Plant Suggestions

[BJC787]

i have got a new tank and im going with a planted tank,
i am after suggestions on which plants to use i am after some tall ones for along the back and some shorter ones for the middle.
i have an aqua one 510 with 2 x 11 watt tropical compact fluros

 

[fish_tank0311]

Polysperma
Ambulia
Indian Fern

Coming from the biggest fan of aquatic plants

 

[BJC787]

i was thinking some swords, java fern, java moss
but am open to other suggestions.
i am in australia so i cant get some of the plants you can, out of the 3 i can only get ambulia

 

[RadaR]

Only 22W over 115litres...hmmm ok, it's low but we can work with it.

Check out this site for getting plants.

You can get amazon swords (Echinodorus species) from there.

Others to get:

Anubias
Java moss
Java fern
Hygrophila species
Ludwigia species
Cryptocoryne species
Bacopa species

All of these can be found on that website. Hope it helps.

I'd personally keep this tank low-tech. Therefore that means no water changes (3 a year), reasonably stocked with fish, nutrient rich substrate, filter that provides 5x the volume of the tank turned over every hour (in your case, a filter that as a pump rating of around 775lph). Regularly replace the filter floss every week/two weeks.
The reason for the lack of water changes is to keep a stable CO2 concentration which the plants prefer. Tap water actually contains a good amount of dissolved CO2 so when you do a water change, the concentration of CO2 will go up and down which the plants hate, but the algae will take advantage of. If you do want to keep doing water changes then let the new water sit in a bucket for 24hours with an airstone running to drive off the CO2.

 

[BJC787]

ok i can get most of them from the pet shop near me.
also is there a certain amount of depth of sand that they need.

 

[ian]

i'd give at least 2 inches, as Fred (Radar) states, i would also put a layer of nutrient rich substrate underneath the sand ie JBL aquabasis, this one is very reasonable and one £15 bag will do 200l.

 

[BJC787]

i don't really like a thick base, is it possable to make little open bottom pots out of pvc pipe and put the plants in them and then the rest of the tank can have a thin base.

 

[angelfishguy]

have it sloped.. so very thin at the front getting deeper as you go back

 

[BJC787]

i have done that with the sand,
i have decided to go with
3 amazon swords
2 narrow ludwigia
2 needle ludwigia
2 giant ambulia
a couple of java fern and java moss on driftwood

i am now just after a really short plant for the front of the tank
(possably one which will carpet the bottom of the tank rather than grow up)