Low tech plants

[Galvin88]

Hey guys,

I am looking to add plants to my 64g but unsure of the best and best looking plants to go for. The only plant i have so far is a jarva fern on my drift wood.
I want to go low tech, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sgooosh]

Hey guys,

I am looking to add plants to my 64g but unsure of the best and best looking plants to go for. The only plant i have so far is a jarva fern on my drift wood.
I want to go low tech, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Anubias, bacopa carolinana, Amazon swords(ferts), ludwigia,
Later on when tank is super established add floaters of any kind

root tabs for bacopa, Ludwiga, and Amazon sword

 

[Wills]

Great list above Just a few other suggestions to add. For stem plants Hygrophila Siamensis 53b and Limnophilla Sessiflora are great easy to grow plants. Cardamine Lyrata is a nice stem plant too but can take over pretty quick.

As well as any of the Anubais plants check out Bucephalandra same as Anubias it grows on wood and rocks but all different kinds and colours available.

An other good plant to look at are the Crypts go for the mid to large sized ones, they will take a while to establish in the tank but will eventually grow pretty large.

Wills

 

[Galvin88]

Anubias, bacopa carolinana, Amazon swords(ferts), ludwigia,
Later on when tank is super established add floaters of any kind

root tabs for bacopa, Ludwiga, and Amazon sword

Thank you, how do floating plants work, do they not just get pushed to one side with the flow of the spray bar

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Cryptocorynes are super easy to grow and so is vall, it sends off runners and spreads like mad. Elodea is an easy one too

 

[Galvin88]

Great list above Just a few other suggestions to add. For stem plants Hygrophila Siamensis 53b and Limnophilla Sessiflora are great easy to grow plants. Cardamine Lyrata is a nice stem plant too but can take over pretty quick.

As well as any of the Anubais plants check out Bucephalandra same as Anubias it grows on wood and rocks but all different kinds and colours available.

An other good plant to look at are the Crypts go for the mid to large sized ones, they will take a while to establish in the tank but will eventually grow pretty large.

Wills

Thank for the reply, i think i had Limnophilla and was not keen, its spread like a weed. I will have a look at all the others.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Thank you, how do floating plants work, do they not just get pushed to one side with the flow of the spray bar

So floating plants sit on the surface and they're great for tank health.
You can have them all over the water surface, floating around, pushed by the current caused by your filter/spray bar, or...
You can use a long piece of air pipe, joined together to make a loop. If you want even more control, this loop can have a sucker attached to it, so you can attach the hoop to the side of the tank.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Thank for the reply, i think i had Limnophilla and was not keen, its spread like a weed. I will have a look at all the others.

Stuff that spreads like a weed can have its benefits...it just needs regular cutting, to get nice and bushy.
All plants will need some input, care-wise. I really don't believe that there's a totally care-free plant, other than the plastic and silk varieties...and even they needs some attention, once they get smothered in algae.
Other things that affect plant growth include water chemistry, substrates, fertilisers, light availability and spectrums...and luck.

 

[Sgooosh]

So floating plants sit on the surface and they're great for tank health.
You can have them all over the water surface, floating around, pushed by the current caused by your filter/spray bar, or...
You can use a long piece of air pipe, joined together to make a loop. If you want even more control, this loop can have a sucker attached to it, so you can attach the hoop to the side of the tank.

you can use straws! way cheaper and easier to put together
get bendy straws, and then smash the tip of one, fold the flat tip and stick it into another one, keep doing it to get a nice shape

 

[Galvin88]

you can use straws! way cheaper and easier to put together
get bendy straws, and then smash the tip of one, fold the flat tip and stick it into another one, keep doing it to get a nice shape

Is that to create things like this?

 

[Galvin88]

So today i havw been to my LFS and purchased 5 plants, any opinions on them amd best place to plant

 

[Wills]

Do you have a pic of your tank? The Echinodorus are big growing Amazon swords which are best at the back. The Crypts are a nice one you've got and best in the middle but give them space to spread out. The Hygrophila is a big plant but you can trim it so easy enough to put it in a couple of places in the middle and the background. When ever you do trim it though you will get 2 new branches so eventually it will form a bush from one stem.

Wills

 

[Galvin88]

In the process of a water change

 

[Galvin88]

Abit better picture

 

[anewbie]

crypts, aponogeton, anubia, vals, most floaters,Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus , here is a low tech tank: