Brackish Plant Suggestions

[Dan S]

Hello again! This forum has been really helpful before so I'm giving it another go! So I'm setting up my 20 gallon brackish paledarium and haven't given up on plants yet with some duckweed and hornwort currently acclimating to freshwater. I know mangroves, Java fern, hornwort and Java moss work but what other freshwater plants could I acclimate really slowly to see if it will live in brackish water? @Zenzo I saw your video on the Java moss and Anubis trees, have they worked or is that still pending? Also, if anyone can suggest some nice fake plants, that would also help a lot. Thanks for reading!

[TheSwissAquarist]

I'm told that Amazonas do nice fake plants. Guppy grass should survive in brackish water, but java fern should be acclimated over the course of a month I'm told.

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 9:05 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

I'm told that Amazonas do nice fake plants. Guppy grass should survive in brackish water, but java fern should be acclimated over the course of a month I'm told.

Sounds good! I'll check out their website later. I'll also look into guppy grass as a brackish option and am planning on acclimating all my plants very very slowly. Thanks again!

[TheSwissAquarist]

If you’re going to acclimate slowly I expect an Anubia might survive.

I’ve noticed that plants don’t thrive in brackish water, but either die or survive.

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 11:01 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

If you’re going to acclimate slowly I expect an Anubia might survive.

I’ve noticed that plants don’t thrive in brackish water, but either die or survive.

Anubias is a good option I've thought of trying but I'll see if Zenzo has any suggestions on if it works since I saw in one of his videos with anubias trees inside of his mudskipper tanks.

It's true which sucks because I'm starting to dig the green in my other tank. It's also why I'm looking for suggestions on what plants work in brackish tanks so I can at least attempt it.

[TheSwissAquarist]

Anubias trees? I think you mean mangroves?

[Biotope Biologist]

Red mangrove

Moneywort

Valissneria

Florida sedge

Brook weed

 

Above is a list of plants I have gathered {research} for brackish tanks. It really depends on how brackish you go. Jungle Val can act like eel grass up to about 1.008 before it starts melting from what I understand. The other plants can go up to mid with no issues but they are for the most part emergent plants, which for a paludarium should be no issue.

 

If you only go to low end brackish (up to 1.005) most of the hardy plants can tolerate salt although they will grow slower and be dwarfs.

 

Once you hit mid-high brackish you can move into macroalgaes such as chaeto and most available Ulva species

 

The main issue isn’t A lack of plant species that have adapted to estuaries, but the lack of popularity and in some places in North America the protection of estuarine species.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Biotope Biologist

[TheSwissAquarist]

It sounds like @Biotope Biologistmay have put an end to the debate. 🙃

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 11:23 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Anubias trees? I think you mean mangroves?

No, it sounds confusing but go to 6:25 in this video; he expains how he does it.

 

[Patrick_G]

What’s your salinity level. There’s a point at which you can try macro algae instead of plants. My tank is currently at 1.01ish and heading towards full marine. 
This clump of Chaeto came from @Beardedbillygoat1975’s Opae Ula shrimp tank where is was thriving and looking beautiful. 

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 11:25 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

Red mangrove

Moneywort

Valissneria

Florida sedge

Brook weed

 

Above is a list of plants I have gathered for brackish tanks. It really depends on how brackish you go. Jungle Val can act like eel grass up to about 1.008 before it starts melting from what I understand. The other plants can go up to mid with no issues but they are for the most part emergent plants, which for a paludarium should be no issue.

 

If you only go to low end brackish (up to 1.005) most of the hardy plants can tolerate salt although they will grow slower and be dwarfs.

 

Once you hit mid-high brackish you can move into macroalgaes such as chaeto and most available Ulva species

Wow, thanks for all of that! I'll look into some of those plants later as well! I plan on keeping the tank around low end brackish at 1.005.

On 9/27/2022 at 11:33 AM, Patrick_G said:

What’s your salinity level. There’s a point at which you can try macro algae instead of plants. My tank is currently at 1.01ish and heading towards full marine. 
This clump of Chaeto came from @Beardedbillygoat1975’s Opae Ula shrimp tank where is was thriving and looking beautiful. 

I plan on low end brackish at 1.005.

[Chris]

Any idea what SG you're targeting? That's the important bit of info here, IMO. (You posted right before I did, oops!)

