# Plants for beginners?



## BettaGamer (Feb 13, 2015)

Hello, while not new to the hobby, I'm a complete novice when it comes to live plants. What are some plants that are good to start with? Names and what they look like would be grateful.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

What lighting level? What sort of fish? Most of your low light plants are really good if you do not want to spend several hundred on special lights, co2, and all kinds of specialized expenses, some of which will actually kill fish and other plants. Fish can be a problem because some may eat all plants, or just a particular type. Size, invasiveness, and rate of growth may also be an issue. 

Finding good pictures and descriptions is a matter of going to online venders, blogs, forums and looking at various planted tanks. Then check on the fish edibility issue.

Helpful hint. Indoor fish tank plants are the exact same plants as outdoor aquatic plants. If you buy from pond stores, you will get a much better price. 

Also, if you find plants you want to reproduce, plant them outside in a tub over the spring summer Fall. Use shade cloth to protect if in direct sun. Many aquatics grow using offsets or runners. Your two plants will become 100 in no time. 

Also, when you use plants beneficial to your water, keeping it oxegenated and clean, you get more useful plants than if you just get them because they look nice.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Anacharis
Hornwort
Java fern
Java moss
Anubias
all low light easy beginner plants and cheap$$$!


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## BettaGamer (Feb 13, 2015)

I guess it would help to say what I'm planning to use, huh? I have a 10g. I'm guessing that's low light. The only fish I plan to put in it is a betta and some ghost shrimp. I'm looking for something that blankets the bottom and something that looks like grass. A little research pulled up Java moss and dwarf hair grass. Does that sound about right. This with a big rock cave. Oh, and how to you do the tree thing?


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Dwarf hair grass requires high light. You might look at jungle val, (valisneria americana). It is low light, has fast growth. There is a shorter variety. It is not as short as dwarf hair grass, but is low light. Beware because there is also a long variety. Shrimp also love moss. Christmas moss and something called pellia can be made into mats. Very pretty. I like the pellia better. I believe that pellia is the samething as subwassertang (German word, don't know if I spelled it right.)

There are instructions for making moss walls on you tube. 

The tree thing is get a branch and get a wad of moss then wrap a thread or something fine around the wad of moss. It looks messy for a few months then grows in. Many of these beautiful planted tanks are labors of love requiring time, growing in, maintenance. 

Java fern is a really great low light plant that is basically epiphitic underwater plant. You wait for a bunch of tiny offsets or kikis to grow from the leaves and tie those to a branch as well. Fish stores and online you can get nice driftwood pieces with lots of character.


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## BettaGamer (Feb 13, 2015)

Ok, I guess I'll skip the dwarf hair grass. What about dwarf Sagittaria?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I grow dwarf hair grass under low light. does fine just grows slow. dwarf sag will work fine also, but in lower light the taller it gets. I use it as a background plant in small tanks instead of val.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

here is a link to a thread i made a while back that is similar to your thread.http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/will-work-87369.html


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## BettaGamer (Feb 13, 2015)

I wouldn't mind slow growing dwarf hair grass. Haha! Might be better for me in the long run. I tend to get lazy about somethings sometimes. I only plan on using very little to basically just accent a cave and maybe a tree.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Okay. I suppose I've been getting my information in the wrong place. In a sense, its similar to growing a sun loving plant in the shade. There is really no such thing as an indoor plant. They are all outdoors plants, but some require more sun.


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## BettaGamer (Feb 13, 2015)

Ok, after a little research, I'm deffinitly going with the Java moss and dwarf hair grass. Apparently DHG grows up in low light instead of spreading, which is exactly what I want. But I'm still confused on what substrate to use. Is reagular gravel okay? I'm trying to spend TOO much, Hehe.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I have trouble keeping hg planted in gravel. I've gone all sand in all my tanks, but that is my preference, others may differ. Java moss you will need to keep trimmed or it will take over your tank and kill out the dwarf hair grass.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

dont get gravel if you want dhg,it is a pain in the butt to get it to stay down,in fact i just basically sat back and watched ALL my dhg crumble apart and float up to the surface and eventually dissapear somehow(i suspect through water changes).


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

This is in low light crappy pic taken with cell phone. Dwarf hairgrass, java moss and subwassertang.


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> Anacharis
> Hornwort
> Java fern
> Java moss
> ...


Add to this list many of the crypts - Wendtii (green or bronze) is an easy one, usually readily available.

Instead of dwarf hair grass, look at pygmy chain sword. You may even be able to get a "carpet" of sorts using Crypt Parva. A lot of what works depends on your lighting.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

that is one good looking tank,i like how it is arranged.


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