Easy to grow and cheap plants?

[Ozzie Boss]

I am new to keeping live plants so I wanted to know peoples opinions on easy to care for ,low maintenance, plants that won't break the bank. The tank will be a 50 gallon. (36 L, 18 D, and 18 H) I will be using sand as a substrate if that makes a difference. The fish will all be tropical.

Some plants that I had in mind where Amazon swords and Jungle val.

 

[Colin_T]

Good plants to try include: Ambulia; Hygrophila costata, polysperma, ruba; Elodia/ Hydrilla; Ludwigia species; narrow Vallis; Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta).

Jungle Vallis is normally giant Vallis and doesn't do well in aquariums. The smaller types of Vallis usually do better.

 

[Ozzie Boss]

Thanks for the suggestions. I want to try Ambulia, Hygrophila Costata, and Ludwig Palustris. What type of light should I use for these plants? (Again a cheap but effective light would be greatly appreciated) Do I need to trim these plants if so how often? And what other maintenace should I be aware of? Thanks.

 

[Colin_T]

Any fluorescent light with a 6500K rating should be fine for the plants. You can buy them from hardware stores or lighting stores but hardwares are usually cheaper.

If you have a light unit above the tank just get a globe to go in it. If you don't have a light unit then you can buy one from a hardware or pet shop and just add a globe. Get a light unit that runs the full length of the tank. You can also get twin fluorescent light units and these hold 2 globes, which gives you twice the light and that is better for plants.

----------------------
You can prune the plants if they get too big for the tank but some people just leave them to grow. If you want to prune them use a sharp pr of scissors and cut them back. You can plant the cuttings into the gravel to get more plants.

That's about all you need to do. If you want to add a liquid plant fertiliser you can add an iron fertiliser or something with more nutrients but an iron based fertiliser is all you really need and even then you don't need it that much. Plenty of people have plants and don't add any fertilisers, they just use light.

 

[Michael1970]

I am new to keeping live plants so I wanted to know peoples opinions on easy to care for ,low maintenance, plants that won't break the bank. The tank will be a 50 gallon. (36 L, 18 D, and 18 H) I will be using sand as a substrate if that makes a difference. The fish will all be tropical.

Some plants that I had in mind where Amazon swords and Jungle val.

One of the biggest concerns about growing aquatic plants would be lighting .
Both plants mentioned would be fine with moderate lighting such as a couple of flourecent tubes of roughly 20 watts each but full spectrum.
Also what types of fish do you plan on having in the tank ? There are several characins (tetras) that tend to nibble on plants and especially Amazon swords.So that's definitely something to keep in mind when selecting fish and plants together. Also there are plenty of fish that love to dig plants up . So lighting requirments and fish selection are key to having a successful set up .
There's some really good websites out there that go into great depth on plants,and lighting requirements . When I first started in this hobby many years ago all we had for getting information was the library or the local pet store which hopefully could give you good advice on the subject or tropical fish hobbiest magazine . The choices in getting free information these days is amazing .Good luck with your project and your search for info. Hope some of what I mentioned helps .

 

[Ozzie Boss]

Thanks for the info. As for the fish I plan to keep:

8-9 Rosy or Red phantom Tetras (Depending on availability and size)
7-8 Emerald Green Corys
A Pair of Angels
2x Honey Gourami
I am still debating on getting an Electric Blue Acara for the tank however.

I'm not sure if these fish could cause a problem for the plants.

 

[NickAu]

A Pair of Angels

Are these are bonded pair?.

 

[Ozzie Boss]

This is a tank I am planning in the future so I don't have a bonded pair yet. When I do get the tank set up I will either try to buy an already establish pair or buy 5 juvenile angels and see if I can form a pair and return the rest.