Jungle Val, certain Crypts, Java Fern, Java Moss, some Anubias, some Bacopa, Elodea, and a handful of other plants are all said to do well in very lightly-brackish water. 1.004 or less. In my experience with most of these, they all started to stagnate growth at 1.001-1.002, and most completely melted at 1.004. Now, some did survive at 1.004, but nothing really grew. My Jungle Val, my Crypt Wendtii, and if I remember correctly, my Anubias Nana all did "okay" for about a year before I moved the plants. None of them grew, asides from the Val shooting out a couple of puny sprouts.

At higher SG's, I'd recommend growing some non-calcified macroalgae like Chaeto, Caulerpa, and maybe some species of Gracilaria and Sargassum. You'd probably need at least 1.010 or higher for all of those, though.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Chris

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 11:42 AM, Chris said:

Any idea what SG you're targeting? That's the important bit of info here, IMO. (You posted right before I did, oops!)

Jungle Val, certain Crypts, Java Fern, Java Moss, some Anubias, some Bacopa, Elodea, and a handful of other plants are all said to do well in very lightly-brackish water. 1.004 or less. In my experience with most of these, they all started to stagnate growth at 1.001-1.002, and most completely melted at 1.004. Now, some did survive at 1.004, but nothing really grew. My Jungle Val, my Crypt Wendtii, and if I remember correctly, my Anubias Nana all did "okay" for about a year before I moved the plants. None of them grew, asides from the Val shooting out a couple of puny sprouts.

At higher SG's, I'd recommend growing some non-calcified macroalgae like Chaeto, Caulerpa, and maybe some species of Gracilaria and Sargassum. You'd probably need at least 1.010 or higher for all of those, though.

I appreciate the information on the plants and the melting salinity! That'll help me know when to slow down the salt addition. Thanks again everyone!

[Zenzo]

On 9/27/2022 at 5:46 AM, Dan S said:

Hello again! This forum has been really helpful before so I'm giving it another go! So I'm setting up my 20 gallon brackish paledarium and haven't given up on plants yet with some duckweed and hornwort currently acclimating to freshwater. I know mangroves, Java fern, hornwort and Java moss work but what other freshwater plants could I acclimate really slowly to see if it will live in brackish water? @Zenzo I saw your video on the Java moss and Anubis trees, have they worked or is that still pending? Also, if anyone can suggest some nice fake plants, that would also help a lot. Thanks for reading!

To date, only Java fern has worked for me long term (besides mangroves). I have Java fern in two of my brackish setups. It's doing best in a fully submerged brackish tank (maybe at least 10-12 months now). 

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 3:11 PM, Zenzo said:

To date, only Java fern has worked for me long term (besides mangroves). I have Java fern in two of my brackish setups. It's doing best in a fully submerged brackish tank (maybe at least 10-12 months now). 

Alright! Two more questions if you don't mind: 1. Did the java moss/anubias trees not work long term in the brackish tanks? and 2. When you say they have worked, do you mean they are surviving or have you seen any growth? Thanks in advance!

[Zenzo]

On 9/27/2022 at 3:10 PM, Dan S said:

Alright! Two more questions if you don't mind: 1. Did the java moss/anubias trees not work long term in the brackish tanks? and 2. When you say they have worked, do you mean they are surviving or have you seen any growth? Thanks in advance!

Java moss has had new growth and has done well. If you have seen my latest video (cleaning the canister filter), you can see that underneath my large African peacock tank, there is a 20 gallon brackish tank with a bunch of fern growing. The anubias melted. 

[Dan S]

On 9/27/2022 at 7:30 PM, Zenzo said:

Java moss has had new growth and has done well. If you have seen my latest video (cleaning the canister filter), you can see that underneath my large African peacock tank, there is a 20 gallon brackish tank with a bunch of fern growing. The anubias melted. 

Alright, thank you! I just finished rewatching it and see the moss now. (I think) ((I'm pretty bad at plant identification for the most part)) Thanks for the info again!

[Zenzo]

On 9/27/2022 at 7:47 PM, Dan S said:

Alright, thank you! I just finished rewatching it and see the moss now. (I think) ((I'm pretty bad at plant identification for the most part)) Thanks for the info again!

I misread your question. The moss failed. Only the Java "fern" has thrived. Sorry for the confusion. With "Java" in both of the names, if I don't pay attention, I can mix them up.

[Dan S]

On 9/28/2022 at 12:56 PM, Zenzo said:

I misread your question. The moss failed. Only the Java "fern" has thrived. Sorry for the confusion. With "Java" in both of the names, if I don't pay attention, I can mix them up.

Ok, thanks for the clarification! I'll keep my eye out in store for Java "fern" 😉 Thanks again!