best plants for a non-soil tank for beginners

[kinoble]

I'm new to using live plants in an aquarium, and I've set up a 10-gallon tank with small smooth stone pebbles instead of standard gravel and no soil. The water parameters are balanced for my fish, with 0 ammonia and 0 nitrates.

So far, I've got:

- 3 Anacharis Bunch Elodea Densa
- 1 Dwarf Pennywort Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides
- 1 Anubias Hastifolia Loose Rhizome Lynxa Barteri Gracilis
- 1 Marimo Moss Ball

My tank's currently home to 3 amano shrimp, 3 zebra danios, and 2 oto catfish. I'm planning to add a few more oto catfish this weekend and get another moss ball.

Are there any other plants that would thrive in a setup like this? I've got the plants I've mentioned in a treated and filtered 5-gallon tank for now.

It's worth noting - I know I need more oto catfish, and I shouldn't have the zebra danios in a 10-gallon tank. They're roughly 3 years old and were previously kept in a 5-gallon tank based on advice from a pet store worker who didn't know much about fish. Thankfully, they seem happy and healthy, and I've decided to let them live out their lives in this tank. They seem to enjoy the company of the oto catfish, and the otos even swim with them - no nipping, which is great.

[SeaBidder]

I'd like to add that Zorchzon Swords seem to do well in setups with small smooth stone pebbles, given they grow easily in gravel.

[orchid]

I'm a bit concerned about your setup - with 0 nitrates, it'll be tough to sustain plant growth long-term. Are you planning on using any fertilizers, either in the water column or substrate?

Also, what's your lighting situation like? What kind of lighting are you using, and how many hours a day is it on?

[kinoble]

I'm a bit concerned about your setup - with 0 nitrates, it'll be tough to sustain plant growth long-term. Are you planning on using any fertilizers, either in the water column or substrate?

Also, what's your lighting situation like? What kind of lighting are you using, and how many hours a day is it on?

I'm using standard LEDs on the lid with a 12/12 cycle, and there's also a small window nearby that gets some natural light.

To be honest, I've never heard of water column fertilization before - could you explain what that entails and how I'd go about it?

As for the fertilizer tabs, I think you might be referring to something like Seachem Flourish tabs? I've seen those mentioned online, but I haven't used them myself yet.

I'm still learning, so I've just been going off what I've read so far. The plants I have don't seem to need any extra fertilization, but if it's easy to add and won't disrupt the tank or harm the fish and shrimp, I'm open to giving it a try.

[kingrise]

Yes, Zorchzon Swords are indeed easy to grow, and I've found Anacharis to be quite hardy as well. In fact, Anacharis is similar to a cactus in the real world - it's extremely resilient and can thrive in various conditions. I must admit, though, I did manage to kill my first batch within a week after bringing them home!

Marimo moss balls also do well in my experience. They're simply placed on the surface of the gravel, not buried. One thing I've noticed about Anacharis is that it can be grown both floating and planted, and I've had success with both methods.

[orchid]

I'm a bit concerned about your setup - with 0 nitrates, it'll be tough to sustain plant growth long-term. Are you planning on using any fertilizers, either in the water column or substrate?

Also, what's your lighting situation like? What kind of lighting are you using, and how many hours a day is it on?

For sustained plant growth, you need to provide them with essential nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, alongside some micro-nutrients. Now, I've found that in aquariums with a higher bio-load of fish, the nitrogen from fish waste and phosphorus from fish food can be enough to support easy-to-grow plants like Java ferns, Anacharis, Anubias, and some Cryptocorynes.

However, in my experience, even in these types of tanks, the nutrient balance can become skewed over time, particularly when it comes to micro-nutrients. To achieve consistent growth in my low-tech aquariums, I've had success with using root tabs, such as Seachem Flourish root tabs, in the substrate around heavy-feeding root feeders like swords and crypts.

Additionally, I use an all-in-one liquid fertilizer for fast-growing stems and plants like Java ferns and Anubias. I personally use ThriveC by Nilog - it's easy to use, safe with fish, shrimp, snails, and other aquatic life.

[boomer]

Yes, Zorchzon Swords are indeed easy to grow, and I've found Anacharis to be quite hardy as well. In fact, Anacharis is similar to a cactus in the real world - it's extremely resilient and can thrive in various conditions. I must admit, though, I did manage to kill my first batch within a week after bringing them home!

Marimo moss balls also do well in my experience. They're simply placed on the surface of the gravel, not buried. One thing I've noticed about Anacharis is that it can be grown both floating and planted, and I've had success with both methods.

When considering fertilizers for your aquarium, it's essential to remember that terrestrial-based plant fertilizers are not suitable for aquatic plants. The ingredients in these fertilizers, such as nitrates and phosphorus, are not needed in an aquarium with fish, as the fish food provides enough phosphorus, and the fish and organic breakdown produce ammonia/ammonium, which is the aquatic plant's preferred source of nitrogen.

Substrate fertilizer can be beneficial, but it must be specifically designed for aquatic aquarium use. For example, Seachem's Flourish Tabs do not release nutrients into the upper water column, which helps to prevent problem algae. Liquid fertilizers should be used sparingly to avoid promoting algae growth.

