New to plants

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B

BsLuFs

Hobbyist
Sep 10, 2014
95
0
6
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College in New Hampshire, Home in Maine
Real Name
Luke
Hello, I've had a couple plants in my tank for a month or so and I just have a few questions. I have a single java fern which I believe to be healthy (it is regularly growing plantlets on the leaves) attached via elastic band to a small piece of driftwood, some willow moss attached in the same way to some rocks and another plant that I'm not sure what it is. (looks moss-like, but brighter green than the willow and more flaky, almost like kelp).

Anyways, I was wondering what sort of lighting would be best for these guys? They're not growing as well as I was told they would, and my tank is very sparse at the moment. Do java ferns grow better when tied down to driftwood or buried in substrate? Also, how big should I let the plantlets grow on the fern before taking them and attaching them somewhere else?

Lastly, are there any other plants that I could get? Something fast-growing like java moss? Anubias is really hardy too, I've heard. I have a piece of driftwood also floating at the top; is there any type of plant I could attach to that and let dangle? I'm primarily looking for plants to either attach to rocks/driftwood, let free-float or bury in gravel substrate.

Sorry for all the questions! This is one aspect of fish tanks in which I'm still a complete newb!


--Luke
 
R

Rafini

AC Members
Jun 24, 2012
188
10
18
34
I am new to plants also and I got a whole bunch of different plants in my tank and they are all growing well, nothing beats in my opinion Ludwigia.

I have 2 green ludwigia that have doubled in height in about 3 weeks since I got them. they are consistantly growing each day, at first tall but now they are starting to fill out also.
I have 2 red ludwigia that I have only had for a week or so but I am seeing the same capability from them also.

My cabomba is also doing very well its a little harder to see the new growth than on the ludwigia (new leaves will have a red tint on their underside) but it has grown well. I have a moneywart too and another plant I forgot that I got the same day and they are growing very nicely.

My abubias was bought during the first week of cycle and it is growing well, it was relatively flat to the wood i rubber banded it to, now its growing out taller and there are new leaves shooting up from the base, same with my java fern. but in my experience I find they are not as fast growers as ludwigia. at least in my tank.

I have a jungle val that lost a fair few leaves since I got it, but there are lots of new ones beginning to shoot up from the base, I read that valisnera tend to do that when they are introduced.

I have a finnex planted plus light 48", its the full length of my 120 gallon 48x24x24 and I believe its considered to be in the higher end of the "low" lighting. Thats why I picked relatively low light plants that don`t have too much need for very high intensity light.
Here is a link to the product home page so you can read about the specifications, I have no regrets buying it.
http://www.finnex.net/index.php/pro...es/finnex-fugeray-planted-led-fixture-48.html

From one planted noob to another, good luck!

P.S the anubias is banded to driftwood as is the java fern, all the other plants I mentioned are burried into the substrate. I also have two very tall lucky bamboo (actually a kind of lilly) they are a marginal plant so as long as the stem is in the water and the leaves protude the surface it is perfectly healthy. There seems to be a lot of hearsay about them being "poisonous" or whatever but I did some research and a moderator on a random site I found who had years of experience said he has never experienced any negative effects as long as they are planted marginally.
so hopefully that gives you some more ideas!
 
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