Suggestions Please

[wigdean]

Will be going to my lfs tomorrow to pick up some plants. They have quite a selection but I'd rather not just go in and pick some randomly.

Basically I have a 20 gal tank, with the standard AquaOne lighting you get on the small tanks (as you can probably tell, I haven't got a clue what I'm talking about when it comes to these things!), no special substrate - it's just normal gravel and all I do is add plant food every week.

Now I realise it's not the best setup to house plants but I'd like to try as I absolutely hate plastic plants. There are currently a few amazon swords in there that are growing well but the small snail problem I have is making them look a bit ragged and tatty.

So basically I'm looking for hardy plants, that are easy to care for with my current tank conditions and if at all possible, something that won't be ruined by snails within a week!

Any suggestions would be great.

 

[nry]

If you can maintain a decent fertiliser regime and possibly look at some tabs to go under gravel for the root feeding plants (like the swords) then there are a range of plants which will do well in low light. Anubias, many of the ferns (java fern etc) and others will do OK, some stem plants like cabomba, elodea etc will grow though they will not grow as fast or as thickk as they would in a higher light tank.

Make sure you do not buy anything that is not specifically aquarium suitable. Many shops sell things like dracena, wheat plant etc that are not true aquatics and will live for a little while then rot and die.

 

[wigdean]

All I really do is add King British Plant Food to be honest. Well I say I, but it's really my dads tank. I think he adds the stuff once a week and that's all he does. It does seem to work though.

I will take a look at those plants you suggested though and will avoid the dracena, etc..

Thanks.

 

[nry]

It would do no harm to try a better liquid fertiliser, Tropica Plant Nutrition gets superb comments on here. You are often beter dosing smaller amounts more frequently aswell, keeps nutrient levels more stable.

Be aware that most ferns and also anubias do better when tied to larger rocks/wood as they root onto these. If you plant them in gravel then ensure you do not bury the rhizome as this will usually cause the rhizome to rot and kill the plant.