Plant choices for my project. Any recommendations?

[Guest]

So far this is my list for plants feel free to contradict or give me ideas and advice, this tank is a 9.1 LONG, with sand layered on top of extra-fine aqua-soil. I also would like advice on how to treat algae and what to treat these plants with to bring out color and maximize growth.

 

Amazon Sword, Quantity 1, Cost: $8

 

Rotala Rotundifola ‘Orange Juice’, Quantitiy 1, Cost: $6

 

Rotala Macranda, Quantity 1, Cost: $7

 

Red-root floater, Quantitiy 1, Cost $13

 

Flame Moss, Quantity 3, Cost: $28

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/20/2023 at 12:30 PM, Kaiju said:

Flame Moss, Quantity 3, Cost: $28

Check out Taiwan moss... it goes by a few names. There's so many mosses out there!  I enjoyed christmas moss too when it grew out on the wood.  Given the tank size, wood sticking out, they do have things you wrap the wood with to wick water up and keep the moss doing well outside of the aquarium (terra tape).

Hygrophila Pinnatifida will do well growing out of the tank too (and looks beautiful).

[Rube_Goldfish]

What's your lighting, and will you run CO2 or not?

I don't know the dimensions of a 9.1 long, but an Amazon sword might get too tall for it. I'm not saying don't do it, just think ahead to have a Plan B in place. Actually, can swords grow emerged? I'd have to do some research.

I'm a big fan of Cryptocorynes of all kinds. I can personally vouch for C. undulata, C. lutea, C. wendtii, and, especially in a smaller tank, C. parva. Just remember that they'll likely melt, so you'll have to be patient enough to wait for them to bounce back.

Also, especially if you've got hardscape, epiphytes like Anubias (my favorite is A. nana var. 'petite'), Java fern, and Bucephalandra can really make it pop, plus they're all very easy plants. Just don't bury the rhizome and put some fertilizer in the water column.

Lastly, with what I'm guessing is a shallow tank, a nice foreground of Monte Carlo or my latest favorite, Littorella uniflora, could work, even in low tech (CO2 injection allows even more possibilities).

[Guest]

@Rube_Goldfish, I don't have the tank set up but these are the plants im choosing. Im gonna be using an adjustable aquarium light.

 

[jwcarlson]

Do you currently have any tanks?  If you do, are they planted?  If so, what plants are the most successful for you?  I'd suggest doing more of those.  I wouldn't want to add up all the plants I've tried and how much money I have spent, but I find plants fairly sensitive to water parameters and I don't know that we talk enough about that, honestly.  I *assumed* that water is water as far as plants go, but I no longer believe that to be the case.  Now I have a handful of plants that do pretty well in my setups and just let them infest any tank that I want them in.

Edited November 21, 2023 by jwcarlson

[Guest]

@jwcarlson I have a few but none of em' are planted, they just have a few plants in them.