What plants for 20 gal?

S

Sumpin'fishy

Humble Disciple of Jesus Christ
Oct 16, 2002
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Savannah, GA
I'm just about through cycling a 20 gal with medium light (2x20w) and I'm wondering what plants to add to a small tank that will fill it out nicely. I would like a decent variety of plants, so that I can find which ones do well in my setup. (I hear different people have problems with different plants). I will be using the Hagen Natural Plant System (DIY CO2) and have a Penguin 125 and a Duetto DJ100 for some extra water movement near the bottom.

The inhabitants will be 1 Betta, 6 corys, 2 ottos, and 6 Ghost Shrimp. I wanted the setup to include some low to medium light plants and wanted Java Fern and Java Moss to be included. I also would like to try Anubias, but they may get too large for this type of tank. I have a twisted piece of driftwood on one side of the tank that is about 3/4 of the height of the tank and wanted to do something interesting with it, like maybe place the Java Moss on it. I'd really appreciate any experienced opinions on plants that will not grow too large for this tank but will work nicely with my setup. Thanks ahead of time.
 
Anubias will work great. They grow really slow, so don't worry about the size. There's also Anubias barteri var. nana, which stays small.

Also try:
Limnophila sp

Cryptocoryne sp. - If you plant them and they "melt," just leave them alone and they will resprout

Echinodorus sp. - especially E. rubin "narrow" cause it's smaller and easy to grow - it would be easy to find if you guys had Tropica plants down there, but apparently you don't....

Aponogeton sp - they might get too big - and they grow like crazy if they like the conditions

water sprite (Hygrophila difformis), egeria/elodea.... and all those popular beginner ones

Then there's java fern, which I think is kinda ugly but apparently you can't kill it.

That's a lot of choices there. Hopefully you can find lots that you like.
 
Thanks, I appreciate the Limnophila sp. idea. They may come in useful. I do have a question about Java Ferns.....do they get to large? Anyone? Any other ideas are welcomed for my tank!

Here is some research I've done. Let me know what you experienced greenthumbs think:

Anubias barteri (nana)
Cryptocoryne wendtii (green)
Microsorum pteropus......is this too large? (I want a variety)
Vallisneria americana (natans)
Vallisneria spiralis "Tiger".........is this same as natans sp?
Vesicularia dubyana
Echinodorus quadricostatus
Echinodorus Parviflorus
Marsilea crenata
Limnophila aquatica
Limnophila sessiliflora

That's what I've come up with as compatable species for a 20 gal tank. I have approximately medium light (40w) and DIY CO2, I also have half/half sand/Flourite substrate. Any of these plants not very practical in my aquarium. They seem fine on paper, but practical is something else! Please let me know your experiences also with these plants.
 
tall or long 20

If its a twenty tall you most likely have twin 15w bulbs or a 20 long and you most likely have 2x20 and If thats the case 40W on a twenty long is a LOT of light and would not worry about low light plants as much your 40w on a 20L is like a 55 with 200W
 
Re: tall or long 20

Originally posted by somefinnfishy
If its a twenty tall you most likely have twin 15w bulbs or a 20 long and you most likely have 2x20 and If thats the case 40W on a twenty long is a LOT of light and would not worry about low light plants as much your 40w on a 20L is like a 55 with 200W
Click to expand...

I've been following this thread because I'm doing the same setup and at the same point as Sumpin'fishy. I think my tank is a 20H. It's 24X12X16 (L x W x H). Am I wrong in the type of 20g? My Question is this. I have a dual strip fixture with 24" bulbs. That is 2x20. I don't get the " would not worry about low light plants as much your 40w on a 20L is like a 55 with 200W". Please explain.:confused:

If this is true then it will give us more options on plants.:)

Thanks,
Dave
 
First off, I have a 20H tank which is 24x12x16 also, and I have put together my own twin 20w light fixture. I'm building a hood for the setup this week.

Secondly, what he means about the 20gal (long) tank is that it's 30" long (I believe) and much shorter (height). With 40 watts of light over a much shallower water depth, it ends up as brighter light at the bottom of the tank. That's what he means, is it functions the same as having 3w+/gal (practically) instead of 2w/gal (calculated) in a shallow tank.

So, anyways, I appreciate the input Sumfinnfishy, but that, unfortunately, doesn't help me. Anyone else have some insight?
 
I just got through replying to your post in general FW forum, and I like your tank alot. I would love to have a 20L, but I'm working with what I've got! I just got most of the way done with the canopy tonight. Didn't turn out too bad for scrap wood I had laying around. Now tomorrow for the stain and polycrylic sealant! Wish me the best.:)
 
good luck! let us know how it turns out. i was at home depot the other day and noticed that they carry compact flourescent bulbs. i'm going to go back and see if they carry any sort of fixtures for them. would be nice to rig up something for my 10g also...
 
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