Tough Plants

[joloco]

can anyone suggest some unusual plants that are unpalatble to fish, i'd like some more unusual plants but an getting a bit fed up with my fish eating them!
a red leaved variety would be good - my tap water is very hard and the ph is 8.5.

 

[russellbrooke]

Can you give us a few more stats?

Tank Size? Fish?

Russ

 

[Dubby]

Dont know about unusual plants, but Java fern, Anubias are not very palatable to fish.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Java fern. *nods* Not unuasual, though.

There's a couple of plants in the pinned article that supposedly will not be eaten.

 

[joloco]

sorry - yes here we go

100 litres
ph 8.5
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 30 mg/litre

2 x khulie loach
3 x lepard corries
2 x apistogamma trif.
1 x dwarf gourami (the main culprit!!)

to give an idea - i already have these plants
MICROSORIUM WINDELOV
GYMNOCORONIS SPILANTHOIDES VARIGATED Pink & White Form

and would like something else different.

 

[PaulEbs]

You could always try some vallisneria?

beautiful long flowing stems, and not many fish seem to dig it. With several species to choose from, including my favourite - Giant Vallis.. Mine is currently at 1.5 metres in length.

Java fern as suggested is apparently bitter to fish, and also grows really well in most conditions. Make sure you don't plant it though - it's roots soak up nutrients in the water, not the substrate. Meaning you can attatch the plant to bogwood etc.

Paul.

 

[joloco]

I have a twisted valis (is this right, not sure) but it just doesn't grow.
The leaves brown and die back but no new ones come after. Its basically just dying - i've had it for three months and was hoping it would have established itself by now!
Is it a weak specimen or am i doing something wrong?
my lights are on for about twelve hours a day or longer if i forget to turn them off! but I just read they only need to be on for 8 hours a day so i'm going to try to curtail that.