View Full Version : Plants for Gravel
dsaavedra
10-04-2009, 5:04 PM
i have a 55 gallon tank with pea gravel in it (~1cm) and i am in DESPERATE need of some plants.
my fish have gone far to long without plants and they're pretty stressed a good deal of the time.
so what are some plants that will thrive in this pea gravel?
i REALLY like elodea but have been told it doesn't root in gravel. any plants similar to elodea but will root in gravel will be ideal.
note: i'm looking for natural looking plants, NOT ornamental stuff
I can grow most things in gravel. Just add root tabs. But things like swords and crypts that grow large root systems do best. What kind of setup are you going to run? co2? ferts? lighting? But i have a hard time growing elodea at all.
dsaavedra
10-04-2009, 5:40 PM
what are root tabs?
and i didn't plan on running any kind of "system". but i may consider switching over to a soil substrate and having a Walstad type setup before i get my plants.
Pearl
10-04-2009, 10:04 PM
I have pea gravel in two of my tanks. The plants in those tanks include valisnaria, rotala, hornswort, cobomba, swords, creeping Jenny, dwarf hairgrass, crypts, java ferns and anubias.
Also, root tabs are fertilizer tablets.
ghengis
10-04-2009, 11:08 PM
You can grow very nearly anything in very nearly any kind of substrate... The difficulty comes in which plants require what levels of light/nutrients/CO2 to flourish. I have basic, no name brand 2-3mm gravel in my planted. Everything grows well and pearls like mad, but I am running high light, CO2 and I dose Excel every day...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/777ace/IMG_2353.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/777ace/IMG_2339.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/777ace/IMG_2340.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/777ace/IMG_2357.jpg
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/777ace/IMG_2359.jpg
dsaavedra
10-05-2009, 8:49 PM
ghengis, nice looking plants! what is the plant pictured in the last photo. i kinda like the looks of that. also what is the plant covering the bottom like a carpet?
can anyone reccomend plants that look similar to elodea that would work in pea gravel?
what about eel grass? i've heard that works in pea gravel and i kinda like the look of that.
ghengis
10-05-2009, 11:11 PM
d, the plant in the last pic is Pogostemon Stellatus - needle leaf variety. It's actually one of my favorite plants, lol!
The "carpet" is Riccia Fluitans and is secured to lots of small flat rocks (about 40 of them) with fishing line. As the Riccia grows, is covers the fishing line, and rocks, and appears like a lawn...