How To Start Growing Aquarium Plants?

[FroFro]

I decided I want to start some plants in my Aquarium. What would be the easiest to maintain/get started since I've never grown them before? Should I get the little ones I see in the Gel at the LFS, start from seeds? What do I need to make sure they can grow?

 

[marnold00]

Have you kept a planted aquarium at all? I can't grasp from your post if you're completely new, or new to growing from seed.

All the advice I've been given from fish keepers is to buy young plants - easier than growing from scratch.

I'm new to this hobby as well, and I've bought plants which look a little ragged, and I've bought ones the same day that the LFS got them in, and the 'fresh' ones are doing best

Unfortunately some of mine were unlabelled when I bought them. I have 2 anubias nanas, a crypt of sorts, a hybrid of a type of sword, and some lilaeopsis. I also have some grassland thing at the front.

I DON'T use co2.

I have hard, high pH water (some of these are advertised as soft water etc) so I wouldn't worry about your water toooo much.

I also use a small amount of fertiliser each day which my green fingers family member picked out for me after looking at my water details online. Its called TNC complete, however you could argue that this isn't necessary for the plants I have

For the few weeks I've had them they're all a lush colour, and all sprouting new shoots and the grassland ones are starting to spread, so I'd personally say that these would be good to start with

Some experienced members will comment with better advice soon, but I'd thought I'd give my input. Sorry if it's a bit rubbish

 

[Blubble37]

I decided I want to start some plants in my Aquarium. What would be the easiest to maintain/get started since I've never grown them before? Should I get the little ones I see in the Gel at the LFS, start from seeds? What do I need to make sure they can grow?

I live in an area at PH 7.6 with hard water, I grow Vallis, Amazon Sword and a couple of other plants, one looks to be a smaller strain of the vallis genus, the other is very short and mossy. I buy plants that are mostly grown and just embed them in the gravel after removing the potting material gently. you don't NEED fertilisers or CO2, but they help. I don't run CO2 but i do use Ferropol every other water change. Everything seems fine, i planted up some new ones yesterday so it'll take them a few weeks to settle in.

when planting, envisage how it will look. Plants grow and spread, so you don't need to buy enough plants to cover the whole tank

 

[Essjay]

I am also low-tech (no CO2 etc) and have opted for what to me is the easiest way to grow plants. All mine are the kind that is fixed to decor rather than planted in the substrate. I have wood in all my tanks and attached to that I have java fern, various species of anubias ranging from tiny dwarf species to taller broad leaved species, bolbitis heudelotii, and I have hornwort draped through a spikey piece of wood in one tank. The hornwort tangle fills about half that tank and I have to thin it out every so often or I'd never see the shrimps in there.
However, I have softish water which may mean the plants I can grow would not be suitable for hard water.

 

[BettaBettas]

I have no Co2 in my planted aquaria, typically at the LFS you can get anything GREEN and its easy to grow (because its most likely anubias or amazon sword) the plants in the cylinder transparent containers with the gel, are ok to buy but aren't any better (if you go to Petco) than the plants that are in the tanks. I have mostly anubias and amazon sword in my aquaria with a nerite snail to clean them (suggested) and about my Co2, I don't do Co2 but if you get some Fertilizers or some Flourish (lfs should have Flourish) than it helps A BUNCH
 
Good luck! and happy to see another planter!

 

[AbbeysDad]

(I am newer at this so I hope my friend Byron will jump in with his advice as he has several stellar planted tanks.)
 
Starting a planted tank is not as simple as plunking some plants in the average aquarium...
Whether high tech or low tech*, you first need to consider your lighting. You need at lest 1.5 watts per gallon to grow most plants. Most aquariums come with lights that are fine for viewing fish, but not for growing plants. You can go with conventional florescent or newer LED fixtures. 
(*High tech uses bright light, CO2, and high(er) ferts. Low tech uses less light, no CO2, and lower ferts.)
 
Another consideration is the substrate. Sand or fine gravel is best. I'm using silica (pool filter) sand. Others report good success with 'big box' play sand. (either rinsed really well). There are commercial substrates marketed for planted tanks but they are a bit expensive for the real value. Some use sand capped 'dirt' [organic soil], but this is not recommended for the average hobbyist as it presents numerous challenges as the organics are slowly removed. In the case of the latter two, all substrates either begin or will become inert fairly quickly.
 
The next consideration is fertilization. Since all substrates are, or will become inert (nutrient free), rooted plants will require root tabs to provide necessary nutrients. You will also need to supplement the water column with micro and macro fertilizers.
I'm using Seachem Root Tabs and very modest amounts of Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and Flourish Trace (alternating with Seachem Fresh Trace) - all of these at half or less the recommended dose. Others report success and cost savings using dry ferts marketed for planted tanks.
 
Note: depending on the bio-load, especially in low tech, you may only need very slight, if any, chemical additives. Fish food and fish/plant waste is excellent ORGANIC fertilizer in the established planted tank. 
 
Then there is your plant selection. There are many to choose from. Aquatic gardening is similar in many ways to gardening in the yard. You want to choose the right plants for the right location. Plants that grow tall are best in the rear while shorter plants are best in the middle and front. Some research is always required. I am having success with Jungle Val, Wisteria, Anubias Nana, Java Fern, Java Moss, Crypt Wendtii, Amazon Sword, Dwarf Sag.
 
I have had success with those boxed plants with gel from the pet store. However, many of these are grown immersed rather than submerged and often require an adjustment period and sometimes some 'melting'. Be patient. 
 
