Good plants for a 20L tank?

Aquaticfrog32

Aquaticfrog32

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Mar 17, 2016
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I don't know at ALL which plants to choose for my freshwater aquarium. I'm looking for plants that my fish won't eat or destroy. I have no experience with live plants, only plastic ones. So what I'm looking for are plants that are not very large, and ones that my fish won't eat. ( hopefully ) Nothing very tall 'cause I have a 20 gallon LONG tank. Something hardy. Also my aquarium has gravel at the bottom, and I don't want my plants up-rooted. Any suggestions ?
 
What kind of Plant-eating fish do you have?
 
If you want very basic and have a standard fluorescent hood, java fern and anubia are an option. Below is a pic of my 29g. Same footprint as your 20L, but higher. All I have for lighting is a standard fluorescent hood with a Zoo Med 17watt 24" plant bulb in it. Black sand substrate, never any ferts or CO2 added.

 
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Take a look at a site such as Live Aquaria's freshwater plants section and browse the foreground and midground sections for low to medium light plants. That should give you an idea of the kinds of plants good for a 20-long. I have one, too, and that's how I started my research. Background plants are just too tall.
 
What kind of light & wattage do you have? I can grow many low to medium light plants, even a few higher light ones, in my 20g long. Easy plants include most cryptocorynes, sagiteria subulata, Italian spiral vallisneria (asiana?). & as said java fern, anubias & mosses are attached to wood or rocks. There are a few stem plants that work ok but if they're happy you might be trimming them every week or 2.
 
I too have a planted 29g with only the fluorescent hood and no special equipment. My background plant is wisteria (hygrophila difformis), chosen because it provides good cover for live bearer fry and my ghost shrimp. BUT it's a fast grower, and can easily take over if you don't keep it in check. It can also be used at a floating plant. I also have anubias, java fern, El Niño fern, Christmas moss, and marimo moss balls ("Betta Buddies"), and everything is doing great. I set everything up in October, and have had very little trouble with the plants, other than my bristlenose plecos occasionally uprooting things.
 
Tanker asked:" What kind of plant-eating fish do you have?" Well, truthfully, none yet. My tank is still cycling, I only got my second, third, and fourth fish yesterday. But I have read that some fish will eat live plants, and I still don't know exactly which fish to get, but I'm not taking my chances. ( I wouldn't take many chances with aquariums, like the chance of my betta eating my molly fry, yeah, it happened:(.)
 
So, tell us, what fish, what lights, what filter etc...we'd love to help but need more info...20g longs are very shallow once you get substrate in them...like 10 inches at most.There are many plants you DON'T want...they're just too much work in such a shallow tank, unless you are into 2x weekly trimming...most anyone is not!! No matter how much you love your tank, there are limits, believe me!! & many others...
 
Um, well, I have a tetra HT30 heater, a aqua clear power filter, a natural full spectrum fluorescent light, any my tank is still cycling, as mentioned before, and the fish in it so far is a molly and a betta, 2 mollies actually, but one has been moved into a smaller tank until adulthood. The fish I will be buying are silver tip tetras, Otto cats, kuhli loaches, and a snail. ( Even though they are NOT fish. ) So that is basically it, if you want more info just ask!
 
Oops forgot to mention an aquatic frog that I'm hoping to get.
 
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