How Many Plants? Are They Healthy?

Hi guys,
 
I just have a question about live plants.  I currently have 6 live plants in my 4 ft (200L) tank.  There are 2 each of 3 different types, but I don't know their names.
 
Is this enough for a tank of that size?  Do I need more to assist with the nitrogen cycle?  Also, some of them are developing large white roots coming off them - can I take that as a sign that they are healthy?  Does that mean that the water must be healthy for fish too (My fish all seem very healthy and I am waiting for a master api kit to be delivered).
 
I have attached a photo to show what I mean.  Can anyone please identify the type of plant and if I am correct in assuming that it is healthy?
 
Thanks

sorry, didnt mean to post the same pic twice. 

Hmm, as a general rule I look at green and white leaved plants as non aquatic plants, general household plants.
 
There are few exceptions of course. 
 
Having googled for images of this plant and the closest I've come to is The Aluminum Plant, or Pilea cadierei which i think is a match for the leaf patterning.
 
Basically I think its a houseplant, sorry  
 
Have a look and see what you think.
 
http/www.houseplantsexpert.com/aluminum-plant.html

I'd have high suspicion that that red leaved plant in the background might be a houseplant too.

Well, they were the only plants available at my LFS.  They said they were good for aquariums.  I've attached pics of the other two types I have - the red/purple leaf and a fuzzy looking one.
 
If anyone can identify and tell me if they are useful plants or not that would be great.  Thanks
 
Any plants that are highly recommended?  My community tank has a variety of fish: tetras, platies, mollies, guppies, dwarf gourami (which love hiding in the plants).  And how many would I need for a tank of my size?
 
Cheers

And so houseplants are not helpful at all for aquariums?

I've just looked these up myself at I would agree that I have: aluminium, purple temple and ambulia. I got them from this site:
http/aquariumfishparadise.com.au/Plant-Profiles.php
 
It says that the aluminium and purple temple are not true aquatic plants...so yeah, must be household plants.  The ambulia is though.  I guess I will have to buy some other plants.
 
Another question I have is about cleaning the tank.  I have a gravel siphon thingy for water changes but how do I clean the gravel around the plants without uprooting them?  So far, I have just been using the siphon in the open expanses and leaving the plants alone, but if I plant more plants, then there will be less open spaces and I will be forced to clean around the plants.  I am concerned that if i do that and i uproot plants then it will disrupt their growing and will cause extra stress to the fish while I try and set up the tank again etc.  Hope that makes sense?  Any suggestions
 
Cheers,
Dean

Generally speaking, plants are either terrestrial or aquatic.  [There are also bog or marsh plants, which can do well submersed or emersed; I'll come back to these.]  The leaf structure is different for terrestrial and aquatic plants because the leaves have somewhat of a different purpose.  Terrestrial plants need to conserve water, so they are usually thicker, whereas this is not an issue with aquatic plants.  More (different) nutrients pass through the leaves on aquatic plants, whereas terrestrial rely more on roots.  The stems of terrestrial tend to be thicker and stronger as they need to hold up the leaf, whereas aquatic plants have the water for support so the stems tend to be less rigid and when emersed may not stand up at all.  
 
Terrestrial plants can sometimes survive submersed, though not usually for very long.  It is best not to use them, but if you do, keep a close eye on them and at the first signs of dying leaves remove the plant; it can rot very fast and this is real pollution in an aquarium.
 
Many of our aquarium plants are true bog plants.  All species (there may be an exception or two, I'm going from memory here) in Echinodorus (the commonly called Amazon swords), Helanthium (the chain swords), Sagittaria, Cryptocoryne, Anubias and some others are bog plants.  They can live emersed, which is when they flower, or submersed, and either permanently or alternately as during the wet and dry seasons in their habitats.
 
I hope the above is useful in understanding why the house plants may not be the best choice.  As for some easy aquarium plants, here we come to light intensity being the most important factor to consider.  Water absorbs light wavelengths, so you need a decent light over the tank.  Some aquarium plants are high light, some are moderate light, and some are more low light, though these are subjective terms.  It is best to decide on the light intensity, and then look at plants that are likely to manage.
 
When changing water, you can clean the substrate in the open areas, but it is best to leave it alone around plants.  Aside from uprooting, the organics in the substrate are broken down by bacteria and this provides nutrients for the plants.  CO2 is primarily produced by the breakdown of organics and as CO2 (carbon) is often the nutrient in least supply, you want to encourage it.  I have seven tanks presently, and in a couple I never touch the substrate at all; in others I do what I have just suggested.  Provided you don't overfeed the fish, and the fish load is not beyond the capacity of the aquarium to handle biologically, this should not be problematic.
 
Byron.

Thanks for the information Byron - it helps a lot.  I will be looking at getting some proper aquatic plants soon then.  And thanks for the information about cleaning the substrate - I will leave the section around the roots alone.
 
In terms of lighting:
 
The light I have is:
 
http/www.petbarn.c...ble-tube-1.html
 
It's the 30W light. Has one 'Sunlight' bulb and one 'Tropical' bulb in it
 
Sorry to keep asking questions, but does this seem like a suitable light for my aquarium and to promote growth?
 
Cheers

DeanoL83 said:

Thanks for the information Byron - it helps a lot.  I will be looking at getting some proper aquatic plants soon then.  And thanks for the information about cleaning the substrate - I will leave the section around the roots alone.
 
In terms of lighting:
 
The light I have is:
 
http/www.petbarn.c...ble-tube-1.html
 
It's the 30W light. Has one 'Sunlight' bulb and one 'Tropical' bulb in it
 
Sorry to keep asking questions, but does this seem like a suitable light for my aquarium and to promote growth?
 
Cheers

Click to expand...

That seems a good fixture.  Which brings us to the tubes themselves.  The intensity will be fine, so we need to get the best wavelength/spectrum.  Can you provide some data on the two tubes?  Brand (I may know it as I have tried quite a few), Kelvin number or CRI.

Byron said:

 

Thanks for the information Byron - it helps a lot.  I will be looking at getting some proper aquatic plants soon then.  And thanks for the information about cleaning the substrate - I will leave the section around the roots alone.
 
In terms of lighting:
 
The light I have is:
 
http/www.petbarn.c...ble-tube-1.html
 
It's the 30W light. Has one 'Sunlight' bulb and one 'Tropical' bulb in it
 
Sorry to keep asking questions, but does this seem like a suitable light for my aquarium and to promote growth?
 
Cheers

Click to expand...

That seems a good fixture.  Which brings us to the tubes themselves.  The intensity will be fine, so we need to get the best wavelength/spectrum.  Can you provide some data on the two tubes?  Brand (I may know it as I have tried quite a few), Kelvin number or CRI.
 

Click to expand...

 
Thanks
 
If I have found the correct bulbs online, then the 'sunlight' bulb has 18000K.  Can't find any information about the 'Tropical' tube but I will keep looking.

If you have these tubes now, take at look at one end of them, there will be some printing, just give me that and I can probably work things out.

Byron said:

If you have these tubes now, take at look at one end of them, there will be some printing, just give me that and I can probably work things out.

Click to expand...

 
Thanks for your help Byron - sorry for the late reply.
 
I know they are the T8 tubes.  I will have a closer look this afternoon when I get home.