hardy plants

jm1212

jm1212

Pterophyllum scalare
Jul 22, 2006
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Jon
i need to know which plants are the best for a fish tank without a CO2 injection system.
the tank has a UGF, but i do know that there are some plants that can grow on rocks, etc. and dont need to be in the gravel, and i know i can go with duckweed because it grows no matter what you do
 
The plants (off the top of my head) that actually prefer not being buried in substrate are Anubias (there are many species), java fern, and java moss. Those last three can all be strapped to some driftwood until they grow onto it. Other plants that can be grown floating are hornwort and Anacharis. All of the plants I have listed do not require CO2 and can also do fine in low light, and are therefore all considered low maintenance.

good luck :)
 
java moss doesn't have roots at all, as it is a moss/algae type plant. java ferns don't really have real roots either, just a dark mass of stringy stuff at the bottom. I think they might be considered rhizomes. Neither java fern nor Anubias rhizomes will penetrate into the wood (unless there are cracks already present). They just start to grow onto and around it until the plant is totally attached! Voila! :)
 
no way. Otos don't eat live plants at all, and java fern has nasty gritty leaves that deter herbivores. Even plecos leave java fern alone. So you're golden :)
 
I have to warn about java moss so you know what are you getting into. It can be a pain. If you leave it alone, it can spread all over tank, attaching to the gravel and be very difficult to remove. It's basically indestructable so even if you decide to leave your tank lights off for a few months it will survive.

My favourite low light, hardy plants are Cryptocorynes and Anubias. Most of the common Crypts are not demanding and are rosette plants. This means they grow in the substrate in a large group. Anubias are also very tough and easy to grow. You can plant them in the bottom if you want, just be careful not to bury the rhizome part. It will look like this: leaves ---|--- roots. The bar in the middle is the rhizome.
 
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Funny. I could never grow Java Moss. It always dies on me. Maybe because I have too much light? Maybe it just doesn't like me.:joke:

I've seen Sunset Hygro surviving in 10 gallon tanks with a regular fluorescent bulb. You might want to try this plant out as well. It'll stay green in low light with no co2, but it'll look healthy.

HTH

Lissette
 
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