MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Good Evening Everyone, I need help selecting easy to care fresh water plants for my nano tank that I just purchased which is a aquatop pisces moden bullet-shaped glass aquarium, 5 gallon tank. I'm new to the live fresh water plant hobby and I'm trying pick a few plants that won't overwhelm me as I start this new part of the hobby. I need a couple of back ground plants, some mid ground plants and some foreground plants. This is my plan so far. Can someone help guide me. Cryptocoryne WendtII added 3 to nano tank Midground Littorella Uniflora add 5 or 6 to nano tank Foreground I have no idea what to get for background plants nor do I know if picked some plants that are forgiving. Can someone please provide this novice some guidance. Warm Regards, Mando Jr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Zenzo Posted February 15, 2022 Administrators Share Posted February 15, 2022 Hi Mando. With a 5 gallon tank, I think that many mid ground plants would work as a background tank. Crypts could work well. Maybe dwarf sagittaria or Rotala as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) Hi! Welcome to the forum. For a beginner I highly recommend Rhizone plants like Anubias and Java Fern (Windelov and Narrow Leaf are my favorites) The Rhizone plants have to be glued to something like a rock, wood or decoration. You can also float them or tie them to airline suction cups and put them along the aquarium walls. These are great plants because- they will propogate for you, they stay a good size for Nano tanks, are great for low tech tanks (like mine), and don't need anything special to survive. Plus they're common just about everywhere to buy. Narrow leaf would make a great background plant! Anubias Nana makes an awesome foreground plant- there are so many options and because they're not planted in substrate you can move them around! Edited February 15, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX Typos are lame 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 in that small of tank, id be looking at crypt parva, & anubia nana petite. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I've youtubed every plant suggested and believe I had made my choices. Thank you so much for the assistance. However, I have concerns about algae blooms with some of these slow growing plants. What do you use to help deter algae? Snails or shrimp and what point in a new tank should I introduce them? I plan to have maybe 8 fish like Endlers for my new tank. Warm Regards, Mando Jr. Edited February 15, 2022 by MandoJr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 For a 5 gallon tank- once the algae sets in it's a good sign your cycle is doing well. You can manually remove it by scraping it off the glass and lightly brushing the leaves of the plants (I use a new soft toothbrush). But for a permanent algae eater I'd highly recommend for a 5 gallon tank just ONE Nerite snail. Shrimp should not be added to a tank until it is very well established. Nerite snails are amazing little tank cleaners! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 9:29 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: For a 5 gallon tank- once the algae sets in it's a good sign your cycle is doing well. You can manually remove it by scraping it off the glass and lightly brushing the leaves of the plants (I use a new soft toothbrush). But for a permanent algae eater I'd highly recommend for a 5 gallon tank just ONE Nerite snail. Shrimp should not be added to a tank until it is very well established. Nerite snails are amazing little tank cleaners! I'm so glad you mentioned to only purchase one Nerite snails.....I was thinking about 5 of them. Thanks for the recommendation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 doesnt much matter what you do, but some algae is unavoidable. now crazy amounts of algae indicate either too much light,. or too much nutrients, or both. it is a learning curve to find a balance in an aquarium where you get enough light, and fertilizer without it being too much. 6ish hours of light a day is a good start. if you fertilize, follow the directions for starters and make adjustments from there. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Yep, 5 would be too many as they would quickly run out of food, especially in a new tank. Nerite snails don't eat commercial foods and will only SOMETIMES take to things like veggies that we can feed to our other aquatic friends. So Nerites depend on a good amount of algae in your tank. Trust me you will be amazed at what these tiny snails can do and they will quickly become one of your favorite inhabitants. Nerites are great as they won't reproduce and they have very little effect on bio load like a lot of other great snails can do. Keep in mind you can get a female who would lay infertile eggs (they are white and hard) some people don't like the look but it's never bothered me and they are easily scraped off of surfaces. If that would bother you ask your LFS if you can return a female. I have 11 Nerites and only 3 have turned out to be female. Pick one that's attractive to you, they come in lots of colors!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 8:26 PM, MandoJr said: Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I've youtubed every plant suggested and believe I had made my choices. Thank you so much for the assistance. However, I have concerns about algae blooms with some of these slow growing plants. What do you use to help deter algae? Snails or shrimp and what point in a new tank should I introduce them? I plan to have maybe 8 fish like Endlers for my new tank. Warm Regards, Mando Jr. I keep my pico tanks on a timer, and they get weekly maintenance. Sometimes twice weekly😅 Be prepared to trim, and don't leave lights on for more than 4 hours at a stretch (these 2 tanks I just had to adjust the timer for some hair algae and cyanobacteria). Be prepared to do 2 siestas and 3 photoperiods of 2 to 3 hours each for optimal growth (unless you are going to use CO2, in which case follow Mmiller2021) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Our most successful small tank has Java Fern, Bacopa, Anubias Nana and Ludwigia Repens. The light is low intensity and we run it longer than would be necessary for a higher intensity light. Algae control is from a pair of fat and happy Otocinclus and a bunch of pond snails. It grows plants like crazy! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 @MandoJrcan you let us know a little more detail- what’s your substrate going to be? What’s the ph, kh and gh? What fertilizer will you be using? Have you decided on a stocking plan? I ask you these questions as they can help you in several ways. Certain plants thrive in certain conditions. Substrate choice will determine how well your fertilization will work and can also have some effect on the types and kinds of plants. Your stocking and bioload will also have a role. Your question about steps to control algae is a good one. You’ve gotten excellent suggestions. Your stocking can help you in the case of Nerites or otos but you could also overstock a small tank and then tip the balance if you have an aggressive fertilization regimen or a very nutrient dense substrate (certain aquasoils and dirted tanks). Your choice of plants can help as well. Certain plants particularly stems are great at exporting the excess nutrients- hornwort, water sprite, guppy grass, pearl weed and many floaters with their rate of growth can give you some protection as you’re navigating your first planted tank and relieve some of algae growth on your slow growing plants. Welcome to the forum and I applaud you for doing your homework! Have fun! