dwarf baby tears, micro sward and some anubias. Long story short is they aren't doing well. The tank is around 84-86 ph is around 7. Water is checks out fine. I have a Marineland double bright LED light over it. Do you think that is the problem,not the right spectrum of light, or could it be lack of co2 in the tank. I have a super bulb plant in my display tank with dual bulb t5ho and that seems to be doing fine. Any ideas?

houseplant safe for aquarium??

fish4962 — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:24:36 GMT

I went to a fish-friends house and she had a devils ivy floating in her tank with little fish, neons, white clouds, mollies... I was stunned and asked if that was safe for them to nibble on...she said yes... It was visually very attractive... My question is: Is it really safe to put that into --MY --aquarium, I have much larger fish that eat up all of my store-bought plants. Please reply only if you know for sure... I'd hate to kill my fish.. My fish will nibble on it.

Thanks,

fish4962

Freshwater Plant ID

jlablitz — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:43:32 GMT

I bought this plant at Aqua Touch in Phoenix last year and it has been doing really well, but I don't know the specific name. I also would like to know if it can be propagated by cutting as it is my favorite plant and I would hate to kill it.

Here is the link to the photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlablitz/6887132427/in/photostream

Grey "beard moss/algae" infestation

SlyS4l4m4nder — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:56:58 GMT

I have a 45 gallon planted tank that has 3 larger wendtii, 4 swords, a nice jungle val, some creeping charlie mint, and 2 four inch diameter marimo moss balls. My problem being about 6 months ago I added one of the wendtii plants from one of my friends tank. It had an algae growing on the rim of the leaves, i thought nothing of it and plucked those leaves off. well now all my drift wood is covered in the stuff. It looks like dark grey hairs that are about a quarter of an inch long. It only grows on the rim of the leaves of plants. I noticed my pleco munching on some of it but not enough to really make a dent in it.I recently added 3 snails and a twig catfish to combat the problem. Is there anything i can do to get rid of the stuff!!! Someone please help!

lights for babies tears

Grouper gulper — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:39:51 GMT

I just got some dwarf baby tears for my 2.5 gallon desktop. I have a 15W florecent plant bulb on it. The substrate is riversand with some clay plugs from my backyard. Is there something else i should(or could) do to help the plant?

black spots on plant

igarra — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:43:04 GMT

My wisteria is starting to wilt a little and grow tiny black spots. I add nothing for plants in this ten gallon guppy tank. Any ideas? thank you for your help

co2

jim b — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:31:43 GMT

hi new to live plants.220gal tank.do i need to use co2

thankyou

jim b

Safe way to remove established ocelot sword

boet — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:11:24 GMT

Hi everyone, my 50 gal is heavily planted and established since 2009. I am considering removing the large ocelot sword in the center to create a mid path and add more open swimming room. If I use scissors down in the gravel and around the base and gently raise/cut it out is is OK leaving all the roots that spread the entire base of the entire tank? The wood stand/cabinet it is on allows me to see underneath and it is quite the spread!

Darn, I wanted to upload picture but it must require flash and I am using my iPad...

Thank you in advance

Kathy

Algae balls..

Lepr3chaun — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:08:00 GMT

I was at my LFS and I saw more of those green algae-covered ball thingys and I'm wondering what exactly that is, and if I can get the stuff to spread off the ball and onto the substrate to create a carpet like in dutch-style aquariums?

Rotala macrandra

Rabid Puffer — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:12:31 GMT

I've done lots of research on this plant and every website says pretty much the same thing: "You need 3wpg or more or you will fail miserably."

Well old guidelines like wpg really annoy me a lot as they don't give a lot of information so I would like to ask if the specific lighting I have would allow them to thrive.

My specific lighting:

Two 24" 24W T5 HO Hagen 6700k Life-glo lights. From what I can tell it seems these lights have spikes in the red, green, and blue parts of the spectrum. The tank is a 20g long. When you factor in the height from the fixture and gravel, the light is about 13" from the gravel. The fixture also has reflectors.

