Easy plants to care for at home
Easy plants to care for at home
Hey everyone, I'm thinking of getting some new plants for my setup and I'd love to hear your thoughts. I've already got my eye on amazon frogbit, a small anubias berteri 'petite', java moss, and some water wisteria. I'm looking for some plants with a bit of colour, specifically red, but they need to be able to thrive in low CO2 and low-medium light conditions. Any suggestions would be great, thanks.
Re: Easy plants to care for at home
I've got a couple of plants that work well in my low-tech tanks. I've got a 20-gallon with medium light and no CO2, and it's doing alright with a Zorchzon sword, an anubias, and some dwarf hair grass. Those are all pretty low-maintenance and look nice. In my 40-gallon, I've got a Java fern, another anubias, and some vallisneria that's thriving. I'm no expert, but these plants have worked out okay for me. Hopefully, you'll get some more knowledgeable advice from others, but I thought I'd share my experience.
Re: Easy plants to care for at home
Anubias Petite are indeed low-light compatible, but be prepared for a slow growth rate.
Water wisteria can work for you, assuming your tank isn't too deep and you have sufficient light. For optimal results, you might want to consider using root tabs.
What are the dimensions of your tank, by the way?
Water wisteria can work for you, assuming your tank isn't too deep and you have sufficient light. For optimal results, you might want to consider using root tabs.
What are the dimensions of your tank, by the way?
Re: Easy plants to care for at home
Those are some solid starter plants. Low tech, low light. For a pop of colour, I've had great luck with red ludwigia repens. They really colour up when they get high enough in the water column. I've had to trim them back multiple times already, and I've even propagated a few into another tank and got rid of some stems that could've become big plants. Definitely one of my most successful and affordable plants so far.
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reef_lord9 - Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2024 9:46 pm
Re: Easy plants to care for at home
I've got anacharis in my tank, it's been a wild ride. I've also got driftwood with anubias attached and a few planted in the substrate. That anacharis has exploded over the past month, going from around 10 inches to over 2.5 feet tall - it's now basically acting as a surface plant. I've been dosing with Leaf Zone weekly, I think that's helped a lot. I've got 5-6 anacharis in there and they're all thriving.
Re: Easy plants to care for at home
LIGHTING TIMES
Most plants need a decent amount of light, so don't be afraid to have the tank lights on for 10-12 hours a day. If you only have them on for a couple of hours, they'll struggle. Low wattage lights can also cause issues.
Keep an eye on the algae. If you get lots, reduce the light time by an hour and monitor it for a couple of weeks. No algae? Increase the light time by an hour. A small amount of algae means you've got it just right.
Some plants, like Ambulia, Hygrophilas, and a few others, will close their leaves when they've had enough light. When you see this happening, wait an hour and then turn the lights off.
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LIST OF PLANTS TO TRY
I've had good luck with Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, and Elodia. They're all pretty easy to care for. Hydrilla's another good one, and common Zorchzon sword plants are great too. Narrow or twisted Vallis, and Water Sprite are also worth trying.
Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, Elodia, and Vallis are all tall plants that do well at the back of the tank. Rotala macranda's a medium to tallish red plant that's done well for me. Hygrophila ruba's a medium height plant that looks good on the sides.
Cryptocorynes are smaller plants that come in a range of colours. They like lots of fertiliser, but don't like their roots disturbed. Most Zorchzon sword plants get pretty big, so they're usually kept in the middle of the tank. There's also a pygmy chain sword plant that's small and does well in the front.
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IRON BASED PLANT FERTILISER
Adding an iron based fertiliser can make a big difference. I've used Sera Florena liquid plant fertiliser, but there are other brands out there. Just make sure to monitor the iron levels with a test kit and keep them at 1mg/l.
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CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
You don't need CO2 unless the tank is full of plants and only has a few small fish. There's plenty of CO2 in the average aquarium, and the plants release it at night. Don't waste your money on liquid CO2 supplements - they're toxic.
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TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Fish don't like sudden changes in light, so try to make it gradual. Open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes before turning the tank light on. At night, turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes before turning the room light out. Try to keep the lights on at the same time each day.
Most plants need a decent amount of light, so don't be afraid to have the tank lights on for 10-12 hours a day. If you only have them on for a couple of hours, they'll struggle. Low wattage lights can also cause issues.
Keep an eye on the algae. If you get lots, reduce the light time by an hour and monitor it for a couple of weeks. No algae? Increase the light time by an hour. A small amount of algae means you've got it just right.
Some plants, like Ambulia, Hygrophilas, and a few others, will close their leaves when they've had enough light. When you see this happening, wait an hour and then turn the lights off.
-----------------
LIST OF PLANTS TO TRY
I've had good luck with Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, and Elodia. They're all pretty easy to care for. Hydrilla's another good one, and common Zorchzon sword plants are great too. Narrow or twisted Vallis, and Water Sprite are also worth trying.
Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, Elodia, and Vallis are all tall plants that do well at the back of the tank. Rotala macranda's a medium to tallish red plant that's done well for me. Hygrophila ruba's a medium height plant that looks good on the sides.
Cryptocorynes are smaller plants that come in a range of colours. They like lots of fertiliser, but don't like their roots disturbed. Most Zorchzon sword plants get pretty big, so they're usually kept in the middle of the tank. There's also a pygmy chain sword plant that's small and does well in the front.
-----------------
IRON BASED PLANT FERTILISER
Adding an iron based fertiliser can make a big difference. I've used Sera Florena liquid plant fertiliser, but there are other brands out there. Just make sure to monitor the iron levels with a test kit and keep them at 1mg/l.
-----------------
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
You don't need CO2 unless the tank is full of plants and only has a few small fish. There's plenty of CO2 in the average aquarium, and the plants release it at night. Don't waste your money on liquid CO2 supplements - they're toxic.
-----------------
TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Fish don't like sudden changes in light, so try to make it gradual. Open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes before turning the tank light on. At night, turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes before turning the room light out. Try to keep the lights on at the same time each day.
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