What Plants To Get?

[Asteria]

I'm looking for some nice tall plants
Vallis has not worked for me and I have tried others. Cambodia too. And they just seem to melt.
Now I don't have much soil substrate but I can get fertilizer tablets among others .
I do need to get light reflectors also. May even change the bulbs as the current owner said she could never get them to grow.

I use eBay to buy plants. But sometimes they just arnt nice and lush. So any suggestions and anyone in the UK that could send some decent plants to me?

I have already
Anubias
Crypt
Salvina n
And a few carpeting plants I can't rber the names off xD

A picture, just because

 

[Zikofski]

best place to get plants in the uk is www.aquaessentials.co.uk i highly recomend them and great quality plants

how tall is your tank? you can get hygro is a quick fast growing tall stem plant grows very tall over 60cm

 

[Asteria]

It's the Rio 125. I think it's about 50cm +

Thank you

 

[Byron]

I would suggest resolving the possible light issue before spending money on plants.  And there are a couple other things to mention.
 
Cabomba needs good light (on the bright side) and thus good liquid fertilizers as it is a fast-growing stem plant.  It will fall apart without this.  Most stem plants are fast growing and thus require brighter light and good nutrient supplementation.  One exception is Pennywort, which grows nice with moderate light.
 
Vallisneria species require moderately hard or harder water, with good light though moderate will work here.  And a basic liquid fertilizer may help, depending upon other things.
 
The other plants you mention as doing OK are moderate light so this is probably what you have.  New tubes/bulbs may be advisable, these need regular replacement as tubes especially decrease their intensity as they burn.  It depends upon what they are, but I replace my fluorescent T8 tubes every 12 months.  Those other plants in your photo are crypt species.
 
Vallisneria should be OK, so perhaps the hard minerals are lacking here.  Do you know the GH of your water?  And are you using any liquid fertilizer, and if yes, which?
 
Byron.

 

[Asteria]

I have tested my Gh and Kh of the water, but i cant remember it for the life of me.
Have a feeling it was around 25-35. I can go test this now and get a proper reading for you.
However i do know my area is classed as hard water.
 
I did use plant boost at one point but as of now i have nothing other than just soil substrate.
 
i will defiantly replace my lights first and get reflectors. had these in my other tank and they grew well.
i believe my lights are either T8 or T5

 

[Byron]

If those numbers are degrees, example 25 dGH, that is indeed very hard water.  If however they are in mg/litre or ppm (parts per million), then the water is very soft.  25 mg/l or ppm is just a tad above 1 dGH.  You can convert with the number 17.9; multiply dGH by 17.9 to get ppm, and divide ppm by 17.9 to get dGH.  Same holds for KH.
 
"Plant boost" may be a UK product, I'm not familiar with it, but the best liquid fertilizer to use is a complete or comprehensive one that has the necessary nutrients in proportion to each other according to the plants' needs.  Some nutrients have to come from the water via the leaves, others will enter the plant via leaves or roots.
 
The plants currently in the photo will tend to do OK with less, given the soil and the fact that they are slow growing species.  Adding the faster-growers like the Cabomba and Vallisneria changes things as I previously mentioned.
 
Byron.

 

[Asteria]

It is indeed very hard water.
And it's at 30dGH
The UK does indeed have very hard water.
And I'm conveinetly in the area where it's most hard

I'm going to get lights tomorrow from my lfs. And hopefully reflectors. Then I'll get some soil substrate and then plants and fertz

As do all plants. I do understand the way plants gather nutrients and their needs. Just not so great with water plants, in the sense of what's best and relatively easy growing.