good background plant?

[sumoschro]

I'm thinking about switching my artificial plants with some real ones soon since i need to totally take apart my tank anyway, and i was thinking i would start off with a background plant. I've heard Anarchis and Hygrophilia are good, but those are the only ones i know of, and im not even sure if they are background plants. Any suggestions for some less expensive pretty background plants?

[djlen]

It would help to get some tank size info. and lighting info.
A background plant in a 10 gal. tank could be a mid-ground plant in a 90gal.
Also, what type of substrate are you using?

Len

[sumoschro]

duh....:duh: guess that would help.

Its a 29 gallon, 18 inches or so tall, with gravel as the substrate. Not exactly sure about the lighting, as it came with the aquarium, but it is a bluish sort of flourescent light.

[jeffro426]

If its the lights that came with the tank there most likely only like 15-20 watts which really isnt enough to grow much of anything. Do some research on lighting first and then go for the plants.

[aquariumfishguy]

Guessing the kind of lighting you have, I would say that if you aren't nessessarily looking to upgrade everything that some good plants for the background would be some crypts and amazon swords.

People have mixed reactions about swords in low-lighted tanks but you know, I have kept them in low lighted tanks and high lighted tanks and they always seem to do good so thats why I recommend them. But crypts...they'll do wonders!

[djlen]

Unfortunately, you probably are looking at a low light situation with your lighting and your options will be limited. The suggestions above are good ones. C. Balansae is a nice Crypt that will fill the bill for what you have in mind, but you'll have to be patient with them. They are slow growing. The Sword will fill in, in the back quicker and shouldn't take over the tank in the low light you are supplying.

Len

[dethjam316]

my father has a semi-planted 29g i set up for him with the standard lighting. he has a sword plant, a crypt, and water wisteria (hygrophila difformis)...both grow very well. the sword plant grows a bit slower than in higher-lighting conditions, but it is otherwise healthy. the hygro is growing out of control, which irks me to no end, because the cuttings he has (which he trims back weekly to leave *some* swimming room) are from original plants i had that have been dying to all hell in my tanks here...and those tanks have significantly more lighting and are fertilized unlike his. grrr. similarly, his crypt, which was a baby from one of mine, is reproducing a lot, while mine here are growing but not reproducing. grrr. either can serve as a background plant in my opinion.

[Cearbhaill]

I have very low light (1.2 wpg in a deep tank) and manage to grow great swords, crypts, vallisenaria, water sprite, and even red tiger lotus.
Don't let the low light situation discourage you. Try lots of different plants (Aquabid!) and get more of what works. Don't knock yourself out trying to grow something hard like glosso when there are many other things that will do just fine and look great.

[sumoschro]

The main decoration in my aquarium aside from driftwood is a large artificial mazon sword, so i think i will get a real one to put in its place. I just went to my LFS today and got a crypt undulata(?) and some bacopa plant trimmings. Any experience with either of these? They arent background plants, or at least they dont look like them yet, but that is what the sword will be for.

[djlen]

I have Bacopa Carolina in many of my tanks, and they regularly grow to more than 18". In fact, today before my water-change I took about 6" off of a stand of Bacopa to bring them down to a height of 8" or so. If they will grow for you, in quantity they would make a nice background.
Again, the undulata, like most Crypts will be a slow grower and require patience. But they will get tall eventually and are a low light requirement plant.

Len

[djlen]

Double post.......sorry......my bad.

Len

[Hans]

why on earth did you get all the same color discus lol

[Captain Hook]

sumoschro if you are looking for stem plants I think egeria densa would also work well. In a 35 gallon I have a 24" powerglo and have had vals (really like these), dwarf sag, egeria, ludwigia repens and an anubias in it. Yesterday I added some rotala indica and bacopa so hopefully they will grow too. The plants are much slower growing than in my 20 gallon with 2 wpg but they are still doing alright.

[LMOUTHBASS]

i too have a low ligth aqaurium :( anyhow don't bother with swords as they will slowly wither away - the exception seems to be the melon sword - that one works for me - but i woul strongly suggest crypts such as lutea and members of the wendth family -
take it from someone who has wasted lots of money on all types of live plants - crypts are the only tings that will really work in yuor tank -
go with the crypts they are ful, lush and very nice lloking when together

[sumoschro]

thanks for all the input....If worst comes to worst i may just get a brigter light for my aquarium, but we'll see how these do for now. Im planning on going to a more reputable LFS in the next week or so to look at what they have as far as crypts, and I may just test an amazon sword or other sword in there to see how it does. thanks again:)