easy plants

I would rule out any sword, as imo they are heavy root feeders and can quickly outgrow a 20gal. That is, unless you are very persistent with trimmings, in which case they will bend to your will and not grow above the water line.

The umbrella plant could be anything, the PlantGuide says its either a pond plant, or its similar to hairgrass. That's a big difference, so use your best judgement there.

Java fern for the win.

Anacharis is an excellent low-light, fast-grower IF you don't use Flourish Excel. It has been known to melt if you dose your tank with Excel, creating a nice soup. You might have different results though, this is just an FYI.

Tropical fern could be anything. Do a search on that Plant Guide for fern and you'll see what I mean. Try to identify it by the pictures. I don't want to jump the gun, but it should be a relatively fast grower, similar to java fern.

I've never particularly liked the way the big stores stock plants as they're generally not labelled well or at all, which makes doing what you're doing now nearly impossible. If at all possible, call around to some LFS' to see if they sell plants, then repeat the whole name->identify scheme.

Hope this helps, keep up the search!

- Marty
 
thanks superior

I'm gonna try and go back to look for the scientific names of those other plants.
 
For a better selection of plants you might want to consider ordering them online. Sometimes places like Petsmart (not familiar with Petco but I assum it's similar) sell plants that aren't even aquatic! :huh: Doesn't make much sense to me.

As for swords, if you have low light it should stay a lot smaller but I agree it's probably not a good idea for a 20.

It will be difficult to have a heavily planted tank in a short amount of time with that light. You will have to buy lots of plants to start with or have a lot of patience.
 
I could buy a higher watt bulb but I was wondering if a higher wattage was brighter?
 
I think you have a standard single-tube flourescent hood, right? If that is the case, then I don't think you're going to be able to find a higher watt bulb that will fit, as standard flouros have wattages based on their length. You could try getting another hood, which would double your light, but might be a little space consuming.

Also available are retrofit kits, these use power compact (PC) bulbs which provide a lot more light for their size. The place that comes to mind is www.AHSupply.com. A 1x55W kit would definetly help in plant growth, and they're very well recommended though I've never purchased from them myself.

There are a couple of options, in varying price ranges. I've been looking for PC hoods on various sites and have come across quite a few good deals. I would strongly suggest trying to find something used, as even it doesn't come with bulbs (or comes with the wrong type of bulbs) the fixture/canopy alone will be well reduced in price from retail.

What are the dimensions of your aquarium? I'll keep an eye out for PC hoods that will fit a 20gal.

- Marty
 
30"x12.5"x13" but upgrading my whole lighting fixture is a bit too expensive for my tastes. Considering that i'm not doing a fully planted tank it wouldn't be worth the money IMO
 
I'd call that a 20Long, just for future refrence. :)

You should be perfectly suited to growing most low-light plants already, so I don't blame you for not wanting to upgrade. Lighting equipment is really expensive for how little it costs to manufacture most things.

Keep your eyes open though, and maybe you'll see someone getting out of the hobby. I got a free 2x20W flourescent fixture with ballast when I bought my 15H. The seller had bought both at a local club auction and had no immediate need for either. All the lighting fixture required was for me to attach a power cord of my desire. He also threw in a bunch of slate, driftwood, an undergravel plate, yadda yadda yadda. You'd be surprised what some people have lying around. ;)

Alright, enough rambling.

Regards,
Marty
 
SuperiorMN said:
I'd call that a 20Long, just for future refrence. :)
Click to expand...

lol thanks marty but I already knew that :D ; someone asked me what the dimensions were
 
here's my list of plants I would like to try:

anacharis
hornwort
java fern - I already know that it doesn't require anything special
cryptocoryne wendtii
limnophila sessiliflora
acorus gramineus

Do any of these plants require special attention? (I.E. fertilizer, CO2, special substrate)
 
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