Plants for hard water

[AStubbs06]

I could use some recommendations on plants that would survive in my hard alkaline well water. Ph 7.8 and around 200 to 300 ppm

[Guppysnail]

7.6/300 for me. No fertilizer no co2 cheap Amazon purchase hygger plant lights. Here’s what has done very well for me

cardinal, broad narrow and oval leaf ludwiga (super red the bottom stems don’t do so well) moneywort, brazillian pennywort,Chinese ivy, Alternanthera reineckii roservig (in a suction cup planter near the light) swords, anacharis elodea densa, hornwort, tiger lotus and red tiger lotus (those are newer but doing phenomenal) anubias, Java fern, Asian water fern, scarlet temple but only if I suction cup it to the glass near the light. 

[ShySnail]

My water is typically 8.2/300+, and I run medium lights and fertilize with Easy Green and root tabs. I've had great success with crypts of all kinds, dwarf aquarium lily, red tiger lotus, java moss, java fern, anubias, pogostemon stellatus, dwarf sagittaria, brazilian pennywort, hornwort, vallisineria, frogbit, and duckweed. The only things that have really failed for me are water sprite and water wisteria.

[AStubbs06]

Thank y’all for the help. It’s nice to know how much is possible. I must have something wrong. I’m dosing easy green and root tabs with 2 12” hygger plant lights on a 55. I’ve planted java fern on wood that is turning brown and falling apart and Val that won’t get over 6” before turning brown, but is sending out runners.  

[Wingman12r]

Here is a thread we had earlier this week on the same subject. There are a bunch of information.

[Macobe]

Hi, my tank water is normally 8.1 with a GH of 200ppm and a KH of 100-200ppm. I found that Hygrophia Corymbosa Augustifolia grows well in my tank. It has  slender long leaves that wave in the water and looks great. Also, what does well and is surprising is Pogostemon Helferi Downnoi. It's a foreground plant. Just keep cutting off the tops of the plants after they grow out a bit. Very easy to start a carpet with them. The Hygro is also a stem plant so you can also cut the plant and replant. 

[KaitieG]

I have PH 8.2 and 300-350GH and have also struggled with Java Fern.  It's totally died in 3 of my tanks and hangs on but has brown spots in my 95 gallon.  What has done well:

Val (not sure what type...I tried 2 different ones that looked similar.  One died out and the other went nuts), crypts, Amazon Swords, Anubias, Hygrophila Angustifolia, Pogostemmon Stelatus Octopus, Dwarf Sag, Dwarf Water Lettuce.

[Torrey]

Depending on the tank, pH ranges from 7.2 to 8.4

In the summer I can get GH and KH closer to 200 range with effort. My carbon filtered tap water is 300+ (liquid rock).

Hornwort is a calcium hog, so I put it in tanks where a lower hardness is desired and let it do its work. 

I used to really struggle with plants, and would despairingly watch stem plants turn brown, anubias melt, and crypts would be a disaster. Only exception for years was a dirt substrate tank I did in the 70's to imitate a nearby creek.

UGF filters and reducing my vacuuming of mulm was my first successful 'aquascaping' with a lot of val and Amazon sword. I was using remineralized RO and a pH of 6 so I could breed discus.

Then I was introduced to Dr Diana Walstad's work by my BiL, and started using a siesta method and either growing plants in dirt capped plus a sponge filter, or gravel with a UGF. The game changer for me was the midday siesta. My algae problems didn't completely disappear, they did diminish significantly.