Your favorite aquatic plants

[mandi]

Well, I've finally collected everything for my plant-tank! Hooray! Well, I'm actually still waiting for the substrate to be delivered because I couldn't buy it locally, but it shouldn't be long.

I have a 5.5 gallon tank (16" x 8" x 10"). Right now lighting is a 15 watt flourescent stip light (I'm concerned about how well this is going to work). I'm using eco-complete for substrate, and I have this CO2 kit (which I still need to read more about haha).

Anyway, I'm beginning to research plants that would be appropriate for the size, lighting, etc. of my tank. (I should probably check the pH & hardness too shouldn't I?)

I'd love some suggestions of plants to research (foreground, mid, & background varieties). I'll probably be ordering all the plants online as well because none of the LFS around me carry any nice plants. So links would be helpful too. In particular, I'd like to try my hand at some type of groundcover -- any suggetsions on that? I was thinking maybe dwarf hairgrass??

 

[Nospherith]

Welcome to the world of the planted aquarium. Anyway, i guess I kindof hijacked the thread by posting all those links, so i made a new thread.

You have just about 3 wpg so I guess you could grow close to anything. Since it is a small tank, I suggest that you get plants that tend to have more compact leaf structures, instead of large leaf plants like amazon sword.

 

[mandi]

Thanks for the links!

I'm actually looking for links more to specific plants that would be good for my tank. (I should have made that more clear.) But I'm going to check out all the info you suggested too -- I've seen quite a few of them, but it never hurts to learn more!!

I'm not totally new to aquarium plants, but I've only kept some of the "simpler" types before -- java fern, java moss, amazon sword, dwarf lilly, hornwort, dwarf sag, uhm... I think that's it. And previously, I've always kind of plunked them in the aquarium and hoped for the best LOL.

*off to explore all the links you suggested!!*

[Edit] -- Oooh that Riccia and Glosso link is awesome!! I always wondered how they weighted down ricca to make a lawn with it!!