What's your favourite aquarium plant?

[Colin_BC]

Hi all. I've been reading about different plants at online stores, but wanted to here from the group here as to what everyone's favourite planst are and for what reasons, particularly high demanding plants. I'm running 4.6 watts per gallon with room to hit 6+ easily. I inject CO2, use fluorite substrate (3-4" deep), and fertilize with fluorish. I've recently started culling some of my original low-light and somewhat unnattractive plants from when I started with less than 1WPG.

The high demanding plant I am currently hunting for is Glossostigma elatinoides. I like that it is a fast growing, carpeting plant that is more leafy than grass-like.

This could be an interesting post in the end... If you can, post a link or pic to any plants.

Here is a pic of glossostigma in a planted tank. It's the blanketing foreground plant in the front.

Here's a closeup pic of the glossostigma elatinoides at the bottom of the post.

Colin
*****EDIT***** Added pictures in place of links

 

[George Farmer]

I've had success with Eleocharis (vivipara I think).
My three pics show how it's eventually started to carpet. I originally had low lighting <1W per G, with no additives in the substrate or co2. I upgraded by adding laterite and an undergravel heater cable to my fine gravel, increasing the lighting using reflectors and good quality tubes (6500K) and injecting co2. The effect can be seen. The plant is continuing to spread at a steady rate and requires pruning regularly.

 

[Bangin]

I don't have a picture of my actual plant, but I love my Limnophila aromatica. Here's a picture I found on the net.

http/www.plantgeek.net/images/plantpics/laromatica.jpg

Riccia is another of my favorites. A pearling carpet is absolutely stunning.

You can view a picture here: http/www.petfrd.com/forum/articles.php?a...article&artid=8

 

[Colin_BC]

Nice, both of you! I haven't seen the Limnophilla aromatica before, but I like it!

The pealring effect of the riccia is quite something too! I'll keep my eyes open or this one.

Keep 'em coming!!!

I'm making a plant run today as a large LFS sells planst 2-for-1 today.
A plant that I picked up from them before, one of my favourites, is a Limnophila sessiliflora. The picture here doesn't do it justice in terms of the bright green it can be.

I originally had lots of cabomba and it did OK (2WPG at that time). I then added the limnophilla and it was so bright and vibrant in colour that it put the cabomba to shame. I've since culled the cabomba and taken many many cuttings from the limnophilla. I've also got a way to make one long piece of the lymno really bush out:

Plants use hormones like most living creatures. In the growing tip of the plant is where you find the lion's share of the hormone causing vertical growth, or what causes the plant to grow vertically towards the light. If you take a long tall piece of plant and secure the tip down as close to the gravel as you can, the vertical growth hormone compensates by redistributing the hormones to all growing tips that are now above this point. In turn, in short time every node previously below the vertically-growing tip will turn into another vertically growing tip. I've used this method successfully in the garden. I accidently did it to one of my unknown (to me) aquarium plants and figured why not try it intentionally in the aquarium. I'm trying this on one piece of limnophilla sessiflora. So far (after almost a week) new growth is starting at every node. I expect in the next week the vertical growth of the new nodes will be quite evident. I'ss see if my crappy digi can snap a shot of it if anyone wants to see. In the meantime, here's a couple of my more artistic creations to help you visualize it.

Colin

Edit: Thanks to Lateral Line for helping me get my pic's to show properly.

Left is vertical growth before, red arrow showing the effect of the vertical growth hormones. Middle shows the redistribution. Right shows the results.

 

[Max]

thats cool... i buy alot of plants off the internet, but my LFS has somthign called 'Frill' i think its hornword but not sure? anyways that my favorite plant although it is hard to keep alive because my fish keep eating it... they must like salad

PS: my new plants came today!!! but thats another topic...

 

[George Farmer]

What a coincidence. I bought a new plant from my LFS literally 2 days ago and they or I couldn't identify it. It definitely looks like Limnophila sessiliflora, what do you think Colin?

 

[Colin_BC]

That's what I have labeled as Limnophila sessiflora. I love the looks of this plant at full health and growth. It stands out with the bright greens.

Anyone have any other favourites? I'm not letting this post die easily....

Colin

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I like vallis! It tall and grassy and doesn't take much looking after, it also propigates itself!

I think it looks good! I thought about making my whole tank vallis but that would be a little too much I think. lol

 

[George Farmer]

I love vallis and used to have a lot of it but my water is too soft and acid now.

 

[wrs]

the banana plants because they dont come undone and float to the top of the tank like all my others. and my fish wont eat it!

 

[Colin_BC]

Cheese Specialist:

I like vallis! It tall and grassy and doesn't take much looking after, it also propigates itself!  I think it looks good!

gf225:

I love vallis and used to have a lot of it but my water is too soft and acid now.

Here's Vallisneria Spiralus:

 

[Colin_BC]

wrs:

the banana plants because they dont come undone and float to the top of the tank like all my others. and my fish wont eat it!

Here's Nymphoides aquatica, or Banana Plant

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

i love my amazon sword. its so green and pretty

 

[Colin_BC]

I just picked up a Hygrophila Polysperma Rosanervig. The leaves are purple! This is a high demanding plant in terms of light. It looks great though!

 

[Colin_BC]

As well, I picked up some Alternanthera reineckii. It's also almost purple in colour. Again, a high light demanding plant (or so I'm told). These plants should be a good test for my new canopy....

Colin