I have a well cycled tank - 1 year up now. I tested an anubias barteri plant in my tank and it's been doing fine for 3 months now. What kind of plants should a beginner get? And should I have a special bulb? Anything else needed for plants? It's a 35 gallon tank with small community fish (tetras, gouramis, corys, catfish, pleco).
Beginner Plants
- Thread starter jlspartz
- Start date
Do you know your Watts Per Gallon (WPG)? Take your lamp output in watts and divide by the gallons of water in your tank. So if your light produces 15 watts you would have .42 WPG. With that light Java Fern, Java moss and maybe cabomba. Water Wisteria may be OK as well. Some crypts and swords may also survive, but will not thrive.
you'll likely do better if your light is T8 or T5 fluorescent. T8 is cheapest, and most stock tank fixtures are T8. if you have a T8 bulb, then maybe you can buy a "plant growth bulb" or a daylight bulb as a replacement to w/e stock one you have right now.
Like mentioned, java fern is very good. crypt should do ok. water sprite and water wisteria are some other good ones to try. hornwort is another very hardy plant.
Like mentioned, java fern is very good. crypt should do ok. water sprite and water wisteria are some other good ones to try. hornwort is another very hardy plant.
I've been kinda wondering about the same thing. My light output isn't very high (17w), so that will likely be an upgrade down the road. For the time being I was looking at getting mainly Java Fern with a couple Anacharis and maybe some Micro Sword.
I was also going to get it all from LiveAquaria.com because everything at the local store looks like crap.
I was also going to get it all from LiveAquaria.com because everything at the local store looks like crap.
Kruse i advise against microsword as it doesnt do well in lower lighting (it doesnt even like my 2.1 wpg T5 that much.) however it just might survive, at that lighting level, but i would not bother killing this plant.
Java fern is your best bet because its a good beginner plant and it grows fairly quick despite what its rep is and can fill a tank up very nicely. Anacharis should be floated, and it makes a wonderful floating plant and fry refuge. if you must have a grassy plant, try dwarf sag or the bigger jungle vals for a background.
Java fern is your best bet because its a good beginner plant and it grows fairly quick despite what its rep is and can fill a tank up very nicely. Anacharis should be floated, and it makes a wonderful floating plant and fry refuge. if you must have a grassy plant, try dwarf sag or the bigger jungle vals for a background.
java moss! I had a small amount from a friend when I was a newbie (5 years ago.... holy...) and I basically flung it in my 10 gallon. Well, just a few months later, It took up 2/3 of my tank. I don't even know what kind of light I had, but I guarantee it wasn't any good. I would still have it flourishing if my mom hadn't decided it was time to "trim" it... basically chopping it up and killing it 
I use every Excel liquid dosing product in existence and I still have bad algae on the wisteria. However, it does grow really well. This is my experience with .7 WPG and everyone's experience will differ depending on your water, stocking, dosing, lighting and tank maintenance, so the best thing to do would be to start with low-light plants like java moss and java fern and then experiment with other plants to see what you can keep.