Plant identification + fish stocking

[Meg0000]

Hi, I would like to know what is the stem plant on the first picture, I think it is hygrophila angustifolia but I am not sure. Also I posted a thread not so long ago to identify the plant on the 2 picture but it was the emerged form of the plant so now it looks different so I would like a second opinion.
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I don't know if I should get a bigger school of like 15-20 hengeli rasboras in total or get a second schooling fish. What would you see in that tank (third picture)? My current stocking is 4 pearl gourami, 8 hengeli rasboras, 5 bronze cory (1 passed away ) 2 harlequin rasboras (mistake from pet store). Last thing, what low/medium light, easy foreground plant could I get to connect the 2 "island" of my aquarium?

 

[Salty&Onion]

Do you mean the leafy, guppy grass looking like plant? I suppose its a kind of hygrophila, but if you mean the anacharis looking like plant it might be another kind of anacharis or starwort.

 

[Byron]

I am not very good with stem plants, since my light is insufficient for most of them so I have not delved into them. But I would think you are right on the Hygrophila angustifolia. Won't guess on the second.

Interesting...I looked at the photos before reading the text here, and when I came to the third one the thought immediately entered my head that it might be an idea to connect the two "islands," and now you've asked. Helanthium tenellum (pygmy chain sword) would be a good plant for this, it remains fairly small and spreads rapidly and is easily controlled. I would probably first consider hardscape, and I think another wood branch if you could find one the right size would not only connect but make the space appear larger.

On the fish aspects, definitely more Trigonostigma hengeli, another six or seven. And ditto the cories, the same of another (or other) species, but definitely you need more; a total of 12-15 would be minimum in this tank, and they would be better for it. And another shoaling species (or two), no problem, there is lots of space here.

 

[seangee]

I am not familiar with hygrophila angustifolia but it looks a lot like my hygrophila costata.

 

[Salty&Onion]

I am not familiar with hygrophila angustifolia but it looks a lot like my hygrophila costata.

I have couple of pieces of hygrophila angustifolia. Grows quickly.

 

[Wills]

What about some sort of small Halfbeak for the surface to keep in with the Asian theme of the tank. Clown Killifish are really nice too but might be a bit small for the Gourami.

For foreground plants some I've been looking into for a low tech set up are Staurogyne Repens, Marsilea Hirsuta and as Byron said Helenthiam Tenellum - either the regular or green variety. I like the Marsilea as it sometimes grows in quite a non uniform way so you get a variety of leaf shapes which makes it look really natural. I'd really like to see some taller hardscape too, maybe a big set of branches coming from the right hand side.

I think when this tank grows in its going to look really good with the moss well spread and Hygrophelia and Hydrocotyle grown in.

Wills

 

[Meg0000]

I am not very good with stem plants, since my light is insufficient for most of them so I have not delved into them. But I would think you are right on the Hygrophila angustifolia. Won't guess on the second.

Interesting...I looked at the photos before reading the text here, and when I came to the third one the thought immediately entered my head that it might be an idea to connect the two "islands," and now you've asked. Helanthium tenellum (pygmy chain sword) would be a good plant for this, it remains fairly small and spreads rapidly and is easily controlled. I would probably first consider hardscape, and I think another wood branch if you could find one the right size would not only connect but make the space appear larger.

On the fish aspects, definitely more Trigonostigma hengeli, another six or seven. And ditto the cories, the same of another (or other) species, but definitely you need more; a total of 12-15 would be minimum in this tank, and they would be better for it. And another shoaling species (or two), no problem, there is lots of space here.

I had the small peice of wood on the left connecting the 2 "island" but I wanted to try something else by like I said connecting them with plants. I saw pygmy chain sword in other aquascapes on youtube and I liked it so I think it's a good idea, thank you. I would like to find a rarer cory but my LFS just had bronze and albino aeneus cory for like 2 months but as soon as I find a rarer specie I will bring them home. Same thing for the hengeli I will get more when my LFS has some.

 

[Meg0000]

I am not familiar with hygrophila angustifolia but it looks a lot like my hygrophila costata.

Hygrophila angustifolia and costata look almost the same on internet so I really don't know

 

[Meg0000]

What about some sort of small Halfbeak for the surface to keep in with the Asian theme of the tank. Clown Killifish are really nice too but might be a bit small for the Gourami.

