Plant Advice Please.

[cartandpeg]

Hi All,
I am starting to shop around for plants for my new tank when it gets here.

I have anubias on rocks/d/wood and Emerald heart d/wood and about 10 very small Java ferns to put into it so far,they are in the existing tank,java ferns are just floating around,others are established.

I will more than likely use the anubias as maybe foreground/middle ground plants.Not sure where to put the java ferns.

My lighting is 2 x 36 inch 30 watt tubes and 1 x 30 inch 25 watt,I believe the 25 watt is a blue or viloet coloured light,all T8's.Tank volume is 240 ltrs.

Substrate is swimming pool filter sand and I will be using liguid ferts,changing the lights and going to c02 is not an option at this time and I have preference for sand as I find it easier to clean and I am using it in my small tank and have had no problems with it to date.

So far for the back wall I have only come up with Vallisneria Spiralis as my tank depth is 70cm I need something that will cover that height,there was another vall I did see all I can tell was it had thin leaves on it,I can not remember the name.

A large piece of gold vine will have moss and anubias on it,thing is I am at a lose to for any other ideas for the back wall,middle and front,I am looking at plants that are easy to fairly difficult to keep,I have done some reading up on plants but to be honest I really know nothing as I have never kept plants before and in previous attempts I was one of those that would add water/plants and fish and wonder why everything died within two weeks and back in those years the LFS would just sell you stuff for PH.

Since I have had my small tank I have learnt there is more to it than that,so I am conversant with the rest of the water needs.

Ok long winded post,any suggestions on something easy to put in which would suit the lights/substrate so I can do some reading on those sepcific plants and see if my LFS can supply.

Thank you for taking time out to read and suggest.

 

[daz4321]

List of low light easy plants

Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus
Windelov Java Fern, Windelov Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Narrow Leaf Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus v. 'narrow leaf'
Java Moss - Vesicularia dubyana
Green Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma
********Sunset Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'*******
Ceylon Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Ceylon'
Rotala Rotundifolia - Rotala rotundifolia
Rotala Rotundifolia sp. Green - Rotala rotundifolia sp. 'Green'
Rotala Indica - Rotala indica
Hornwort - Ceratophylum demersum
Parrots Feather - Myriophyllum aquaticum
Moneywort, Water Hyssop - Bacopa monnieri
Brazilian Pennywort, Pennywort - Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Crypt Wendtii - Cryptocoryne wendtii
Crypt Balansae - Cryptocoryne Balansae
Pygmy Crypt - Cryptocoryne pygmaea
Guppy Grass - Najas guadalupensis
Anubias barteri - Anubias barteri v. barteri
Anubias barteri 'marble' - Anubias barteri 'marble'
Anubias barteri v. 'glabra' - Anubias barteri v. 'glabra'
Anubias nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana'
Coffee leaf anubias - Anubias barteri v. 'coffeefolia'
Crypt retrospiralis - Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
Crypt spiralis - Cryptocoryne spiralis
Golden nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana golden'
Narrow leaf nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana narrow leaf'
Petite nana - Anubias barteri v. nana 'petite'
Philippine Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine'
Red Java fern - Microsorum pteropus "red"
Crypt Becketii - Cryptcoryne becketii
Pelia - Monosolenium tenerum
Waterwheel Plant - Aldrovanda vesiculosa
Bacopa - Bacopa caroliniana
African Water Fern - Bolbitis heudelotii
Hornwort - Ceratophyllum submersum
Crypt Aponogetifolia - Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia
Micro Crypt - Cryptocoryne petchii
Tropica Sword - Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Downoi - Pogostemon helferi

********Does not need high light to attain pink color. Dosing iron can bring out this color.

 

[cartandpeg]

Thanks daz look like I am going to busy for awhile.Cheers

 

[Chad]

There's plenty of choices as you can see from that list. Do you have an idea of what you want the tank to end up looking like? I find having a plan really helps narrow down the plant choices.

 

[cartandpeg]

There's plenty of choices as you can see from that list. Do you have an idea of what you want the tank to end up looking like? I find having a plan really helps narrow down the plant choices.

Thanks tcamos,
I have not really got anything specific in mind,fish wise it will be corys,and mainly tetras(rummy nose)(neon) and dwarf plecos.

One half of the tank will have two rock towers in with a large piece of gold vine,that leaves me with near on half tank barren area to put my small driftwood with anubias and maybe some low lying caves from rocks for corys etc.

Definitely low maintenance,I thought about putting some form of moss carpet down but as this will my first serious planted tank I want to keep it simple so to speak.

Thank you.

 

[Chad]

Sounds nice. I hope you post photos as you go so we can see the progress. I love to see photos of other people's tanks.

 

[cartandpeg]

Thanks tcamos,
I have started one in tank journals,no pics as to yet,but will get pics up etc as I go along,I am still putting in extra joists/bearer and stumps under the house at present,Thursday will be digging two holes 600mm deep with a garden trowel,not a lot of room under there.

I suppose the main plants will be the likes of Anubias type,that way I figure I can move them around a bit if one is placed as a foreground plant and as it grows should have really been and midground plant I can just hopefully move it accordingly,well in theory.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Chad]

Here in Arizona very few houses have basements and even fewer are elevated so having a house that sits right on the foundation I seldom think of all the work that goes into prepping a house for the extra weight! Good luck with that, it's an extra level of dedication to get to have a tank.

Anubius is a great plant. For me it's a favorite. It's easy to tend and grows even under less than ideal conditions. Since they are on a bit of rock or drift wood they are very easy to move. They also come in large and small species so you could (if you wanted) have a tank where fore, mid, and background plants were all different species of anubias.

 

[cartandpeg]

Thank you tcamos,
finally the bearer and stumps are in 6 x 20 kilo bags of cement dragged under the house and mixed in bucket with gardeing trowel,one very sore person here.

It was all done twisting and turning on my back to my side,no room under that part of the house,I too love my anubias plants,I am looking at present on google etc for background plants so might delve into whats about in the Anubias range.

To top it all off the LFS rang today to say my tank is in and the stand will be here next weel,perfect timing.