I will be adding all flourish ferts and black flourish substrate. I will be using a DIY CO2 system and placing the ladder diffuser right by the Rotala macrandra just to make sure it gets extra.

Will this plant do well in these conditions?

Planning my 20g long planted tank

Rabid Puffer — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:32:12 GMT

Is it better to order plants online or local? Stores around here have a very limited selection, usually consisting of a few common plants like amazon swords, crypts and ludwigia whereas Liveaquaria.com has most of the plants I want to buy other than 2 (java moss and stargrass).

I want to buy plants from Liveaquaria due to their wide selection, but I fear that the drastic water parameter changes will shock and kill all but the hardiest of the lot.

If this matters regarding this subject here are some plants I would like to purchase:

Cryptocryne wendtii
Hemianthus callitrichoides
Eleocharis acicularis
Sagittaria subulata
Hygrophilia corymbosa
Ludwigia repens
Ludwigia glandulosa
Myriophyllum pinnatum
Rotala indica
Rotala nanjenshan
Heteranthera zosterifolia*
Versicularia dubyana*

* Indicates a plant not available on Liveaquaria.com

Is this too many species? Should I narrow it down a bit?

How will these plants fare being shipped from Illinois to Indiana? Will the water parameter differences shock them? Is there anything I should know about anything regarding these specific plants?

This plants will be in a 20g long tank with two T5 HO bulbs (one Hagen Power-glo and one Hagen Life-glo both 24W). I will be supplying the tank with Fluorish trace elements, Iron, Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus. I will be adding CO2 via yeast fermentation and a ladder CO2 diffuser. Two 16 lbs. bags of flourish black sand will serve as the substrate. The filter is a Marineland Bio-wheel Penguin 100 power filter. Fish will include 8 otocinclus, 1 betta, and 5 red cherry shrimp.

Please tell me what you think. Anything I have forgotten or changed will be in an edit at the bottom. Thanks.

EDITS:

1. I was thinking of using the Myriophyllum pinnatum to hide the filter and the heater, but will it be easily uprooted by the filter. If so, what would be a better choice to hide the filter?

2. This may sound like a dumb question but do 30 inch light fixtures go with 30 inch tanks? Lengths between two parts don't always seem to match. (E.g 22 inch bulbs go with 30 inch fixtures.) I want to be 100% sure I'm getting the right fixture before I invest money in it.

A couple questions regarding aquascaping:

1. Should I place red plants by other red plants and greens by greens or reds by greens?

2. Should I place different species plants that look similar to each other by each other or by different-looking plants for contrast?

Wow that was a lot more than I had originally planned.

T5 HO lighting

Rabid Puffer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:56:42 GMT

Will these bulbs work on a regular eclipse hood? I looked up light fixtures specifically build for this type of bulb but none of them completely cover the aquarium's surface. This is problematic for me as I have cats. I really don't want them sticking their paws in the tank and getting cat hair in the water or getting sick from ingesting plant fertilizer.

Cats will always prefer moving water over stagnant water dish water by instinct so I know this is unavoidable.

In addition to this would a sturdy shelf that holds up to a max of 250 lbs. be able to hold a 20g long planted aquarium with flourite black sand as substrate?

Dry Start method to do a Dutch Style Aquascape

RossH — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:36:51 GMT

In the November Issue of AFI magazine, there were two articules that caught my eye. The first being a "Dutch Style" aquascape, which was written by Stephen C. Noble. The second was on using the "Dry Start Method" for planting and establishing a new tank, written by Tom Barr.

For me I have always loved a "Planted Tank", and is the only way I like to do things. However, I'm thinking about taking a Top Fin 29 gallon starter kit, and doing a dutch Style aquascape to be the home for Show Guppies which my wife has taken an interest in.