For foreground plants some I've been looking into for a low tech set up are Staurogyne Repens, Marsilea Hirsuta and as Byron said Helenthiam Tenellum - either the regular or green variety. I like the Marsilea as it sometimes grows in quite a non uniform way so you get a variety of leaf shapes which makes it look really natural. I'd really like to see some taller hardscape too, maybe a big set of branches coming from the right hand side.

I think when this tank grows in its going to look really good with the moss well spread and Hygrophelia and Hydrocotyle grown in.

Wills

I will leave the upper part of the tank for the pearl gourami I have staurogyne repens in one tank and it grows very slowly but maybe I am doing something wrong. I would like a plant that grows a little faster. I will take a look at the Marsilea. I wanted bigger/taller wood but they were all small at my LFS but I will consider buying another one because I agree my hardscape needs some height.

 

[Meg0000]

@Byron you mentionned helantium tellenum as a foreground plant but I saw mixed opinions on if you can trim it or not so what do you think?

 

[Byron]

@Byron you mentionned helantium tellenum as a foreground plant but I saw mixed opinions on if you can trim it or not so what do you think?

You don't trim the plants themselves, they remain very small anyway, but once settled it will send out runners and spread. It is easy to snip off the runner and discard the tiny plant, or leave them to spread. This is a very easily-controlled plant.

Here are three photos of my 40g as it was before I moved. The plants all along the front are chain swords. First is May 2016, second is November 2016 showing the vast increase in the spread that I left alone, third is August 2017 after I had thinned out the runners. I removed some of the larger swords during this time, they had just been stuck in here to fill space when I set the tank up and used culls from my other tanks; it is the growth of the chain swords that is relevant here, easy to deal with however you want it.

 

[Meg0000]

You don't trim the plants themselves, they remain very small anyway, but once settled it will send out runners and spread. It is easy to snip off the runner and discard the tiny plant, or leave them to spread. This is a very easily-controlled plant.

Here are three photos of my 40g as it was before I moved. The plants all along the front are chain swords. First is May 2016, second is November 2016 showing the vast increase in the spread that I left alone, third is August 2017 after I had thinned out the runners. I removed some of the larger swords during this time, they had just been stuck in here to fill space when I set the tank up and used culls from my other tanks; it is the growth of the chain swords that is relevant here, easy to deal with however you want it.

Ok thanks, that's perfect! Also your tank looks amazing. I will probably ask my LFS if they can get this plant, it should not be a problem since they now get plants from Tropica.

 

[Byron]

Ok thanks, that's perfect! Also your tank looks amazing. I will probably ask my LFS if they can get this plant, it should not be a problem since they now get plants from Tropica.

There are two species of chain swords. They are in the genus Helanthium, though some sources might still have them classified as Echinodorus (in with the larger true swords). The smallest species is Helanthium tenellum (formerly Echinodorus tenellus). The other grows larger in leaf length, two to three times depending upon conditions. This species is botanically Helanthium bolivianum, formerly Echinodorus quadricostatus (or possibly some other epithet, as Rataj had 9 or 10 "species" of chain sword in Echinodorus). The plants in my photos are actually the latter, but due to the conditions in that tank they remained small. Photo below is of this taller species when I had it in my 33g. Light and nutrient conditions can determine its size, just as with the Echinodorus species too.

 

[Meg0000]

There are two species of chain swords. They are in the genus Helanthium, though some sources might still have them classified as Echinodorus (in with the larger true swords). The smallest species is Helanthium tenellum (formerly Echinodorus tenellus). The other grows larger in leaf length, two to three times depending upon conditions. This species is botanically Helanthium bolivianum, formerly Echinodorus quadricostatus (or possibly some other epithet, as Rataj had 9 or 10 "species" of chain sword in Echinodorus). The plants in my photos are actually the latter, but due to the conditions in that tank they remained small. Photo below is of this taller species when I had it in my 33g. Light and nutrient conditions can determine its size, just as with the Echinodorus species too.

I will make sure to get helantium tenellum because I want something not really big, thank you for the informations! Also my LFS now has some red lizard whiptail right now and I will probably be able to go there this weekend! (if you don't remember, it's you that made me discover them)

 

[Meg0000]

Do red lizard whiptail dig? @Byron I saw this on some sites so I would like to know your experience with that...