Suggestions for little tank

[tawnylane]

I would like to put some plants in the little 2.5g minibow. It is only 8.5" tall without gravel. Right now, I have about 1" of small natural gravel in it. The original internal whisper has been replaced with an Azoo mini, has a 25w? (maybe 50) GOOD heater, about 3wpg in CF and 1 lone white skirt tetra. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates ~5, pH ~ 7.6, GH 13, KH 5, plastic plants right now and almost no algae. Since it IS only 2.5g, I would be willing to play with the water parameters...

So any ideas for really small plants???

Thanks!

 

[happychem]

Going mainly on pictures I've seen, how about some carpet plants like Riccia or Glosso. Maybe Echinodorus tellenus, some crypts, Anubias.

Perhaps going to www.plantgeek.net and looking at foreground plants. And then use mid-tank plants as your background?

 

[Starry]

Sounds like you have a good little set-up, this could be fun! For plants, I'd suggest fine/small-leaved plants like Micrantemum (Hemianthus) micranthemoides (baby tears is the common name I think), Cardamine lyrata, and Ludwigia arcuata for a little red. Anubias nana "petit" would be cute if you can find it. Regular A. nana might be too overpowering with its dark stiff leaves. Glosso for the foreground of course, and maybe Lillaeopsis around the sides/midground, or Echinodorus tenellus.
I wouldn't put any fast-growing stem plants, unless you need to at the beginning. Something like a Hygro or Limnophila or Cabomba could take over so fast, you'll be doing very major pruning every week.
As for fertilization, on a tank this small anything will be cheap. For the least trouble, the Flourish line would work well (Flourish, Flourish phosphorus and potassium, and you'll probably need nitrogen). Excel should work well too.
Are you planning on adding any more fish? Do you have other planted tanks?
Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

[tawnylane]

happy, Starry: Thanks for the quick replies!
Happychem - will crypts grow in my pH and GH? or should I RO some of the water? or??

Starry -

Something like a Hygro or Limnophila or Cabomba could take over so fast, you'll be doing very major pruning every week.

LOL that's about what I thought!

Are you planning on adding any more fish? Do you have other planted tanks?

Yes, I think he needs one buddy of his own kind - I know there should probly be 5 or so, but these are bigger tetras? (my son bought it for his sister for her birthday) If I could find pygmy cories I would buy some!

My 25g 'sphere' community tank is semi-planted and likely to be more so - it has val and java fern, so is certainly self-propagating !

I will look online at happychem's site and some others for your suggestions. I will be in Tampa next month - anyone know if any of the places there are likely to have any of these types of plants?

Thanks for your help!

T