Best high pH, hard water plants?

[Ben P.]

I'm not much of a plant keeper, just trying to learn the ropes, but I didn't know if someone had compiled a list of plants that do well in high pH, hard water? My pH is usually somewhere around 8.9-9.3, kh and gh are off the scales that test strips have.  Some plants I have had pretty decent luck with, others not so much.  

I have had good luck with java moss, java Fern (although I really don't like them), some sort of lily, i believe it is a dwarf aquarium lily.  And crypt wendti green and bronze.  

I have had bad luck with swords of different varieties, blue hygro, hornwort, pennywart, and some tissue culture java ferns.

Thank you in advance!

[JettsPapa]

Mine isn't quite as bad as yours; my pH is 8.2.  I've also had good luck with crypts and java moss.  Other than those two, water wisteria and guppy grass are probably the ones that do best for me.  I constantly have to thin out the guppy grass.  It's done especially well in a tub outside.  I often move it aside when feeding the guppies so it's not so difficult for the adults to reach the surface.  I frequently have to trim the water wisteria.  It will reach the top of the water in my 65 gallon tank.

I've had decent success with vallisneria, anarcharis, pearl weed, and ozelot swords.

I have mixed results with hornwort.  It doesn't seem to do very well in my tanks in the house, but it's growing like crazy outside in a guppy/shrimp tub in full shade.  We've had a unusually rainy summer so far, so maybe all that rain water has lowered the pH, or maybe the lighting is just right?  I noticed a couple weeks ago that the growing tips were yellowish, so I started dosing once a week with Easy Green, and it seemed to have an immediate effect.  No more yellow.

I ordered some subwassertang in December of 2019 and put it in my 10 gallon red shrimp tank.  It was a beautiful green ball that slowly faded away until I thought it had all died, but a few months ago I noticed a few green bits.  Now it's growing fairly well, and looks good, but I wouldn't try it in your water.

[Ben_RF]

Vallisneria in different forms such as jungle and spiralis seem to do well in hard water.

Amazon swords seem to do well in hard water.

Both seem to need to get established first before rocketing with their growth. 

[HH Morant]

My ph is around 7.8, so not as high as yours. I am more of  fish guy than a plant guy. I have had good luck with anacharis and vallisneria (like JettsPapa). Also pogostemon stellatus octopus, which is the best-growing plant in my low-tech tank.

[Ben_RF]

I have one tank that is 8.4 and my crypts are absolutely flourishing in it, particularly my wendtii I got from the co op.

[Guppysnail]

I have 7.6 liquid rock things that do well for me

anacharis/Elodia densa 

hornwort

any val

brazillian pennywort 

swords most types

anubias

java fern

water ferns

cardinal

ludwiga repens

Water wisteria

for whatever reason water sprite hates me on a personal level but I keep trying because I want it so bad

[GameCzar]

We have fairly high ph hard water, and we have great luck with Swords and Anubias.   Floaters do great too. 

We also have one dwarf lily that just took over a tank!  Its amazing. 

Edited July 23, 2021 by GameCzar

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Anubias bartieri has done well, agree with guppy grass, water lettuce, hornwort - prepare for a period of adjustment with original piece shedding needles and the new growth converting, agree with Val. 

[CalmedByFish]

On 7/21/2021 at 10:41 AM, Ben P. said:

My pH is usually somewhere around 8.9-9.3, kh and gh are off the scales that test strips have. 

Mine's not so bad - pH 7.8, GH 15 (using equilibrium). Successful plants I have that weren't mentioned in your original post are vallisneria, dwarf sag, and duckweed. (The dwarf sag took months to start growing though.)

Edit: Oh! And 2 kinds of anubias!

Edited July 23, 2021 by CalmedByFish