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) @Beardedbillygoat1975Good Morning, My plan is setup the aquatop pisces 5 gallon using fluval plant and shrimp stratum (recommended by KGTopicals youtube videos) I'll be using 3 or 4 pieces of driftwood and about 5 to 6 round pond stones (driftwood and stones will be boiled for some time before placing in the tank) for my tank. The area where I live (way south South Texas) we have very hard water so that will be balancing act and I be treating the water with API Tap Water Conditioner to help me get started. The fish tank is a starter kit but I also bought a timer for the lights and 25watt Heater. I also purchased biomax media and bonded filter that I'll be inserting into the fish tank. I've decided to go with the following plants: 1 Amazon Sword (Background) 3 Java Fern (Midground) 3 Cryptocoryne parva (Foreground) split them up and spread them across the foreground of the tank I will also be purchasing root tabs and aquarium co-op easy green For the fish 8 Enlders 1 Nerite snail Since this is a brand new tank I was also thinking about purchasing nano banquet food blocks for the snail. Edited February 15, 2022 by MandoJr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 an amazon sword is a very bad choice for a 5 gallon. they get way too big. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 @MandoJr your plan sounds great to me. Stuff as many plants in there as you can, the more plant mass the better in my opinion. It’ll help with algae control and maybe even use up some of the minerals in your hard water. The only thing I’d reconsider is Amazon sword. They get big and grow fast. If you go with a stem plant like Ludwigia you’ll be able to trim it to whatever height you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 I will have to say I have Amazon "Compacta" and they are good for my smaller tank. They will still take up a decent amount of room. I have them in my Oto tank in pots. So if you still want a Sword, do that one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 Oh I didn't know Lefy o thanks for the heads up! Also thank you Patrick_G for listing another plant besides the Java Fern as a viable solution. I'm pretty excited to get back into the aquarium hobby at one point I had 15 or so tanks going and walked away from the hobby years ago. It was actually my wife who suggested I get her an aquarium as her bday gift so here I am. I'm sure you tried of me thanking everyone but I really do appreciate all the help I'm getting here as I'm hitting the ground running back into the hobby. Warm Regards, Mando Jr. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/15/2022 at 8:03 AM, MandoJr said: I'm pretty excited to get back into the aquarium hobby at one point I had 15 or so tanks going and walked away from the hobby years ago. It was actually my wife who suggested I get her an aquarium as her bday gift so here I am. I'm sure you tried of me thanking everyone but I really do appreciate all the help I'm getting here as I'm hitting the ground running back into the hobby. Welcome back! We love to talk about new setups! There’s another thread about all the changes in the hobby in the last 20 years. Aquascapes and heavily planted tanks are one thing that’s really become popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 There are lots of small swords so amazons are out but compacta, miracle and several plants in Echinodorus would work. I second ludwigia and or a rotala species. I’ve had great success with baby tears - not the dwarf and with bacopa. Your plan is super sound. The substrate will buffer your hard water and settle the pH. You may deplete the substrate in a year or 2 as that hard of water will break it down faster then in a neutral pH. Expect black mud in a year or 2 when you go to reset this tank. Endlers. I’d do a male only tank. They’ll be fine in a 5. You’d be overrun with fry if you had females within a week or two. I’d look online for a male Endler fry pack of some sort. This will be a fun setup and a great reintroduction to the hobby. Have fun! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 @Beardedbillygoat1975 Question, would it be possible to have a couple of floating plants in my aquarium with the glass lid installed? I'm not sure if I can have floating plants as I want to keep the lid on. Warm Regards, Mando Jr. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 @MandoJr I find that dwarf water lettuce loves the humidity under a lid. Frogbit, on the other hand like the top of its leaves kept dry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 @Patrick_GThank you for the recommendation. Can't wait to get my tank up and going with the awesome support of this great community! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 On 2/15/2022 at 9:03 AM, MandoJr said: Oh I didn't know Lefy o thanks for the heads up! Also thank you Patrick_G for listing another plant besides the Java Fern as a viable solution. I'm pretty excited to get back into the aquarium hobby at one point I had 15 or so tanks going and walked away from the hobby years ago. It was actually my wife who suggested I get her an aquarium as her bday gift so here I am. I'm sure you tried of me thanking everyone but I really do appreciate all the help I'm getting here as I'm hitting the ground running back into the hobby. Warm Regards, Mando Jr. Mando, gratefulness is pretty much the bread and butter of the forum. The expectations here are what most people claim to want, yet don't seem to be able to deliver. It truly is a breath of fresh air. Welcome back to the hobby! I second the plant recommendations above, compacta will suit your needs a little better. If you decide you want endlers breeding, you can keep males in your 5 gallon, and use a couple of tens to house females/fry. Check with your lfs if they buy from local breeders because you can get overrun pretty quickly. If the missus likes the ideas of baby fish in her tank, 5 gallons make nice grow out tanks for endlers. I'm your western neighbor with equally hard water. If you run into a frustration, tag me. NM makes most of TX water look soft, lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandoJr Posted February 16, 2022 Author Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) @Torrey I'm trying to find info on compacta plants. Can you recommend a link for them? I haven't had any luck trying to get information or link where to get Amazon "Compacta" Edited February 16, 2022 by MandoJr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 @MandoJr I'm not finding anyone reputable with it in stock. This plant only gets 4" to 6" tall, and would give you the look without the height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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