High PH Hard Water Plants

[Fenrir]

Looking to get as much insight as possible on plants that people have had experience are unaffected by 8.2 PH and fairly high GH/KH. So far my list is Pogostemon Stellatus oct., pogostemon Downi/Helferi, Red Leopard Val, Anubias, Red Tiger lotus, and Bacopa. What others do people have experience with that handle hard water well?

[laritheloud]

My cryptocoryne tropica is doing amazing in my 10 GH 10 KH 8.2 ph water! I'd try one of them!

[CalmedByFish]

Hornwort practically exploded in my tanks. Certainly the fastest-growing of the now ~13 plant species I've tried.

[Emika_B]

My water‘s generally 8.2 pH, 13 degrees GH.  The valisneria finally took off and is growing like crazy.  Anubis is doing very well.  Java fern Wendelov is holding its own, making little sprouts on the tips of the leaves.  I’ve found it’s happiest if I dose fairly heavy on the Easy Green.  Java moss is growing well, very bushy now.  My Pogostemon is long and lanky.  It’s my first time doing this plant and it’s not winning me over but it hasn’t died yet so that’s good.  The micro chain sword (I’m pretty sure) is…okay.  It’s not filling in as well as I’d hoped but it is growing.  Crypt Wendtii is big and strong.  I may replace the chain sword with more crypt and the pogostemon with more valisneria.

[Fenrir]

12 minutes ago, Emika_B said:

My water‘s generally 8.2 pH, 13 degrees GH.  The valisneria finally took off and is growing like crazy.  Anubis is doing very well.  Java fern Wendelov is holding its own, making little sprouts on the tips of the leaves.  I’ve found it’s happiest if I dose fairly heavy on the Easy Green.  Java moss is growing well, very bushy now.  My Pogostemon is long and lanky.  It’s my first time doing this plant and it’s not winning me over but it hasn’t died yet so that’s good.  The micro chain sword (I’m pretty sure) is…okay.  It’s not filling in as well as I’d hoped but it is growing.  Crypt Wendtii is big and strong.  I may replace the chain sword with more crypt and the pogostemon with more valisneria.

What pogostemon are you growing?

[Emika_B]

Fenrir - Octopus.  I love the light shade of green, it’s just more wispy than I like.

[Fenrir]

4 minutes ago, Emika_B said:

Fenrir - Octopus.  I love the light shade of green, it’s just more wispy than I like.

Yeah I hear you there. I want some variety in my tank with stems but just not sure what stem plants would do well in hard water other than Bacopa.

 

[Isaac M]

My pH generally tests around 8-8.4. I have kept java fern, various anubias (petite, coffeefolia, nana, barteri, heterophylla), jungle val, italian val, dwarf sag, pogostemon stellata octopus, water sprite, wisteria, hygrophila corymbosa, bolbitis, various crypts, pearlweed, ludwigia repens, hornwort, rotala rotundifolia, java moss, pilo moss, christmas moss, subwassertang, red tiger lotus, dwarf aquarium lilly, bacopa, buce maia, and possibly others that I am forgetting successfully. I would recommend not limiting yourself and just trying different plants. You will learn a lot and it is a lot of fun. 

[KaitieG]

I have 8.2 ph and very hard water and have had very good success with

• val
• dwarf sag
• red flame sword
• green amazon sword
• anubias
• hygrophila angustifolia
• a variety of crypts

Not good success:

• Java fern
• Brazilian Pennywort
• many floaters

Somewhere in the middle--they don't die but don't do awesome for me:

• hornwort 
• guppy grass
• tiger lotus
• dwarf aquarium lily

[sreding]

My water params are similar:

8.2 pH
13 kH
20 gH

The following plants are doing great in both of my tanks.  
- jungle val
- Ludwigia Repens
- Pogostemmon Octopus
- Dwarf lilly (I've got 13 lilly pads from one plant!)
- tiger lotus 
- Green Temple (Hygrophilia corymbosa)
- Christmass moss
- Java Moss

The following are doing OK...
- Chain swords
- Amazon sword
- Hornwort (grows fast, but is not nice and lush)
- Java Fern
- some kind of crypt

and lastly - the only one that hasn't done well is an Anubias.  

Photo is of the dwarf lilly in my 20L apisto tank.   I was feeling meh about this tank until this lilly took off.  The fish are even more active in it with the shade/cover (I think?) and one of my main 75 gal.