Low light plants

[AJ356]

Hi,

I was wondering what, if any, plants are the most likely to manage with low light. I'm talking about lighting levels ranging from just the ambient lighting levels in a room with a large window, to levels of an LED aquarium light providing roughly 50% of the normal lighting intensity you'd normally want for a planted tank. Let's also throw into the mix that any LED light would have a randomly allocated Kelvin rating (i.e no guarentee it would be in the 6500K region).

Do any such aquatic plants exist? I would not expect them to thrive, just not to die, or fade away anytime quick.

 

[PygmyPepperJulli]

I'm going to start this by saying I am no expert, but I do speak from experience.
The popular ones recommended everywhere on the web are java fern, java moss and Anubis. Maybe floaters as well, depends.

Since my java moss seems to grow a lot better with high light and the one Anubis I ever had died or stem root (it came like that from the lfs, not happy), can't vouch for these. My Amazon frog bit I got from the local creek seems to be doing alright too, and I reckon duckweed might grow in that (if you want that curse upon you).

I CAN, however, vouch for java fern. It is invincible, amazing, and pretty much the only thing I've had success with (in a ridiculously low tech setup, no co2, not an amazing light and a small dose of SeaChem flourish when I remember every month or so). I got a couple of plants in a bag about a year and a half ago and since then is has proceeded to propagate and pretty much overtake my tank.

Java fern all the way (and hope this helps!)

 

[seangee]

Currently not checking in often and typing is very difficult as I am injured - but here are my 4 tanks which are all low light
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/a-tale-of-4-tanks.463021/

 

[Byron]

I do not think you will have much luck without a light over the tank. Relying on ambient room light probably won't work. Light is what drive photosynthesis, which is how plants grow.

I did an experiment with a 10g for a year. It had no light, no filter. Well planted with easy plants, 20 nano fish, and it sat in front of a west-facing window in the fish room. The first problem is that the plants naturally grew toward the light source. Second problem was algae was impossible to keep under control.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Low light plants are also know as plants that are easy to grow. However, low doesn't mean no light it means LOW light.

Here is the Tropica list of easy to keep plants, You can click an any pf them and get more information.
https://tropica.com/en/plants/search/?mode=search&sew=&dif=Easy&pgr=&ori=&use=

Tropica is one of the oldest and largest suppliers of aquatic plants in the world. Some species are even named after the founder of Tropica:

Microsorum pteropus 'Windeløv' is a patented variety of Microsorum pteropus, named after Tropica's founder Holger Windeløv.

edited for spelling and typos

 

[AJ356]

Thank you for the replies. I'm researching options where I don't have too much invested in plants. I know that sounds lazy. I can get carried away, and overly obsessed sometimes with anything fishkeeping, and then find it stressful if things start failing (I know, can't have it all our own way!). I'm not looking for miracles without the hard labour, but want to keep my options open for a few low maintenance plants to add some natural green really, rather than having no plants at all. I just don't like the artificial look I feel I get, if a set up is too bright. In fact, beginning to hate it.

@PygmyPepperJulli - I never had much luck with Java Fern believe it or not! Although that was years ago. I had decent lighting I believe at the time, I even had Seachem Flourish. I made sure to follow the instructions about not burying the roots. I kept getting brown/back marks and dots on the leaves. Ugly!. Maybe I was doing something wrong. Maybe there is still hope for me!

@seangee - Hope your recovery is going well! What happened? This is the list of plants you had based on the link you sent. Would you particularly recommend any for me based on what I said in the beginning of this post? I'm happy to use ferts, but lighting would be the minimum to keep them alive. Cryptocoryne wendtii, hygrophila costata, vallisneria spiralus, anubias nana, Limnobium laeviatum,Hygrophila corymbosa, ceratopteris (3 different kinds), Hygrophila polysperma, echinodorus reni, helanthium tenellum, heteranthera zosterifolia, ludwigia repens

@Byron Thanks. I believe you. I'd just rather have no plants than a tank that looks like the fish need sunglasses. I know I am being a bit exaggerated there, but you get my drift? I'll do the bare minimum artificial lighting that the fish need perhaps and some easy plants, but no more (lighting) ideally.

@TwoTankAmin Thanks loads for the link. That's really helpful about that plant company.

 

[Byron]

It is impossible to not have a light over the tank to see what you and the fish are doing. Floating plants shade this. And obviously don't start out with bright light.

 

[AJ356]

It is impossible to not have a light over the tank to see what you and the fish are doing. Floating plants shade this. And obviously don't start out with bright light.

Your statement might be true, but because of the first sentence, this is potentially a bit misleading if other posters join the discussion, and don't read my other posts.

I did mention in my first post about maybe relying on ambient levels of light in the room, I am now coming away from that idea. By ambient, I didn't mean pitch black. I did also mention in my initial post on the thread about perhaps having about 50% of the normal lighting intensity one might go for in a traditional planted tank.

