Easy Plants

[Arcticfox1977]

Hello.
If I stick to the easy low maintenance plants such as Java fern/moss, Anubis's and crypts, can I get away with no ferts?
If I can't what ferts would you recommend?

 

[dgwebster]

Ive done this in the past and except the fastest and hardiest of growers (elodea densa & cabomba in my experience) its all died.

If you head over to the PARC in the planted section, there is a bit on co2 & ferts, includes links to a diy fert kit that ought to last you over a year on a low dosage.

Edit: link now in my sig, lighting, co2, fers and flow.

 

[techen]

Why not buy ferts? It's easy and simple. You'll see nice, lush green plants instead of dying, non green plants :3

 

[HHH]

like others said ferts arent that expensive and with them youll get alot more plants you can choose from but if you decide to stick with no ferts then i can vouch for anubias im not too sure about the others though. my anubias has lived through all the abuse i gave it back when i didnt know anything about plants inculding short periods of darkness yikes!

 

[DrRob]

technically, the answer to this question is yes, but it's far simpler to buy ferts.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

Again thanks for the advice.
So, what kind of ferts would I buy for low maintenance plants like I've mentioned?

 

[dgwebster]

The link in my sig as mentioned above has details of a starter kit in the UK for £20, lasts for ages.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

OK, I'm thinking bout going ahead with this starter kit.
1 question.
My tank isn't cycled yet, so I'm still doing large water changes 2-3 days. Will this interfere with these ferts? And will I still need to do the larger WC on the 7th day?

 

[Arcticfox1977]

Are all crypts hardy and low maintenance? Just noticed there are so many different types. What crypts are low maint and thrive in low light?

 

[DrRob]

Most of the crypts you encounter in LFS's will be wendetii of some sort or another.
 
Parva is nice as a smaller plant and balanese is good for the back. Generally they're all forgiving and easy plants, although they are prone to melting back to nothing and regrowing if the conditions change for any reason.

 

[levahe]

The ferts starter kit comes with instructions and a dosing guide which is designed for co2 injected tanks, if you are not going to use co2 you can just mix up the solution as per the instructions but only dose about 1/3 or so of the recommend dosage.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

The plants I have now are
2 Cryptos
Java fern and moss on half coconut shell
1 Anubis's nano.
I'm also wondering is there a maximum amount of easy/hardy plants you can have before you need to introduce cO2?
Also, what other plants could I get for the back of my tank? I don't want them to grow any higher than 30cm.
Sorry for all the questions.

 

[daizeUK]

Personally I had a lot of trouble getting tall plants to grow.  I recommend Hygrophila polysperma, I have this currently and it seems to be doing well.  Otherwise I highly recommend getting some tall wood or rocks and sticking java fern or Christmas moss to them, this adds height to your tank easily and looks great

 

[Arcticfox1977]

Would I be able to get Echinodorus Tennellus or Mini Amazon sword for my aquarium? I am dosing with ei ferts. Currently I have 2 Cryptos, java fern and Java moss and a anubias nano.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

This is how my tank is setup just now. I'm looking for plants that would fill the gap on the back wall.
Any suggestions?