Plant Newbie

[shaunakadub]

Well, i've finally decided that I would like to try some sort of plant for my 10gallon. Since im new to it, I was wondering if anyone could give me a few opinions on what plant to choose. I would like something that is very easy to take care of.

Also, I have fairly large gravel as a substate, I don't know if anything would grow in this, or if I would need to get a plant to attach to my big piece of driftwood.

Thanks in advance!

 

[carttman]

You could attach a piece of Java Fern Java Moss to your piece of driftwood using a rubber band or piece of string. These plants will grow in almost any lighting conditions and is easy to take care of.

 

[mandimoron]

I'll give you the generic java fern recommendation. They're no fuss, no muss plants that seem to be able to survive everything, and still produce baby plants to boot. I have one java fern in my betta's 1.5 gal tank, which only has an incandescent light, and the thing is still nice and green, and ticking along. It's not growing at the same dizzying speed as the java fern in my platy tank (which is under fluorescents), but it still looks great. Ocassional pruning is needed from time to time when some leaves turn black and look fugly. But that's it, really.

I have just plain boring aquarium gravel in both tanks-- if you don't want to attach the plant to a hunk of driftwood or something, bury the roots in the gravel for a week or so. Give a jiggle the next time you do your water changes, and you should find that the roots have grasped on to clumps of gravel. If there are enough pebbles tangled up in the roots to keep the fern from floating away, you're good to go: just let the plants sit on the top of the gravel, and it'll do it's thing. If not, bury it again for a few more days and check again. The reason I recommend this method is that I've heard java ferns tend to fare poorly if their rhyzome/root systems are buried completely for extended periods. If you let the plant take a few pebbles to anchor itself, it will stay where you put it, and will still be able to let its rhyzomes/roots "breathe". That means a happy fern, and a happy tank keeper.

 

[TKOS]

I usually just bury the roots and make sure the top of the rhyzome is peeking out.

Funny thing about java fern is that it grows well in all my tanks except my betta tank where at best it stays alive. The java moss though is taking over.

 

[shaunakadub]

Ok, sounds like im going to try some java fern =p

Another quick 1, is it best to buy it online, or find a local place? And if it is a local place, do garden/greenhouse have these plants, or only pet stores?

 

[knotty47]

yeah i'd go for the java fern, near indestructable. If we end up in a nuclear war and everyone dies, it's gonna be a world of cockroaches and java fern! Anywho, i bought my plants off e-bay and they were really nice, but its going to come down to which sites you use and the seller. If its not top notch send it back, even if you have to pay postage. Don't put 2nd rate plants in your tank, it'll just annoy you until you bin it!