Easy plants for newbie 20g?

[Genhawk]

I'm going to be starting a 20g, and will be trying fishless cycling. I was thinking that it would be nice to have some "easy" live plants along with fake plants, but I don't know much about plants and tend to kill terrestrial plants.

I'm just wondering if there are "easy" plants that I should try or whether I should stick to the fake ones. As a newbie I don't really want to get into CO2 injecting, but if there were things that would work with just a standard setup that would be nice.

Also if there are plants that might work, do I wait until the tank is cycled? Or put them in to start out with?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[evster]

With the standard light strip that came with your 20G (a 15W bulb I'm assuming) you are going to have a difficult time growing most plants.

That being said, there are a few that will do better than others. Anacharis will grow in almost any conditions and its pretty cheap and easy to find. Java fern and anubias might work out ok, but they take a long time to get going.

You don't need to have CO2 to get some nice plant growth, but getting a light setup with at least 1.5WPG would be a good idea if its something you're serious about. I bought this 36W light strip with and swapped out the 50/50 bulb for a daylight one and its been working pretty well. http://hellolights.com/241xcoraqpch.html

Good luck!

 

[phanmc]

You'll want to aim for about 30w of light. If your hood has less than 20w I suggest switching to an incandescent hood that you can screw two lightbulbs in, then use 2 15-20w spiral CF lightbulbs (preferably daylight or full spectrum). Should be cheap, no more than a $25 investment.

You'll easily be able to grow the following plants with that setup and with minimal effort:
java fern
java moss
anubias, any kind
crypts, wendtii or lutea (walkerii)
anacharis
hornwort

 

[Genhawk]

Thanks! I'm pretty handy so I'll take a look at the hood when I get it (getting a used tank and don't have it yet), and if needed retrofit it for better light.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

You'll want to aim for about 30w of light. If your hood has less than 20w I suggest switching to an incandescent hood that you can screw two lightbulbs in, then use 2 15-20w spiral CF lightbulbs (preferably daylight or full spectrum). Should be cheap, no more than a $25 investment.

You'll easily be able to grow the following plants with that setup and with minimal effort:
java fern
java moss
anubias, any kind
crypts, wendtii or lutea (walkerii)
anacharis
hornwort

i agree. i would also get a timer for to make sure the lights are on 8-12 hours a day.

 

[kjf91004]

The above is good advice. I personally had the best luck with watersprite and anubias nana in my low light tank.

As far as cycling goes, you don't need to wait, you can put in the plants any time!

 

[Genhawk]

The above is good advice. I personally had the best luck with watersprite and anubias nana in my low light tank.

As far as cycling goes, you don't need to wait, you can put in the plants any time!

Oh, that's excellent then! That will give me something to do while I'm bored waiting to be able to put in fish.