My thoughts are to use eco-complete as the main substrate, and then either sand or lightly colored gravel for the avenues that one usually sees in this type of aquascape. However, eco-complete comes packed in liquid which has bacteria in it for the start up. So do I need to worry about root rot, fungus, or algae forming on the substrate, the glass, or plants, as I realize this is like having a terrarium. Is there something better to use that you might be able to suggest?

Now I have always wanted to have a "carpeted area" in my tanks, and as many times as I have tried, I have failed. Which is one of the reasons why I want to try the "Dry Method" for starting a planted tank. However, since I have never tried this before, I'm really not too sure as to what plants would be good to plant using this method as foreground plants, and midground. It is my understanding you do the low stuff, foreground, midground on the "Dry Method", and the Taller stuff, like your stemmed plants after the tank is filled. The author of the "Dry Method" article used Hemianthus callitrichoides, but is there something else that grows like it, but looks better?

Another question I have is this; the kit came with a hood with one florescent bulb. So While I understand lighting, and realize it would be better to go at least 4 watts per gallon. Can the existing hood be used as the terrarium top and light source, until a new hood with the proper wattage is purchased? The tank is 18-3/4" inches in height.

If anyone out here has tried this method before, I could really use some advice before I get started and it becomes a costly failed mess.

the effects of GH, KH, and pH on plants?

Rabid Puffer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:11:28 GMT

Are most plants flexible regarding water parameters? I've wanted to start a small planted aquarium so I want to start it the right way the first time.

All the water where I live is EXTREMELY hard water(even RO water, which if I remember correctly is low in pH and high in hardness here), which is perfect for cichlids, puffers, ect. but it doesn't seem like a beneficial quality for plants.

Will plants grow and thrive under these conditions given the right nutrients and lighting? I don't want them to just survive and be dull. The plants am I think about are things like crypts, dwarf baby tears, ludwigia, and rotala.

In addition to this, are fish too finicky about GH and KH? I would like some otocinclus and some shrimp to keep the tank free of algae. In the past whenever I've had problems with fish it has always been pH issues; it has never been GH or KH.

Thanks for putting up with this long topic.

LED Lighting & Plants

Walker Tuff — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:41:30 GMT

I have a 2.5 gallon tank, and I want to turn it into a small planted aquarium with a betta and a couple of cherry shrimp. I have been looking at lighting, and I found a very nice LED lighting fixture at Petsmart. I like it because it is the perfect size to fit on the lid of the aquarium and it is relatively cheap ($35-40). The problem is that I don't know what kind of plants will grow with LED lighting. I am planning on purchasing a Petite Anubias Nana, some Hornwort, some Dwarf Sigittaria, some Cabomba, a couple of Cryptocoryne Wendtii, and a Water Sprite. Will these work with LED lighting? If not, can you recommend some plants that will work instead, or maybe another small, cheap light fixture that would work better? I am planning on using about 1-1.5 inches of soil and some sand to keep it down. Any suggestions or advice would GREATLY be appreciated! Thanks!!!

how do I plant this?

mikey63 — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:51:27 GMT

I've tried to tie it to a rock,drilled holes in ornaments, when I let it float ,it don't do will. wont stay were I put it.the rock thing did not work, came lose.

Java Fern a littlle brown

watercrazy08 — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:12:41 GMT

I have a ten gallon with 2 guppies and 2 balloon-bellied mollies. My water parameters are GH-180, KH-240, PH-8.0-8.5, NO2-0, NO3-20-40. My temp is around 80 and my wpg is 1.5. I also have a small anubias and its doing fine, but my java fern has a few brown spots on the leaves. I got these two (which are my first plants ever) from petsmart about a week ago because I knew they were good beginner plants. I have regular aquarium gravel. Currently I am trying to soften my water and bring my pH down. I'm using API tap water neutralizer and API pH down. I use it about every 4-5 days because I heard from a fellow fish channel member that I could use it every few days for it to work better. Should I do something different with my chemical usage? Should I put in some CO2 boost? I wanted to know this before I get some midground and background plants and some more fish. Thanks!!

