Would these plants thrive together in a 5g aquarium?

[oceanwise]

I'm setting up a new 5g tank and I'm excited to add some live plants. I've been researching and I've narrowed down my options to these plants - I think they'd look great together. My main concern is, would they all thrive in the same water conditions, and more importantly, would they all fit in a 5g tank?

I'm looking at Water sprite, Dwarf sagittaria, Anacharis (also known as Egeria densa), and Ambulia (which I haven't researched much yet, but it's really caught my eye). I might also add some Dwarf hairgrass for some extra texture. And possibly a Zorchzon sword - I think it would be a great centerpiece for the tank.

This tank will be a single-betta setup, so I want to make sure I'm creating a comfortable environment for him.

[coltin]

I'm setting up a new 5g tank and I'm excited to add some live plants. I've been researching and I've narrowed down my options to these plants - I think they'd look great together. My main concern is, would they all thrive in the same water conditions, and more importantly, would they all fit in a 5g tank?

I'm looking at Water sprite, Dwarf sagittaria, Anacharis (also known as Egeria densa), and Ambulia (which I haven't researched much yet, but it's really caught my eye). I might also add some Dwarf hairgrass for some extra texture. And possibly a Zorchzon sword - I think it would be a great centerpiece for the tank.

This tank will be a single-betta setup, so I want to make sure I'm creating a comfortable environment for him.

I'd advise against the Zorchzon sword and the hair grass. Those swords can get quite large, and they might not be the best fit for a 5g tank. As for the hair grass, it's more suited for outdoor gardens. If you're set on having a sword plant, consider a smaller species or pygmy chain swords - they're more manageable and might thrive in your tank.

[juicebox]

Anacharis, unless it's already warm-water acclimated, will just melt on you indoors. And even if it doesn't, it's notorious for taking over small tanks - that's why they call it water weed.

[Giggletons]

juicebox said:

oceanwise, I gotta agree with coltin on the Anacharis. Unless it's already acclimated to warm water, it's gonna melt if you bring it indoors. And if it does survive, be prepared for it to take over your 5g tank - it's called water weed for a reason. I've had my own experience with wild Elodea from a stream, it melted at first but after taming it, it's growing like crazy, almost as fast as my Bacopas.

[anglerman]

I'm a big fan of YourFishStuff in NJ, they have great plants. Local fish store often has low inventory, so I usually check online for what I need.

[oceanwise]

I was thinking of adding a couple of hornworts to the tank for a silent cycle - just to help things along initially. Once the cycle's complete, I'd probably remove them, but carefully, of course.

[sSjey]

When you're doing a silent cycle with plants, they're meant to stay in the tank for good. You might be able to get away with removing the hornwort if you have a bunch of other plants in there too, but if it's the only plant and you take it out, you'll be left with no biological filter to deal with ammonia. That means you'd have to do a fishless cycle with ammonia all over again before you can safely add your betta.

[oceanwise]

When you're doing a silent cycle with plants, they're meant to stay in the tank for good. You might be able to get away with removing the hornwort if you have a bunch of other plants in there too, but if it's the only plant and you take it out, you'll be left with no biological filter to deal with ammonia. That means you'd have to do a fishless cycle with ammonia all over again before you can safely add your betta.

I'll likely end up making a separate thread in the cycling subforum to discuss this further.

[graye]

Consider Cryptocoryne wendtii - it's been a great choice for my smaller killie tanks, thanks to its slow growth rate. Another option I'd suggest is Anubias nana. While they're more expensive upfront, they save you from the hassle of constantly replacing plants. You're looking at some fast growers, but let's be real, a 5g tank is tiny - it's like trying to grow large houseplants in a coffee cup on a windowsill.

[oceanwise]

So I've got an update - the tank is actually going to be 10g, not 5g.