New Tank Plants

[alya24]

Hi all,

I am new to the world of tropical fish keeping and so glad I found this site.

After much reading I have just bought a 60L glass tank with all the necessaries (HOB filter, heater, gravel, light, etc) and am about to begin a round of fishless cycling to prepare the tank for the fish that will be!

I would like to have real plants in the tank rather than fake to provide cover, O2 and some limited nitrate removal. Can anyone recommend some decent hardy starter plants that won't degrade water quality excessively or turn into a jungle over night while I get the hang of this?

Many thanks.

 

[karin]

In my limited experience, although I seem to kill many plants, Anubias species are the hardiest and easiests plants and they behave themselves by not littering or growing too fast.

 

[KittyKat]

Anubias, Java moss, Java fern are the usual starters. You should also look at Cabomba and the easier Hygrophilas.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Anubias, Java moss, Java fern are the usual starters. You should also look at Cabomba and the easier Hygrophilas.

+1 for Anubis

+1 for cabomba, mine is growing so fast its scary

+1 for Java Moss, as above

I have tried growing vallis but dont seem to be having much luck so i personaly wouldnt recomend it.

I am probably gona get a Java Fern at some stage.







.

 

[alya24]

Thanks guys, that gives me plenty to start with!

Any thoughts on when to add them to a new tank, i.e. after/before/during a fishless cycling programme?

 

[KittyKat]

After is the usually recommended route.

 

[guppy love]

Seconding the java moss, you can tie it to rocks, ornaments or pieces of wood with cotton thread and it will grow, spread and pretty much look after itself. Also have a look at marimo moss balls, available cheaply on ebay. They look fab and are very hard to kill, you just put them in the tank and that's it job done!

 

[Rynofasho]

Anubias, Java moss, Java fern are the usual starters. You should also look at Cabomba and the easier Hygrophilas.

+1 for Anubis

+1 for cabomba, mine is growing so fast its scary

+1 for Java Moss, as above

I have tried growing vallis but dont seem to be having much luck so i personaly wouldnt recomend it.

I am probably gona get a Java Fern at some stage.

What are your WPG, Tom? I was considering cabomba with 1WPG T5 plus dosing Flourish and Flourish Excel, but wasn't sure how it would do with 1WPG.

 

[KittyKat]

Anubias, Java moss, Java fern are the usual starters. You should also look at Cabomba and the easier Hygrophilas.

+1 for Anubis

+1 for cabomba, mine is growing so fast its scary

+1 for Java Moss, as above

I have tried growing vallis but dont seem to be having much luck so i personaly wouldnt recomend it.

I am probably gona get a Java Fern at some stage.

What are your WPG, Tom? I was considering cabomba with 1WPG T5 plus dosing Flourish and Flourish Excel, but wasn't sure how it would do with 1WPG.

WPG doesn't, in my experience, matter much with Cabomba: I have grown it in anything from 0.5-3WPG without fertilisers. With the fertilisers, you should not have any problems.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Anubias, Java moss, Java fern are the usual starters. You should also look at Cabomba and the easier Hygrophilas.

+1 for Anubis

+1 for cabomba, mine is growing so fast its scary

+1 for Java Moss, as above

I have tried growing vallis but dont seem to be having much luck so i personaly wouldnt recomend it.

I am probably gona get a Java Fern at some stage.

What are your WPG, Tom? I was considering cabomba with 1WPG T5 plus dosing Flourish and Flourish Excel, but wasn't sure how it would do with 1WPG.

WPG doesn't, in my experience, matter much with Cabomba: I have grown it in anything from 0.5-3WPG without fertilisers. With the fertilisers, you should not have any problems.

I have 2 x 30w t8 tubes over a 180 litre tank.
That is 40 imp gallons so that is 1.5wpg (imp).
48 us gallons so that is 1.25 wpg (us).


I am using Excel & Trace & will be getting a co2 system soon.