Fore and Midground Plants

Walker Tuff — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:01:05 GMT

My tank is looking bare and I want to add some more plants. I have corkscrew vals in the back, but I still need some plants for the middle and front. I currently have java moss, java ferns, corkscrew vals, two anubias nana, and a couple of cryptocoryne parva growing in my tank. I have a little less than 2 watts per gallon and about 2 to 3 inches of gravel. My pH is 8.0, Ammonia is 0, Nitrites are 0, and Nitrates are about 10. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

wisteria question

bettasrcool — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:17:09 GMT

Can you leave water wisteria as a floating plant? Also does it need lots of ferts. and/or CO2 to keep growing?

Help Algae is out of control

RossH — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:49:00 GMT

My son has a 30 gallon tank that has become overgrown with black bearded algae. He has been using "algaefix", but it has not helped at all. I remember seeing someone say you could dip your plants in a chlorine solution to kill the algae but I can't remember if this would work with black algae or what the solution mix was, how long to dip the plants before a full rinse and replant back into the tank.

All I know is it is EVERYWHERE in his tank, driftwood, plants intake & output tubes Glass everything. Anyone got any ideas please replie back.

I've told him as much as I have been able to find on here, but he really needs help guys! Thanks in advance for giving this matter any considerations for reply, it really helps.

Snails!

LilMissBetta — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:39:58 GMT

I recently put a plant in my aquarium, and now I have snails Has anyone gotten anything other than a snail in their tank? I've heard of fish eggs and other things coming in. Just curious if any of you have seen anything else.

Plant Renavating

MRBLUBS — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:59:43 GMT

So,

I have 20 gallon tank with 10 guppies, 1 female swordtail, 2 swordtail fry, and a rubber lip pleco. I was trying to make it a planted tank with water wisteria, An Amazon sword and Corck screw vallis, but the water wisteria wont stay down! And same with the Vallis. So i just left all of them to float at the top for a week because they where the altmite baby savers when my guppies gave birth. I starting to think that was a big NO!! Because the Vallis has Died pretty much because my fish ate all their roots. I want to add more plants that go in the middle, front and background. I am adding Java moss and im keeping the water wisteria and some Vallis. I want the tank to look really neat and natural looking.

Does anybody have any suggestions with plants? oh, they also have to be Bushy enough for fry to hide in when the day comes for my swordtail and guppies. I will be going to Pisces this weekend or next week.

The objects that are in the tank are:

1: Piece of drift wood

5: rocks

and thats it

Thanks

New to plants

watercrazy08 — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:49:34 GMT

I have a ten gallon with 2 guppies. I have 1.5 wpg. My substrate is ornamental gravel about 1.5 icnhes deep. Temp is low 80s. I've had my eyes on some small, low light foreground plants like small anubias's or petite nanas. Would these be widely available? Do I need to change my substrate? I've heard Petsmart has flourite substrates. Don't know about my lfs. Any nutrients? I'm completely new at this, so I need all the info I can get. Oh, my water parameters are: GH:180, KH:240, PH-8.0, NO2-0, NO3-about 80. I also want plants to reduce my nitrates. I'm doing 50% water changes every 2-3 days to reduce this level. My tap water is really hard. Any info would be great!!!! Thanks!!!!!!

Tank Layout

Starrfish — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 08:36:15 GMT

I am currently looking at adding a few more plants to my aquarium. i need advice on what type of plants to add. i have posted a layout of my aquarium.

the areas listed as Location 1&2 are current bare spots. For Location 1 i am looking at a low growing foreground grass/moss like plant. for location 2 i am looking a a taller background plant.

my current lighting is 1.5 watts of compact flourescents, pH is approx 6.8, my tank size is a 20-gallon.