Plant Question...

[Fishrockmysox]

Okay, I'll be buying either a 40G Tank or a 55G Tank and I'm going to give my 1st shot with live plants... I don't know anything about them. The one live plant I ever had was just a floaty plant and I didn't do anything with it except keep it for the fish I had before.


I need a lot of advice on the keeping of these live plants. What types do best in low wattage? I don't want to keep one of those CO2 things so I would like some advice on how to make sure I wouldn't have to worry about that. I would like any and all advice anyone has to offer. Everything is well apperciated. Types of plants, care for plants... all that stuff.

Also, how do you keep roots from dieing?

 

[joloco]

i don't do CO2 either and have loads of plants but it depends how sophisticated you want to make your plant care - i'm a bit low tec on the plant front so i use liquid fertilisers which don't add nitrates to the tank for plants which take nutrients from the water such as java fern and fertiliser tabs which you push into your substrate for ones that have a root uptake method. I'm sure there is a vastly superior way of doing this but as i said i'm a bit low tec.

i would post this on the plants section - there may even be a helpful pinned topic on low wattage plants i can't remember.

 

[Fishrockmysox]

i don't do CO2 either and have loads of plants but it depends how sophisticated you want to make your plant care - i'm a bit low tec on the plant front so i use liquid fertilisers which don't add nitrates to the tank for plants which take nutrients from the water such as java fern and fertiliser tabs which you push into your substrate for ones that have a root uptake method. I'm sure there is a vastly superior way of doing this but as i said i'm a bit low tec.

i would post this on the plants section - there may even be a helpful pinned topic on low wattage plants i can't remember.

I agree...It'll be my first time w/ plants and I don't want to be High-Tech lol I want to keep it simple, fertilizer and lights(You know anything about WPG?-Watts Per Gallon)...

So I might try Java Moss, Java Fern and Water Wisteria ... those are just a fwe.... What Species do you have in your tank and would the liquid fert. harm any of the fish that will be in the tank?

 

[joloco]

ok i've got a couple of tanks but in my twnety gallon i use the standard bulbs that came with the tank which are two 55W tubes. (i can't remember off the top of my head what the others are but nothing special)

i don't know much about liquid fertiliser makes but use interpet no. 2 flora boost which doesn't harm fish or invertebrates and my plants always grow well. the tablets are made by sera and agian are fish and invert safe. there are also these sort of tea bags which you are meant to put in your tank and it is an all in one fertiliser - i don't know anyone whose actually using them but that might be an option, i think greenline aquatic plants make them.

my plant list:

m.pteropus windelov
anubias lanceolata
java fern
rotala roundifolia
rorippa nasturtian
ophiopogon jaburan (green giant foutain)
eleocharis parrulus (dwarf mini hair grass)
marsilea crenata (dwarf 4 leaf clover)
vallisberia asiatica (giant twisted valis) - this one doesn't really like my tanks, probably not enough light
alternathera rosaefolia
ceropteris siliquosa
crytocoryne ciliata
crytocoryne balansae
dwarf sword
bacopa moniera -grows very well
narrow sword - not very happy in my tank either
myacca fluviatilis
creeping jenny
hygro polsperma
elodea (don't really like this)
ludwigia natans
dwarf sagittaria
duckweed

theres a few more but i can't remeber without staring at my tanks for a while! that lot are a mixture of back, mid and foreground so hope it helps

ps. when you say roots from dying what do you mean? your roots shouldn't die, but there will probably be some die back when you first plant the plants but they should make a come back.

 

[Fishrockmysox]

ps. when you say roots from dying what do you mean? your roots shouldn't die, but there will probably be some die back when you first plant the plants but they should make a come back.

I'm not sure what it meant either... that's why I was asking. Someone had mentioned it before so I wanted to know what it meant

 

[joloco]

humm well sometimes yes the roots of my plants do go brown and i suppose yes might be dying. i normally let the plant float until it produces new roots and then replant it on top of a fertiliser tablet and cross my fingers.

 

[Fishrockmysox]

humm well sometimes yes the roots of my plants do go brown and i suppose yes might be dying. i normally let the plant float until it produces new roots and then replant it on top of a fertiliser tablet and cross my fingers.

Some people I say I should use Fert tablets? I know that they need to go under the plant but what happens when they're all gone? I'm afraid to stir up the sand I'll be using as a substrate...

 

[joloco]

don't worry - every two weeks just add more tablets
on the packet it will tell you how many to add depending on how many gallons you have

you won't be 'stirring up the sand' in the very very close proximity of the plants anyway - or at least you shouldn't be as this will disturb their roots

but be aware that if you only have plants that take up nutrients from the water and not the substrate theres no point fertilising the substrate

 

[Kevstir]

heres a good site , it helped me pick my plants for my juwel vision 180 with standard lights (2x 25w) and no co2 , iv not recieved them from greenline yet but fingers crossed they will do as good as the amazon sword, mexican oak leaf and Cabomba caroliniana i have a the moment..

http/www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php