Komar
01-03-2005, 01:17 PM
I've had nearly twenty different plants in my aquariums since I started using live plants several months ago. I lost a few because I didn't provide the right conditions when I first started, but I now have sufficient lighting, iron-enriched and porous gravel, and some home-made CO2 injection systems. I also use iron-enriched plant fertilizer.
Here's a quick list of the three best plants I've had so far. I have a 20 gallon completely planted with just these three plants; it looks pretty slick. These are hardy plants, and they can tolerate less than optimal conditions.
None of my Amazon Swords made it to the list, because Amazon Swords get eaten by plecos and loaches. The following plants seem to be very compatible with such fish:
1. Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
(http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1_popup.asp?id=109E)
This is a great mid-ground plant for larger tanks, and might work as a background plant in smaller tanks. I bought one at the LFS, and split it in half vertically when I got it home. I now have at least a half-dozen of these "Crypts" planted separately, and they all came from the original plant.
2. Cryptocoryne wendtii "brown"
(http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1_popup.asp?id=109C)
This plant is almost identical to the 'Tropica' version, but it isn't nearly as large. It makes a great foreground plant, and it can also be broken vertically to make more plants. I have about nine of these Crypts in my various aquariums, also all from the original plant. It comes in a green variation, as well, but I've never had that plant.
I had half of my original Crypt in a small Betta tank for months with a 7 Watt incandescent bulb (very poor lighting conditions). It withered quite a bit, but it never died. I added CO2 to the small tank recently, and it started growing quite quickly.
3. Limnophila sessiliflora
(http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1_popup.asp?id=047)
If you need a bright, bushy, fast-growing background plant, I recommend this one. It can easily double in height in less than a month (even without optimal conditions), and can be cut in half horizontally. Bunch up about a half-dozen to a dozen stems, wrap an elastic band around them (not too tightly), and replant these snippings. They start growing very quickly, and one plant can be enough to plant an entire tank in a relatively short period of time.
This plant also grows towards the light. I spent a night out of town and left a nearby window open for my plants, instead of leaving the lights on overnight. The next day, all the stems were arched over towards the window.
For photos of my tanks, check out my web page. (Link below.)
Here's a quick list of the three best plants I've had so far. I have a 20 gallon completely planted with just these three plants; it looks pretty slick. These are hardy plants, and they can tolerate less than optimal conditions.
None of my Amazon Swords made it to the list, because Amazon Swords get eaten by plecos and loaches. The following plants seem to be very compatible with such fish:
1. Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
(http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1_popup.asp?id=109E)
This is a great mid-ground plant for larger tanks, and might work as a background plant in smaller tanks. I bought one at the LFS, and split it in half vertically when I got it home. I now have at least a half-dozen of these "Crypts" planted separately, and they all came from the original plant.
2. Cryptocoryne wendtii "brown"
(http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1_popup.asp?id=109C)
This plant is almost identical to the 'Tropica' version, but it isn't nearly as large. It makes a great foreground plant, and it can also be broken vertically to make more plants. I have about nine of these Crypts in my various aquariums, also all from the original plant. It comes in a green variation, as well, but I've never had that plant.
I had half of my original Crypt in a small Betta tank for months with a 7 Watt incandescent bulb (very poor lighting conditions). It withered quite a bit, but it never died. I added CO2 to the small tank recently, and it started growing quite quickly.
3. Limnophila sessiliflora
(http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1_popup.asp?id=047)
If you need a bright, bushy, fast-growing background plant, I recommend this one. It can easily double in height in less than a month (even without optimal conditions), and can be cut in half horizontally. Bunch up about a half-dozen to a dozen stems, wrap an elastic band around them (not too tightly), and replant these snippings. They start growing very quickly, and one plant can be enough to plant an entire tank in a relatively short period of time.
This plant also grows towards the light. I spent a night out of town and left a nearby window open for my plants, instead of leaving the lights on overnight. The next day, all the stems were arched over towards the window.
For photos of my tanks, check out my web page. (Link below.)