Plant advice needed

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irishspy

There is a stargate in my aquarium.
So, I need some advice choosing plants for a 20-long tank I'm setting up. The set-up is as follows:

Light: Coralife CFL 65w (3.25 wpg). 10 hours per day to start.
Substrate: 40 lbs. Eco-Complete
Filter: Aquaclear 50 HOB
Temp: 76-78
Fertilizers: Flourish, Flourish Excel, Flourish Trace. All per Seachem recommended doses.
CO2: Nothing but Excel to start, though I'm investigating pressurized and DIY CO2.

None of this has been set up, yet. I'm getting things started this weekend.

I'm moderately experienced with plants, but I haven't done anything "fancy" like CO2 infusion, dry ferts, or "difficult to keep plants".

What I need help with is getting an idea of what plants are appropriate for this tank. (FWIW, I haven't chosen fish species yet, though I'm leaning South American.) My local LFSes haven't shown me good specimens, so I'm thinking of ordering online. So far, I'm interested in Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula), Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae), or Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides) for the left foreground, Moss Balls for the right foreground, Indian Red Sword for a centerpiece, and.... ??? (Cue Underpants Gnomes)

Most background plants I've researched seem to grow way too tall for a 20-long. I was thinking of crypts for a midground/background placement (Is the light too strong?), and I'd likeone red(ish) plant, but, beyond that, I'm stumped.

So, I'd appreciate advice. What plants would you recommend? And, so I can learn, why would you recommend them?

Thanks in advance.
 

SnakeIce

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Unless you buy a specific cultivar of sword known to only grow to a specific small size I'd recommend something else in that spot. Cryptocoryns come to mind, common wendtii would eventually grow in and not over grow the space. Or you could go for something larger and larger leaved like pontederifolia which would fill the spot but not have the ability to take over half a 75 gallon tank like most swords can.

As to color, wendtii comes in a redish brown, and a new cultivar "florida sunset" is another color, but a lot of plants only take on that red color when they are slightly nutrient lacking and the red is a way to reflect part of the light they would be other wise absorbing and putting to use. Those conditions are generally found in the Co2 and fertilizing level of plant care because that makes recovery fast enough to keep algae at bay or at inconsequential levels.

Java fern is a different shade of green, but for that size tank I'd recommend getting one of the smaller cultivars.
 

Aqua nut

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So, I need some advice choosing plants for a 20-long tank I'm setting up. The set-up is as follows:

Light: Coralife CFL 65w (3.25 wpg). 10 hours per day to start.
Substrate: 40 lbs. Eco-Complete
Filter: Aquaclear 50 HOB
Temp: 76-78
Fertilizers: Flourish, Flourish Excel, Flourish Trace. All per Seachem recommended doses.
CO2: Nothing but Excel to start, though I'm investigating pressurized and DIY CO2.

None of this has been set up, yet. I'm getting things started this weekend.

I'm moderately experienced with plants, but I haven't done anything "fancy" like CO2 infusion, dry ferts, or "difficult to keep plants".

What I need help with is getting an idea of what plants are appropriate for this tank. (FWIW, I haven't chosen fish species yet, though I'm leaning South American.) My local LFSes haven't shown me good specimens, so I'm thinking of ordering online. So far, I'm interested in Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula), Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae), or Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides) for the left foreground, Moss Balls for the right foreground, Indian Red Sword for a centerpiece, and.... ??? (Cue Underpants Gnomes)

Most background plants I've researched seem to grow way too tall for a 20-long. I was thinking of crypts for a midground/background placement (Is the light too strong?), and I'd likeone red(ish) plant, but, beyond that, I'm stumped.

So, I'd appreciate advice. What plants would you recommend? And, so I can learn, why would you recommend them?

Thanks in advance.
Dwarf Sagittarius for foreground, Amazon swords, cryptocryne of all kinds, Java ferns, annubias will all be good without c02... Excell will be just fine.
If you wanna do co2 for cheap but nice check out a paintball regulator by aquatek on amazon 80 bucks for the setup but we'll worth it.
 

sumthin fishy

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Aug 22, 2005
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I've found hairgrass difficult without CO2. it may grow, but not well, and will not carpet as much. L. aromatica gets nice reds on the underside. You will have to trim it from time to time, but not as much as some other stem plants. Buce is cool and has some good colors.





