# what kind of plants?



## mskitty (Jan 11, 2008)

im looking for ideas on plants in the aquarium. i dont care if the fish nibble on them i just dont want them gone in 24 hours. any ideas from yall out there in fishy land? i like the fern type plants but i want something with some height. any ideas or suggstions would be great. thanks.


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## djrichie (May 15, 2008)

what fish are you stocking and what type of lighting do you have and how big is the tank and the size of the gravel


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## MediaHound (Jul 19, 2006)

Look into the swords, also Water Sprite is a nice fern-looking plant.


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## fishyfaery (Jun 2, 2008)

Planted tanks really aren't hard at all. If you don't want to go Amano with them, no worry. I use the regular bulb that came with my light. Once it burns out I am buying one from Home Depot, but am not worried so far. My plants look great, haven't had a dead one yet. They will grow more slowly, but that's what I want, so the lighting is fine.

I have a 55 gal. bow front that is very tall. The tall plants in my tank are Jungle Vals (very easy AND cheap), Red leaf Wigelia, Water Hyacinth (both so easy to trim and make new plants), Tall Hairgrass, and Assorted Swords. 

Another option for height is Banana Plants (I read about your outdoor ones. I am so jealous!)and Lilies. Both shoot leaves up to the surface. Hornwort floating on top is another illusion of tall plants, and it's a great water filter as well.


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## mskitty (Jan 11, 2008)

its a 75 gal. i have the fish and plant lite in it now. im still not sure about the fish yet, i want something simple yet pretty. i was thinking about the fancy tailed goldfish with the bubbles on their heads and some other non aggressive fish. as far as being jealous of the nanas im growing outside if you ever come to cookeville tn, ill meet you there and ill have a few for you. i have a basjoo banana that is good for tn. plus i have others. so pm me and let me know when and if you come to cookeville(i live in sparta) and ill bring you a few! go to the bananas.org (mediahound owns that site too) and look in the photo galleries of the people growing nanas clear up into the northmost parts of canada. nowback to the fish...the gravel is pea sized and its a multi-colored brown and tan. the tank is glass not acrillic. thanks for the info on the plants.


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## djrichie (May 15, 2008)

Ok fancy, you right tanks with plants in them are not that hard...... there are low light level plants that will grow java ferm java moss just a few however. Now to grow the plants that are the most attractive, just like everything else in this hobby you have to create the proper envorment.... and that when a knowledge of a planted tanks comes in handy...... when someone asks about a planted tank I think a planted tank.... not a tank with plants in it.


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## fishyfaery (Jun 2, 2008)

<grin> Don't Panic! djrichie......sorry couldn't resist that. 
Well of course you have to provide the right condtions. My only point was that quite often people are led to believe that they need cutting edge items and equiptment just to house live plants in their fishy tanks. A lot of hobbiest love tinkering and buy all the toys. I absolutely support that too. Whatever blows your skirt up is my motto. 

I was only offering my own experiences. what works for me may not work for everyone. <smile>


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## fishyfaery (Jun 2, 2008)

<grin> Don't Panic! djrichie......sorry couldn't resist that. 
Well of course you have to provide the right condtions. My only point was that quite often people are led to believe that they need cutting edge items and equiptment just to house live plants in their fishy tanks. A lot of hobbiest love tinkering and buy all the toys. I absolutely support that too. Whatever blows your skirt up is my motto. 

I was only offering my own experiences. what works for me may not work for everyone. <smile>


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## djrichie (May 15, 2008)

Will even the lowest tech plant tank you will need to know the WPG your lights are puting out.... if you have a 18watt light bulb on a 55 gal tank.... good luck in growing plants,,,,,if you have fish in the tank that eat plants good luck in having plants, if the gravel is bigger than 3mm than good luck in getting plants to root. These are the first 3 things you need to look.....everything are jsut add-ons to make the plants grow fuller and healthier.


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