The quickest growing plants?

[MOJO]

Hi, I was wondering which plants are the easiest and quickest to grow?
As I'd like to try my hand at 'farming' them.

Some tips on propogating would obviously be fantastic.

My tank is around 30 gallons with plenty of oxygen and one of those bublbs that is supposed to encourage plant growth.

There are currently a few Platies, Mountain Minnows a Cory and 3 small Angel fish in there.

I would be grateful for any help or opinions.

Thanks in advance!

 

[nonot8946]

hygrophilia polysperma, hornwort, duckweed are the fastest growing that I know of.

To propogate...um, do nothing. When there are no room for fish cut some off and throw it out.

 

[jimbooo]

ok that is a much bigger question than you realise.

what WPG do you have. (watts per gallon) and i assume plain gravel or sand substrate.

are you looking for a natural organised mess of plants that needs pruning every week or a slow growing, low maintenance tank. (i know you said fast growing but just to clarify)

answer that and i'll give you some options.

 

[George Farmer]

My tank is around 30 gallons with plenty of oxygen

Then you are likely to have little CO2 content - not good for plant growth.

To grow the vast majority of plants at a fast rate you will need plenty of good light i.e. over 2 Watts per Gallon full-spectrum, high-output T8 fluorescent and 20 - 30 mg/l CO2 injection with nutrient-rich water/substrate.

You could grow plants successfully without the above but growth will be significantly slower.

As Jimbooo states the subject is a little more complex than you may realise but please feel free to ask anymore questions - we're here to help.

 

[MOJO]

Cheers all...

I can't remember the wattage of the bulb off the top of my head, but there's definitely plenty of light in there anyway.

That was also an interesting point about the oxygen... So you're saying I'm better off without lots of bubbles basically?

As for the bottom of the tank, I currently have substrate in there. The stones aren't very big at all.

As I say, I'm not bothered about having to prune plants every week. That's not a problem. I simply would like to get plenty of greenery in there fast without spending a fortune on plants. I really like the look of the 'natural style' tank.

Some of the pictures I've seen on this forum have been really inspiring.

Great stuff!

 

[Iron Man]

With about 1 to 1.5 watts per gallon based purely on growth my cabomba have exceeded expectations by FAR. I bought two mild looking medium sized bunches and 3 weeks later half of the background of my tank is towering cabomba. I have already propagated twice.

Look out algae! woohoo!

 

[Nospherith]

The rotala rotundifolia is growing quite fast in my tank. Now the corkscrew vallis is just insane. It's sending out a new runner every few days. They reach the top of the tank in about two weeks. Can't say the same for my fav. plant, ludwigia repens, though. Oh well.

 

[MOJO]

Excellent all.... Keep em comin' I'm taking note.

 

[lizard]

My Hygro (Hygrophilia polysperma) grows like mad! You can grow a plant from a leaf in a week or two. I have 1.5 WPG on the tank the Hygro is in and don't add any CO2.

In some states, Hygro is considered a noxious weed. Whether or not that means it's illegal to own, I have yet to determine. I have no idea what the rules for it are over in the UK.

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

 

[guppygirl]

I have cabomba and hygro in my 5 gallon, and I have 1.8 wpg over it. They both are flourishing with added nutrients, no co2.
I think if you acheive a perfect balance, the exact amount of a nutrient matters less.
But I'm still a plant newbie!

 

[George Farmer]

That was also an interesting point about the oxygen... So you're saying I'm better off without lots of bubbles basically?

If you mean air bubbles generated by a filter or airstone then you will be better without them.

Plants need CO2 which can escape from the water quite easily. Think of a fizzy drink bottle - when you shake it the CO2 bubbles escape. So when your tank water is agitated by an airstone or too much surface movement from a filter (especially a venturi type outlet) then CO2 will escape.

Look for just a slight surface movement. You may need to position the filter outlet lower in the water column.

 

[utahfish]

i have some indica that is going crazy. i have a 29 gallon with 85 watts and dit co2.

even without the co2 though it grows good. it's easy to propagate as well just clipp some off and plant it somewhere else. it gets pretty dense as well and needs to be pruned about once a week.