Hardy mid to high light plants

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Riptiide

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Jun 27, 2016
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So I’ve done some research and I can only ever find low light plants for beginners. I have bright LED lights on for 8-9 hr a day (which I’ve elevated to reduce intensity) and it still completely destroys my java fern, Anubias and anacharis. (There’s literally just a rhizome leftover from one of my Anubias plants).
So knowing how hardy these plants are, it’s clear that my lighting is too intense for them. So that begs the question: what plants thrive in more intense lighting? I’m mainly interested in background plants but I’m open to all suggestions. Thanks
 

the loach

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I very much doubt that this has anything to do with your "bright" (what Lumen and height are we talking about?) led lights unless you're growing them emersed, but everything with pH, CO2, nutrients. On top of that, typically the difference in hardiness in aquarium plants is predominantly the light intensity; 'beginner plants' are just hardy cause they don't need a lot of light.
 
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Riptiide

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I very much doubt that this has anything to do with your "bright" (what Lumen and height are we talking about?) led lights unless you're growing them emersed, but everything with pH, CO2, nutrients. On top of that, typically the difference in hardiness in aquarium plants is predominantly the light intensity; 'beginner plants' are just hardy cause they don't need a lot of light.
Thanks for the reply. I have an aquaneat LED light elevated about 6”. I tested the water today and the pH was at 6.7. Gh and kh are both around 30. I have a 6” flowerhorn which definitely produces enough fertilizer for the plants (no he didn’t eat the plants they melted while still attached to driftwood). Now I know the fish produces CO2 but I’ve never had to use CO2 pumps on “beginner” plants.
One concern however: I have Pothos (also hence the light elevation) around the back of the tank so they might be hogging all the nutrients
 

the loach

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"Aquaneat" is not a specification... do you have a link? Almost all prefab led lights are medium light as best. Likely, you have only low light. What size tank?
Emersed plants like pothos will outcompete aquatic plants, have you tested for nitrate? If it is <5 you have to remove the pothos in order to grow plants.
 

fishorama

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My opinion, unless you have pressurized co2 you cannot grow high light plants well, if at all. I belong to a plant club & have been given some very cool high light plants. But I don't have co2 (yet) & it's been sad, very sad to kill them...all! Some "high light" plants can survive, for a while, in medium light but without co2 they slowly die.

I'm a lame fertilizer but even when I have stepped up my game for some very neat plants it's just not enough...without co2. Save up you $$ that you would have spent on plants you'll kill eventually & get real co2 if you want those needy plants.. It's not cheap, but unless you get free plants like I have, & really want them to grow well, bite the co2 & good fertilizer bullet. I'm sorry.
 

Riptiide

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Jun 27, 2016
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My opinion, unless you have pressurized co2 you cannot grow high light plants well, if at all. I belong to a plant club & have been given some very cool high light plants. But I don't have co2 (yet) & it's been sad, very sad to kill them...all! Some "high light" plants can survive, for a while, in medium light but without co2 they slowly die.

I'm a lame fertilizer but even when I have stepped up my game for some very neat plants it's just not enough...without co2. Save up you $$ that you would have spent on plants you'll kill eventually & get real co2 if you want those needy plants.. It's not cheap, but unless you get free plants like I have, & really want them to grow well, bite the co2 & good fertilizer bullet. I'm sorry.
So you’re saying there are no low maintenance plants that prefer high light. Are there any that tolerate it?
 

Riptiide

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Jun 27, 2016
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"Aquaneat" is not a specification... do you have a link? Almost all prefab led lights are medium light as best. Likely, you have only low light. What size tank?
Emersed plants like pothos will outcompete aquatic plants, have you tested for nitrate? If it is <5 you have to remove the pothos in order to grow plants.
https://www.amazon.com/AQUANEAT-Aqu...rds=aquaneat&qid=1593718762&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1
I think this is it I bought it like two years ago. It’s definitely not “low” light. none of my other aquarium lights are as bright as this one.
And as for nitrate it was at 5 (I use the api test kit so the color can be a bit vague). But if the Pothos are doing their job I’d much rather keep them (I mean I have a flowerhorn that thing is a poop machine). Could I use root tabs instead?
 

fishorama

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Bright to our eyes can be different than to plants. I'll let the loach or someone comment on LEDs, I don't have them (yet).

I assume it's a big tank, what dimensions? (oh I see tl is also asking) I don't know anything about flowerhorns, don't they dig like other cichlids often do? What substrate do you have? Root tabs are easy to use & some plants prefer them...if your fish doesn't dig.

If it's only "medium" light there are many plants you can try. Cryptocorynes, swords, dwarf sagittaria, vallisneria, some rotalas & some ludwegias are easy. The last 3 can grow fast & need control. Most swords grow very large but there are small "chain" & "dwarf" swords that are only a few inches high (might be difficult in a tall tank, especially if you think they'll be a "carpet"). Many of all these are very available but some places will sell you plants that aren't really suitable or easy at all. Do some research on these before you buy, we'll help narrow it down if you like.
 

Riptiide

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Now we're getting somewhere, what are the dimensions of the tank?

Bright to our eyes can be different than to plants. I'll let the loach or someone comment on LEDs, I don't have them (yet).

I assume it's a big tank, what dimensions? (oh I see tl is also asking) I don't know anything about flowerhorns, don't they dig like other cichlids often do? What substrate do you have? Root tabs are easy to use & some plants prefer them...if your fish doesn't dig.

If it's only "medium" light there are many plants you can try. Cryptocorynes, swords, dwarf sagittaria, vallisneria, some rotalas & some ludwegias are easy. The last 3 can grow fast & need control. Most swords grow very large but there are small "chain" & "dwarf" swords that are only a few inches high (might be difficult in a tall tank, especially if you think they'll be a "carpet"). Many of all these are very available but some places will sell you plants that aren't really suitable or easy at all. Do some research on these before you buy, we'll help narrow it down if you like.
The tank dimensions are 4 feet long, 18 inches wide and 21 inches tall. (Standard 75g) My flowerhorn doesn’t really intentionally move stuff around (except my flowerpot which he prefers in an upright position) but he’ll definitely mess up carpet plants. I have gravel but my anubias were attached to driftwood and my anacharis was tangled with the Pothos roots so substrate wasn’t an issue. As for root tans, can anubias roots just cling to them while on driftwood? Or do they have to be propagated in substrate for it to work?
 
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