I do not intend on having things so dark, I cannot even see how much food I am putting in the tank, and the fish cannot see what way is up

 

[seangee]

@seangee - Hope your recovery is going well! What happened? This is the list of plants you had based on the link you sent. Would you particularly recommend any for me based on what I said in the beginning of this post? I'm happy to use ferts, but lighting would be the minimum to keep them alive. Cryptocoryne wendtii, hygrophila costata, vallisneria spiralus, anubias nana, Limnobium laeviatum,Hygrophila corymbosa, ceratopteris (3 different kinds), Hygrophila polysperma, echinodorus reni, helanthium tenellum, heteranthera zosterifolia, ludwigia repens

I would probably start with Hygrophila polysperma (Siamensis 53b is also nice) and Limnophila Sessiliflora. These both do well using a divide and conquer technique so you don't need to buy much if you have a little patience. These also do well in all my tanks. They are easy and take their nutrients from the water column so no need for root tabs. Some of the others mentioned do well in some tanks and not others (I do have quite different environments). Most anubias prefer low light and grow slowly so get what you like the look of. All my tanks have pretty basic (and cheap) LED strip lights. I use Limnobium laeviatum to further dim the lighting. This works in all my tanks except the most acidic (pH < 5). At one stage I intentionally had a light and dark side in my 200l SA tank. Based on the fact that I used a 6 stop graduated filter to take a photo where the lighting looked even that suggests 64x as much light on the light side (sorry photo geek info ). My tetras were almost always in the dark side so I now have just let the frogbit go wild.
Here is the tank today. Maintenance is really minimal and mostly involves a pair of scissors In reality its darker than the pic because the phone compensated...

Oh and

1. Don't let duckweed in
2. Do buy tissue cultured plants - e.g. Tropica 1-2 grow, the extra cost really is justified for the quality

Recovery is going well, thanks for asking. I fell off my bike and my shoulder blade is currently in 4 pieces, along with 5 broken ribs. Not quite 3 weeks in and the pain is already much more manageable with good improvement in movement. I had to invite my daughter over for the weekend because we have over 200l of water to change

 

[AJ356]

I would probably start with Hygrophila polysperma (Siamensis 53b is also nice) and Limnophila Sessiliflora. These both do well using a divide and conquer technique so you don't need to buy much if you have a little patience. These also do well in all my tanks. They are easy and take their nutrients from the water column so no need for root tabs. Some of the others mentioned do well in some tanks and not others (I do have quite different environments). Most anubias prefer low light and grow slowly so get what you like the look of. All my tanks have pretty basic (and cheap) LED strip lights. I use Limnobium laeviatum to further dim the lighting. This works in all my tanks except the most acidic (pH < 5). At one stage I intentionally had a light and dark side in my 200l SA tank. Based on the fact that I used a 6 stop graduated filter to take a photo where the lighting looked even that suggests 64x as much light on the light side (sorry photo geek info ). My tetras were almost always in the dark side so I now have just let the frogbit go wild.
Here is the tank today. Maintenance is really minimal and mostly involves a pair of scissors In reality its darker than the pic because the phone compensated...

Oh and

1. Don't let duckweed in
2. Do buy tissue cultured plants - e.g. Tropica 1-2 grow, the extra cost really is justified for the quality

Recovery is going well, thanks for asking. I fell off my bike and my shoulder blade is currently in 4 pieces, along with 5 broken ribs. Not quite 3 weeks in and the pain is already much more manageable with good improvement in movement. I had to invite my daughter over for the weekend because we have over 200l of water to change

Hello mate,

Blimey. You have been in the wars. Not comparing as such, but twice I've had bruised (not broken ribs). Once, from going over the handlebars of a mountain bike, at speed, on a normal road surface (feet got tangled in loose brake cable, my bad), and once in a fight. Both times, I recall being in complete agony each morning for atleast a month, no exaggeration. Tramadol didn't even touch the pain. Then, moderate pain during the day for another month. Probably not pain free in either case for 3 or 4 months. Terrified of catching a cough both times (you will know what I mean by that). Shoulder wise, I've had a broken collarbone and broke it again before it was fully healed. Very painful. Yours sounds much worse.

Noted on Hygrophila Polysperma, Siamensis 53b, Limnophila Sessiliflora, and Anubias. Thank you. I hate duckweed anyway, and thanks about that company to order from. Looks good.

I also guess one option for a low light set up, is "normal" levels of lighting intensity, but pack it to the rafters with amazon frogbit? I'm talking almost "wall to wall" ? I think, potentially water flow and gaseous exchange at the surface could be an issue? Depending on what fish you have?

 

[seangee]

I use controllers very like this https/www.amazon.co.uk/Designsfeel-Modulator-Controller-Intelligent-Brightness/dp/B082G73GZ9
Mine are branded Nicrew but I can't see them now. Even the basic LED strips are too bright for my lighting. The only one I have kept at 100% is the tank that is "packed to the rafters" with frogbit.