Since you will likely use more light in a planted tank, algae may be a challenge at first (it almost always is!). This occurs because of an imbalance of light, nutrients and plant load. The best advantage is to initially plant heavy with fast growing plants.
 
Finally, the best eco-system has a good clean-up crew and tank maintenance. Bottom feeders and snails, especially Malaysian Trumpet Snails are instrumental in converting waste into plant usable nutrients. The MTS also burrow and aerate the substrate which is beneficial for rooted plants.
 
As far as tank maintenance, I feel you can relax some as the well managed planted tank is not only more natural, but the plants [better] purify the water. You don't have to be as concerned about detritus and mulm on the substrate (I never vacuum the substrate) as this material will decompose to feed the bacteria and the plants. I'm also slightly more relaxed about filter maintenance. Before planting I was pretty regular about cleaning detritus out of filters to remove nitrogenous material. But this material merely breaks down into plant usable nutrients (a good thing).
 
Water changes: Some would claim that with a planted tank you only top off and don't need water changes. I feel you absolutely still need water changes. However, you may need slightly less frequent or slightly lower volume water changes and still have very pure water for the fish.
 
I hope this helps some. You won't regret a planted tank as it's amazing how it naturalizes the tank adding a whole new surreal dimension.
To go even a step further, I'm using a Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED light on my 60g. In 24/7 mode, it comes on at 6am with a red/yellow sunrise, ramps up during the day to bright light (11am-3pm), then ramps down to sunset and moonlight. Way cool.
 
Good luck!

 

[FroFro]

 

I actually switched out the bulb that came with the hood for a MUCH brighter LED that also has a moonlight setting. However I do have a window that for about half the day shines a good amount of sunshine on the tank in the room its sitting. Naturally I keep the curtains drawn at this time of day for the tank but this might help the plants should I get some
 
I saw some of the planted "gel" packs of plants at my LFS, but some are not labled and I'm not sure how to go about them... I saw the bio tabs at the store too, so I might just go check them out. I have a few roman ruins style ornaments in the tank along with some driftwood. I think it would look amazing to have some plants potentially grow along/cling to them and give them an "ancient" feel while keeping the aquarium looking more natural too! Any advice on what plants might be good for that? 

 

[marnold00]

 

I actually switched out the bulb that came with the hood for a MUCH brighter LED that also has a moonlight setting. However I do have a window that for about half the day shines a good amount of sunshine on the tank in the room its sitting. Naturally I keep the curtains drawn at this time of day for the tank but this might help the plants should I get some
 
I saw some of the planted "gel" packs of plants at my LFS, but some are not labled and I'm not sure how to go about them... I saw the bio tabs at the store too, so I might just go check them out. I have a few roman ruins style ornaments in the tank along with some driftwood. I think it would look amazing to have some plants potentially grow along/cling to them and give them an "ancient" feel while keeping the aquarium looking more natural too! Any advice on what plants might be good for that? 

My lilaeopsis is spreading horizontally.

Ive got this plant in the middle of my tank that im struggling to ID. Its a definite crawler. Day after day new sprouts are appearing and looking for stuff to grab on to.

Worst case i'll get a picture on it on here. Its growing quick, it looks great, and i havent killed it yet so it must be easy to look after! Itll also fill your crawler wish. Im going to get some thread and gently bend the stem down to my bogwood and try and get it to spiral around it or just generally attach itself to it. It could look great

 

[StevenF]

 
 
Whether high tech or low tech*, you first need to consider your lighting. You need at lest 1.5 watts per gallon to grow most plants. Most aquariums come with lights that are fine for viewing fish, but not for growing plants. You can go with conventional florescent or newer LED fixtures.

 
This watts per gallon recommendation i out of date.  It worked well when everyone was using incandescent bulbs with equal efficiency.  However today we have Incandescent, fluorescent, and LED with different efficiencies. Besides watts is a measure of electrical power consumption not the amount of light produced.  Also plants have different lighting needs some like low light while others need medium and others brightlight.  The best way to determine how much light you need is by Lumens per square inch or PAR:  
http/www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/300490-how-calculate-your-tank-lighting-lsi.html
 
for your first plant Anacharis is a good choice.  most fish stores carry it. It is not fussy on light levels and doesn't care if it is floating or planted in the substrate.  Floating plants will easily root themselves in gravel substrate.  
 
Any aquarium with fish will have CO2 so if your plants are not fussy they will not need CO2 injection.  As to fertilizers you may or may not need them.  Look up your local water utility on the web They probably have a water quality report on line.  That should tell you what nutrients are in the water and if it is soft or hard.  The nutrients plants need can be found here: https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition
 
If your water is very soft you probably will not have enough trace or micro nutrient for your plants.  Macro nutrients (potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen) are generally not problem because fish food will supply at least a minimum that the plants will need. A very good fertilizer to start with is Seachem Flourish Comprehensive.  it will supply all the micro and macro fertilizers plants need.  buy the smallest bottle you can find for starters.  The fertilizer will eventually go bad once it is opened.
 
Note if you have very soft water and want shrimp or snails (Nerite snails and cherry shrimp are a good choice) put a couple of decorative snail, see shells in the water. Shrimp and snails may have a problem living in very soft water due to very low level of calcium and magnesium.   These creatures make their shell out of calcium or magnesium carbonate.  If you put a couple of decorative shells  in the water they will slowly dissolve keeping changing the water from very soft to merely soft.  Soft water is generally safe for shrimp and snails.