Low light plants

[CACAdmin]

Although I love plants, I am rather clueless when it comes to what works best and have varying success with my planted tanks which are both low light. What I was wondering in selecting plants do some tend to out-compete others for nutrients? Namely, are there better combinations of low-light plants to keep?

[PPulcher]

The old stand-bys for low light situations are Anubias, Java fern and java moss. All will grow albeit slowly with a single light tube over the aquarium.

There are some beautiful species of anubias available in the hobby. I keep a couple of the more common ones A. barteri and A. barteri var nana (a dwarf). They can be attached to rocks or roots, or planted as long as you don't cover the rhizome with gravel. The same goes for java fern. Java moss can be tied to rocks or roots. There are other moss species available, but I've only ever had the java.

Many of the cryptocornes do well at lower light levels, too. Probably the most undemanding is C. wendtii, available in green and brown cultivars, to name a couple.

I've also had very good luck with floating najas (aka guppy grass). I use it in many of my tanks for water detoxification and for spawn sites and fry refuge. It doesn't need to root, so I use it in bare bottom tanks. I'm finding that it outcompetes and shades the crypts, and it doesn't get along well with duckweed or amazon frogbit. I'm guessing that it uses up the nitrogen in the water faster than the other plants. The anubias in the same tanks just plods along, however. Buy or trade for a few nice ones now and you'll have them forever.

Depending on how low your lighting is (i.e. if it's more in the moderately low range), you might be able to grow some undemanding stem plants like ambulia (Limnophilia sessilflora) which is a nice green colour and looks a little like the more demanding cabomba. I think the ambulia actually grows more compact under moderate lighting. It grows pretty fast and likes lots of nutrients. Another one to consider is Hygrophilia corymbosa. There are a couple of different cultivars. Their leaf shape reminds me of willow trees.

[ChrissyFishy]

This thread helps a lot!!!!!

http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143

[DaFishMan]

I've had 1.5 wpg for ages. Here's a few plants that did well.
(and note I don't have all these anymore lol)

Crypts - all
Java Ferns - all
Mosses - java, weeping
Reddish swords - Ozelot 'red, Echinodorus 'Red Special'
Najas Grass
Hornwort
Najas Grass (guppy grass)
Ambulia Sessilifloria
Water lettuce
Vals
Duckweed
Anubias
Egeria
Elodia

When first planting go for the fast growing stem plants, good oxygenators and take up the excess nutrients in the tank. You can re-plant all the trimmings and get a jungle quickly. Later when the plant tank is more stable and the substrate 'mature' start swapping in some slow growing root feeders such as your crypts, swords etc..

[Wiedertäufer]

I've had 1.5 wpg for ages. Here's a few plants that did well.

Hornwort


Ain't that the truth. I pulled my hornwort and tossed it in a bucket of tankwater. Just from the light the room gets and some spill over light from the nearby tank, it's still growing. Crazy stuff. Seems like the only thing it needs is calcium and nitrates. It's even growing in the 22 or so degree water that's in the bucket (no heater).

[Pamelajo]

Hey Andrew if you ever have extra guppy grass I would be interested in some.

[James]

I would also like some guppy grass if someone is willing to sale some and send it out to Abbotsford.
I checked the local stores and none, or should I say the salesperson has no idea what I was talking about.
James

[PPulcher]

Hey Andrew if you ever have extra guppy grass I would be interested in some.

You betcha! I'm setting up some new tanks at the moment so I need it for them, but I'll some to spare soon. BTW, I haven't seen any tiger lotus lately.

I would also like some guppy grass if someone is willing to sale some and send it out to Abbotsford.

If you can wait until spring, I can certainly send some. While one can ship plants in the winter, I find it much less hassle not having to fiddle with heat packs and the like. Cool weather is better than hot weather, but freezing weather is right out.:wink:

[Pamelajo]

I haven't seen any tiger lotus lately.
Ohh! I forgot to tell you I was poking around a lfs here and found some. I have three plants now and they are sprouting new leaves. Thanks for keeping your eyes open for me.

[PPulcher]

Awesome, Pam. You know we'll be wanting to see photos, right? ::D:

[Pamelajo]

They are still little at the moment. When they get the size of the one in your avatar I promise I will post a pic.:smile:

[Melody]

My Najas came in from Blainep, James, so you could drop him a line. He's a bit closer and has heatpacks.

As for you Easterners, nice to see the trading & helping going strong!

Oh, and I do indeed kill Hornwort too...lol...can't grow the stuff at all and end up with a mess of needles to vacuum for weeks.:rolleyes:

[PPulcher]

Hornwort is one of those strange plants. It seems to need very stable water conditions. I've had it literally drop all the needles within a day or two of bringing it in from someone else's tanks. I guess it needs to be acclimated.

[Melody]

That could definitly be the ticket - I add calcium and aragonite to my tanks so it would be a bit of a shock from our local water supply elsewhere. Thanks!

[CACAdmin]

I have had varying results with hornwort. Sometimes I get it and it really flourishes and other times dies off almost immediately. However, it all ends up dying off eventually... even stuff that has lasted for several months and grew quite dense at one point. I find it strange in that tank parameters never really varied. Hence my curiosity about combinations of plants and whether some out-compete others for nutrients.

Mind you it could simply be that I am quite adept at killing plants.:Embarassing:

[Pamelajo]

I just got rid of all my Hornwort. It grew really well but found some of it kept getting wilted. I kept breaking it into smaller pieces so it would stay afloat but still kept getting tangled in the moss and winding itself around my lotus. Grrrr. Am slowly trying to rid my tanks of duckweed, just cleaned out at least 4 cups of it. The novelty of it wore off when it started plugging my prefilter.

[CACAdmin]

Duckweed looks rather cool in the tank when you have this constant cascade of it being when it gets submerged by the flow from the filter but yes, it can plug things up. I find it also tends to make it more difficult for my gouramis when they are feeding... they grab at the duckweed by mistake. So I have practically none in the tank now. As for the hornwort, too bad I didn't know you were getting rid of it. You could have sent it this way :wink: ... it's one of those plants that I love to have for my fry and so never stop trying to be successful with it.

[Pamelajo]

I might have some stray pieces. If I do I will throw them in the box when I send the bns.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks Pam! :Flowers3:

[Pamelajo]

Your welcome. Do you want any stray duckweed?????

[James]

Thanks Pamela. I can wait for spring so no heat packs would be needed.

James