Easiest Plants

Easy to grow plants, at least for me. And pretty easily available, even in chain LFS.

Foreground (yes, there are foreground plants, just have to be creative)

java moss
Christmas moss
Willow moss
Marsilea quadrifolia
Hemianthus micranthemoides (can grow towards the light or behave and stay a lovely little bush). Mine behave. :D
Hemianthus callitrichoides (same as HM)
Small cryptocorynes (parva, lutea, lucens, etc)
Anubia petite nana

Midground (lots more options)

Mid-sized crypts (wendtii, others, excellent plant)
Barclaya longifolia (can get big, can also behave)
Nymphaea species (must be taught to behave, otherwise a background plant)
Anubias (barterii, coffeefolia, barterii var nana, others)
Anubia gracilis (does better emersed rather than submerged)
Java fern
Bolbitis heudelotii (when small a midground)

Background plants (many options)

Most hygrophile species
rotala rotundifolia
Egeria densa
Egeria najas
Limnophila sessilifolia and indica and aquatica
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (Brazilian pennywort)
Nymphaea species
Amazon swords
Bacopa species
Bolbitis heudlotii (when full grown, a very slow grower)
Alternantera reineckii (striking plant, can do low-light with CO2)
Vallisneria (americana, asiatica, spiralis)
Some Sagittaria species

I have grown all of these plants successfully with CO2 and without CO2, except the Sagittaria and Valisnaria, which I have never grown. Was just never interested, but other low-techers here have grown them with great success. Most are adaptable to harder water conditions and higher pH. They do well with minimal ferts or can do well in an EI tank. This is just my experience. Some of the plants listed will even tolerate mildly brackish conditions. These are the tried and true hardys of the aquarium plant world. I don't agree that cabomba or ludwigia should be in the list. IMO, they need softer water, which is probably why cabomba breaks so readily, especially in Miami, FL, which is hardwater central. I have had limited success with Ludwigia, and find it a fragile plant. I also don't think LFS are selling true cabomba caroliniana, which does well in harder water, I think they are mixing in Cabomba aquatica and Cabomba piauhyensis, which need softer water. This was long, sorry. I think there is a list among the pinned topics, but it's not very detailed. There is also a small plant index here as well.

llj :)
 
\:good: you should coppy and paste that and make your own topic I bet it would get pinned
 
\:good: you should coppy and paste that and make your own topic I bet it would get pinned

I doubt it, as I said before, mine is just a list, whereas this features less species but is more detailed.

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=22604

Unless George was willing to edit that post and place my list in it as a quick reference. I'll give it a go, however, if another seconds it.

llj :)
 
\:good: you should coppy and paste that and make your own topic I bet it would get pinned

I doubt it, as I said before, mine is just a list, whereas this features less species but is more detailed.

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=22604

Unless George was willing to edit that post and place my list in it as a quick reference. I'll give it a go, however, if another seconds it.

llj :)

oh well i thought your list made more sence, i went out and bought a few of the plants on it = )
 
yes, thanks lljdma06 - I liked your list too. I've been busy for a few days - so have only just noticed it.

My Hemianthus just faded away - but I saw some Marsilea for sale the other day - I might give that a go.

I still think that plants are a lot more variable than you experts are letting on - I even have trouble growing Wisteria in some of my tanks. :rolleyes:
 
yes, thanks lljdma06 - I liked your list too. I've been busy for a few days - so have only just noticed it.

My Hemianthus just faded away - but I saw some Marsilea for sale the other day - I might give that a go.

I still think that plants are a lot more variable than you experts are letting on - I even have trouble growing Wisteria in some of my tanks. :rolleyes:

Thanks, Majjie. Then I'll give it a go. I'll add a little information about each plant and post it.

Sorry about your HM and Wisteria. Sometimes Wisteria can be twitchy if there isn't a good iron source. They can also be prone to hair algae, and light has to be pretty strong to reach the bottom leaves, or they'll just fall off.

llj :)
 
Gets my vote. It's the little tips that make all the difference - like Cabomba not liking hard water - or Wisteria needing iron.
 
Gets my vote. It's the little tips that make all the difference - like Cabomba not liking hard water - or Wisteria needing iron.

That makes sense to me - why I would consider Cabomba and Wisteria unkillable plants - I have water that's neither hard nor soft (but is dosed to the gills with chlorine and cloramine) and use Fluorite in my substrate as a matter of routine.
 
okie lol, i just bought this red plant off petcetra its got realy hard leaves that are dark green rounded with a deep read-pink-purple color... oh there so nice do you have any idea what they could be? it came as a clump but its realy 3 diffrent stems each stem has its roots growing on near the lower middle of the stem isnstead of in the gravel it dosnt seem to be rooting in the gravel its roots are growing outside ontop of the gravel in clumps very strange, and it is growing new leaves and ive only had it for like 2 days (its big broad and thing leaves provide exelent shade and shelter for my elephant nose and my little upside down cat fish (it is a short plant but its very very bushy it seems to be growing out rather than up) oh and each plant is only one stem that branches out into leveas and a couple short stems with 2 leaves on each.

That could be a Ludwigia Repens. A pic would help. Just cut off the bit below the roots and plant the stem, so that the roots can attach themselves into the gravel.
 

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