DIY CO2 isnt too hard. I would go with the citric acid method. It starts instantly and is more steady. The paintball setups are nice, but will end up expensive in the long run for refills. It will open up some options either way you do it.
 

Aqua nut

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I've found hairgrass difficult without CO2. it may grow, but not well, and will not carpet as much. L. aromatica gets nice reds on the underside. You will have to trim it from time to time, but not as much as some other stem plants. Buce is cool and has some good colors.





DIY CO2 isnt too hard. I would go with the citric acid method. It starts instantly and is more steady. The paintball setups are nice, but will end up expensive in the long run for refills. It will open up some options either way you do it.
My refills at Dicks sporting goods on the paintball setup run 6 bucks every 3 months. 2 bucks a month
 

fishorama

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sumthin, that's a very pretty bucephalandra! Which kind is it?

irish, I've never done co2 but that's quite a lot of light over a 12" tank, is it well above the top rim, legs? Is it compact fluorescent (CFL, spirals) or maybe power compact (PC, like 2 T-5 connected into a single 4 pin plug)?

Crypt wendtii "mi oya" is a nice dark maroon with textured leaves. Some stem plants have reddish/pinkish tinting, some on the leaf underside, but in a tank with only a 9 or 10" depth (after substrate), you'll be trimming a lot w/ferts & co2. Hygrophyllia "sunset" has pink leaf veins, "tiger", white.

I like Italian spiral vallisneria (NOT the same as v. spiralis just to be confusing) but it hates Excel, maybe after you switch to co2. It stays the perfect height 8-10".

HC (& HM, similar w/ bigger leaves, easier) needs to be well established before you add fish that may uproot it. I had a nice patch growing, added a BN fry & it was dug completely up after a few weeks...filter fodder.

Staurogyne repens can be a nice larger leaved ground cover.
 

irishspy

There is a stargate in my aquarium.
Thanks for the replies, folks. Sorry for the slow response on my part -- I was away for the holiday weekend. :)

sumthin fishy sumthin fishy , what's this "Buce" you refer to? Looks interesting. I think I found it online, but I want to be sure.

irish, I've never done co2 but that's quite a lot of light over a 12" tank, is it well above the top rim, legs? Is it compact fluorescent (CFL, spirals) or maybe power compact (PC, like 2 T-5 connected into a single 4 pin plug)?

F fishorama : Yeah, I recognize algae and I are going to do battle. :mad: It's a Coralife CFL fixture that rests on legs above the tank.

Staurogyne repens can be a nice larger leaved ground cover.

Funny you should mention this: I just ran across it online today, and it looks very promising.

My refills at Dicks sporting goods on the paintball setup run 6 bucks every 3 months. 2 bucks a month

A Aqua nut Ideally I'd like to go with a paintball CO2 setup. There are some very interesting systems cobbled together by people on YouTube. Trouble is, I'm away most of the day, so I'd need to have it attached to a solenoid to go off and on when I'm not around. Still learning how to do that. Also, West Los Angeles seems to be singularly barren of places that refill paintball canisters. :(

Unless you buy a specific cultivar of sword known to only grow to a specific small size I'd recommend something else in that spot. Cryptocoryns come to mind, common wendtii would eventually grow in and not over grow the space.
SnakeIce SnakeIce Yep, I'm, thinking a crypt looks more reasonable for a centerpiece in this tank, given its size. I've had good luck with them, too.
 

Aqua nut

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The paintball regulator by aquatek has a solenoid built in and it works great on a timer. I use it and have had no problems. As for refills, major sporting goods stores refill them. Dicks, gander mountain, cabellas. Some target stores do as well.
 

sumthin fishy

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Buce is short for bucephalandra. It's a rhizome plant like anubias. Some of the common varieties are easy to find. The super colorful ones might take some searching, and may cost some more cash. They can be planted in the substrate, but do better tied or glued to a rock or wood.

Obviously, rarity drives price (I've seen a plant similar to blyxa japonica but with a red base that goes for about $50 a plant and they only get a couple inches and glow super slow.)

Another though, I didn't see if someone said it yet, but ludwegias are nice. For some reason, all mine died off but a single 1" stem that has shown no growth for months. But just the last week it sent out a new shoot that is bright red and has about a dozen leaves on it. It does have good color, grows slow enough and doesn't get too big for that size tank.
 

irishspy

There is a stargate in my aquarium.
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