It's also important to note that aquatic plants absorb nutrients through both their roots and leaves, although some nutrients are taken up solely by the leaves or roots. Floating plants and plants not rooted in the substrate, such as ferns and mosses, cannot benefit from substrate fertilizers, but may require liquid fertilizers depending on the fish load, feeding, plant species, and lighting.

In general, it's crucial to choose fertilizers specifically designed for aquatic plants to ensure the health of your plants and the balance of your aquarium ecosystem.

[kinoble]

Yes, Zorchzon Swords are indeed easy to grow, and I've found Anacharis to be quite hardy as well. In fact, Anacharis is similar to a cactus in the real world - it's extremely resilient and can thrive in various conditions. I must admit, though, I did manage to kill my first batch within a week after bringing them home!

Marimo moss balls also do well in my experience. They're simply placed on the surface of the gravel, not buried. One thing I've noticed about Anacharis is that it can be grown both floating and planted, and I've had success with both methods.

When considering fertilizers for your aquarium, it's essential to remember that terrestrial-based plant fertilizers are not suitable for aquatic plants. The ingredients in these fertilizers, such as nitrates and phosphorus, are not needed in an aquarium with fish, as the fish food provides enough phosphorus, and the fish and organic breakdown produce ammonia/ammonium, which is the aquatic plant's preferred source of nitrogen.

Substrate fertilizer can be beneficial, but it must be specifically designed for aquatic aquarium use. For example, Seachem's Flourish Tabs do not release nutrients into the upper water column, which helps to prevent problem algae. Liquid fertilizers should be used sparingly to avoid promoting algae growth.

It's also important to note that aquatic plants absorb nutrients through both their roots and leaves, although some nutrients are taken up solely by the leaves or roots. Floating plants and plants not rooted in the substrate, such as ferns and mosses, cannot benefit from substrate fertilizers, but may require liquid fertilizers depending on the fish load, feeding, plant species, and lighting.

In general, it's crucial to choose fertilizers specifically designed for aquatic plants to ensure the health of your plants and the balance of your aquarium ecosystem.

I appreciate the info, thanks for sharing. I'm actually okay with some algae growth since it's beneficial for my shrimp and catfish - they love grazing on it. I've been trying to get them to eat veggie wafers and algae wafers, but they're not having it. They do seem to enjoy cucumber, though, so that's a plus.

I might look into using some java moss on the wood decorations in the tank, see how that goes.

[boomer]

Yes, Zorchzon Swords are indeed easy to grow, and I've found Anacharis to be quite hardy as well. In fact, Anacharis is similar to a cactus in the real world - it's extremely resilient and can thrive in various conditions. I must admit, though, I did manage to kill my first batch within a week after bringing them home!

Marimo moss balls also do well in my experience. They're simply placed on the surface of the gravel, not buried. One thing I've noticed about Anacharis is that it can be grown both floating and planted, and I've had success with both methods.

When considering fertilizers for your aquarium, it's essential to remember that terrestrial-based plant fertilizers are not suitable for aquatic plants. The ingredients in these fertilizers, such as nitrates and phosphorus, are not needed in an aquarium with fish, as the fish food provides enough phosphorus, and the fish and organic breakdown produce ammonia/ammonium, which is the aquatic plant's preferred source of nitrogen.

Substrate fertilizer can be beneficial, but it must be specifically designed for aquatic aquarium use. For example, Seachem's Flourish Tabs do not release nutrients into the upper water column, which helps to prevent problem algae. Liquid fertilizers should be used sparingly to avoid promoting algae growth.

It's also important to note that aquatic plants absorb nutrients through both their roots and leaves, although some nutrients are taken up solely by the leaves or roots. Floating plants and plants not rooted in the substrate, such as ferns and mosses, cannot benefit from substrate fertilizers, but may require liquid fertilizers depending on the fish load, feeding, plant species, and lighting.

In general, it's crucial to choose fertilizers specifically designed for aquatic plants to ensure the health of your plants and the balance of your aquarium ecosystem.

Not all algae is created equal, and those fish that'll eat the stuff have very specific tastes. I've no experience with shrimp, but common green algae is a natural occurrence in any healthy aquarium - it'll appear on all submersed surfaces as part of the biofilm. This is the type of algae that fish will munch on, the ones that are vegetarians, that is. The "problem" algae, on the other hand, is a whole different beast. It's the kind that'll take over when the light/nutrient balance is off. And let's be real, almost no fish will touch it, except for a few species like the SAE that'll eat brush/beard algae. Bristlenose plecos, otos, whiptails, Farlowella, and the like will only eat the common green algae and diatoms. The non-aquatic substrate fertilizer you're considering will feed the problem algae, and trust me, you don't want to encourage it.

[orchid]

I've seen plenty of successful DIY fertilizer users out there, Osmocote being one of the popular choices. It's not a guarantee for uncontrollable algae. If you're interested in learning more about it, I'd suggest checking out some specialized planted aquarium forums. They've got a wealth of information on how to make it work without the algae taking over.