What are Some Easy to Grow Aquarium Plants?

[10 Tanks]

Hello again TFF. Here's some more help for the beginners. Plants are a great addition to any tank, but what are the plants that will grow in most tank conditions, which means low light, no special care and no fertilizers other than what the fish produce? Some plants that will add color and are easy to grow. Here are some that I've found very easy to keep. Not necessarily in this order, but pretty close from easiest to still pretty easy. Anacharis or Pondweed, Anubias, Water Sprite or Indian Water Fern, Hornwort, Pennywort, Dwarf Water Lettuce, Java Fern and Banana Lily. These are more than enough to get you started and enough to fill a pretty large tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

It's important to add that plants like Anubias and Java Fern are epiphyte. They grow on a rhizome which shouldn't be buried beneath the substrate. These plants can be tied or glued to wood or pebbles/stone where they will pull what nutrients they require from the water column.

 

[10 Tanks]

It's important to add that plants like Anubias and Java Fern are epiphyte. They grow on a rhizome which shouldn't be buried beneath the substrate. These plants can be tied or glued to wood or pebbles/stone where they will pull what nutrients they require from the water column.

Hello. Anubias plants are probably the easiest to plant. You just set them on top of the bottom material and place a good sized rock on top of the plant. The same can easily be done with Java Fern. Or, if you're feeling creative, use some black, cotton sewing thread and tie the plant to a piece of driftwood. The cotton material eventually dissolves in the water. By this time, the plant roots have grown into the substrate.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[sharkweek178]

Hello. Anubias plants are probably the easiest to plant. You just sent them on top of the bottom material and place a good sized rock on top of the plant. The same can easily be done with Java Fern. Or, if you're feeling creative, use some black, cotton sewing thread and tie the plant to a piece of driftwood. The cotton material eventually dissolves in the water. By this time, the plant roots have grown into the substrate.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Or if you're all thumbs like me, you can use cyanoacrylate superglue to attach the rhizome to hardscape. Less is more though. If you use too much, then you get visible ugly white splotches of glue.

 

[GaryE]

I got jumped all over by our Australian members (like getting mugged by a kangaroo, I tell ya) when I suggested Anubias as an easy plant. They swore the whole Genus were marginal plants not submerged all year. I am pleased (and snottily smug) to say that when I was in Gabon, there were Anubias growing in dry season streams, well submersed. It was the most common aquatic plant I saw, although aquatic plants were not common. And they are easy.

Your water matters. When I had harder water, I could grow hornwort with ease, but now that I have softwater, it doesn't thrive. The same for guppy grass, which struggles here.

 

[sharkweek178]

I got jumped all over by our Australian members (like getting mugged by a kangaroo, I tell ya) when I suggested Anubias as an easy plant. They swore the whole Genus were marginal plants not submerged all year. I am pleased (and snottily smug) to say that when I was in Gabon, there were Anubias growing in dry season streams, well submersed. It was the most common aquatic plant I saw, although aquatic plants were not common. And they are easy.

Your water matters. When I had harder water, I could grow hornwort with ease, but now that I have softwater, it doesn't thrive. The same for guppy grass, which struggles here.

I have soft water and I just ordered some hornwort. D'oh!

 

[AlexT]

I have soft water and I just ordered some hornwort. D'oh!

I got hornwort doing just fine at GH 7 if that's any help. @GaryE is a great traveller, political activist and fishkeeper, but perhaps we have found his weakness? Clueless at keeping Hornwort alive?

 

[GaryE]

When I was young, I never needed anyone, I grew hornwort just for fun... those days are done.

I have a GH in the 4 range here, with tapwater out of a blackwater lake. At GH 8, hornwort liked me a lot and grew like mad. I had the touch. I used to be a contender.

I've noticed the local aquarium stores don't even sell hornwort, "anacharis", Cabomba or guppy grass. I used to see a lot of Elodea/anacharis and hornwort in lakes when I kayaked 900 km west of here, but in my coastal paradise, it's all ludwigia this year.

You may have noticed I have this thing about diversity. I think we generalize about fish, and am learning we seem to generalize about plants. A lot of living things just don't adapt to different conditions. That's where I disagree with posters here who have systems not based on researching their fish as individual species. Now that I'm cultivating an opposable green thumb, I see some houseplants thriving in my drier house, and other that don't - but love the more humid fishroom. Aquatic plants are similar, something we often overlook with our advice, or maybe over-ride with our heavy use of fertilizers, which may level the field.

 

[sharkweek178]

When I was young, I never needed anyone, I grew hornwort just for fun... those days are done.

I have a GH in the 4 range here, with tapwater out of a blackwater lake. At GH 8, hornwort liked me a lot and grew like mad. I had the touch. I used to be a contender.

I've noticed the local aquarium stores don't even sell hornwort, "anacharis", Cabomba or guppy grass. I used to see a lot of Elodea/anacharis and hornwort in lakes when I kayaked 900 km west of here, but in my coastal paradise, it's all ludwigia this year.

You may have noticed I have this thing about diversity. I think we generalize about fish, and am learning we seem to generalize about plants. A lot of living things just don't adapt to different conditions. That's where I disagree with posters here who have systems not based on researching their fish as individual species. Now that I'm cultivating an opposable green thumb, I see some houseplants thriving in my drier house, and other that don't - but love the more humid fishroom. Aquatic plants are similar, something we often overlook with our advice, or maybe over-ride with our heavy use of fertilizers, which may level the field.

I kind of enjoy the trial and error part of it with plants. I just tried adding cabomba to one of my tanks. I really liked the way it looked. But the cabomba didn't like me as much as I liked it and it shed all over the place. I don't think it will make it in this tank. So I'm trying hornwort instead. If that doesn't work, I'll try something else to get that bushy, needlely look.
That's what makes this interesting to me. You start off with an idea that you envision in your head. And then you adjust that vision to the conditions you have and see what the end result is.

 

[anewbie]

I have gh 6 and hornworth grows too efficiently - vals grow well for me and many crypts - even nurii rosen and pa'hang for those who like a bit of unique colour on their plants. Mind you they don't grow as fast as the wenditti or spread very fast but after 2 years i can state authoritly nurii rosen grows in my low tech tank. hardness is important for selecting your plants as some will wilt if the water is too soft and others if it is too hard. various sword plants seem to struggle a bit on my water (i grow a lot of different species) but they do fine in my hi-tech aquariums. However since soft water is their native habitat it has me a bit confused. vals grow like crazy - i said that already and many apongoten do just well without any encouragement - here is one of my low tech aquarium that is 5 years old:

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The biggest thing is picking your substrate wisely as i find anearobic pockets will destroy plant roots and therefore kill the plants.

 

[Nuttawet]

That's lovely tank.

 

[Muttsnuts]

Vesicularia ferriei 'Weeping Moss' is easy to grow. So I've been told.
At least I hope it is as I've just added it to my tank.

 

[BrianK]

I would add Asian water fern, Christmas moss, and subwassertang to the list.

 

[Irksome]

I have soft water and I just ordered some hornwort. D'oh!

I have water with a gh of 17, hornwort dies every time I try it.