OfficialThomas Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 I am a young hobbyist and I have a 20 gallon high aquarium. I have been running it with little to no fish (mystery snails) in it for a few months testing water every 2 weeks or so. My hardscape consists of pieces of dragon stone and spiderwood. I want to get into live plants but I don't want to break the bank and I don't really want to fill my aquarium with so many plants. Eventually I want to have these fish in the tank: 10 neon tetras 10 cherry shrimp 1 dwarf gourami (or other centerpiece fish) 3 guppies 2 mystery snails (already have) Any recommendations on placement and plant types? Any other tips? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebSills Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 I would suggest some stems, it can take a while, but they are super easy to propogate, my favorites are Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus, water sprite and/or water wisteria and rotala. I also love crypts and anubias (I am probably the only person on the planet who can't grow java fern). A dwarf aquarium lily would look great as well! I would suggest getting one or two types of stems maybe an anubias, it would fit into the holes of the stone on the right back perfectly...the petite might be a bit small if you're looking to fill out the scape sooner rather than later...a crypt and a lily bulb. Also, if you don't want to break the bank you can always get a few things at a time and see how they grow in 🙂 You may want/need to take out a few of your stones to make some room for the plants (maybe the large one in the back middle?), but it looks great so far! Can't wait to see how it develops soon! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OfficialThomas Posted August 14, 2022 Author Share Posted August 14, 2022 On 8/14/2022 at 12:29 PM, DebSills said: I would suggest some stems, it can take a while, but they are super easy to propogate, my favorites are Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus, water sprite and/or water wisteria and rotala. I also love crypts and anubias (I am probably the only person on the planet who can't grow java fern). A dwarf aquarium lily would look great as well! I would suggest getting one or two types of stems maybe an anubias, it would fit into the holes of the stone on the right back perfectly...the petite might be a bit small if you're looking to fill out the scape sooner rather than later...a crypt and a lily bulb. Also, if you don't want to break the bank you can always get a few things at a time and see how they grow in 🙂 You may want/need to take out a few of your stones to make some room for the plants (maybe the large one in the back middle?), but it looks great so far! Can't wait to see how it develops soon! Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherHumanPerson Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 I personally love moneywort. It works both as a background plant and to float at the top. Anubias nana petite would also work well. They don’t like to be buried, so I like to super glue them to pebbles and put them in the hardscape. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 I’ll second the dwarf aquarium Lilly. They’re economical, they grow fast and the look really nice. Stem plants like like Pogostemon Octopus and water Wisteria are also usually inexpensive and fast growing. You can trim them so they don’t overtake the tank. Java fern and Anubias are often recommended beginner plants that grow slowly and don’t take over. They seem to be slightly more expensive, but they’re idea if you’re going for that sparsely planted look. They don’t need to be planted and can be attached to rock or wood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 I won't argue with any of the suggestions above, but wanted to add that crypts planted between the rocks would look good. There are many varieties, and most are relatively inexpensive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 some crypts as mentioned above, and i would glue some java ferns to the rocks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Eric_ Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 (edited) Here is what I would do- - Jungle Val in the back left corner - Ludwigia or dwarf rotala tucked in between the ring of smaller rocks in the left half - Java Fern in the back just to the left of the big rock on the right and extending behind the left side of the big rock - Dwarf sag in the open area on the right in front of the big rock - Monte Carlo in foreground in front of the smaller rocks on the left Edited August 15, 2022 by _Eric_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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