I want to add some greenery to my aquarium but I don't have a high-end CO2 system or powerful LED lights. What are your favorite "indestructible" plants that can thrive in low-light conditions? I’m already looking at Java Moss and Crypts, but I’d love to hear some other suggestions that won't require constant pruning
Best low-light plants for a low-tech aquarium setup?
- Thread starter marinkitagawa
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Crpytocoryne and Java moss/fern like you said are easy, also saggitae swords, anacharis, bacopa, cabomba, hornwort, anubias, the list goes on, there are many mid or low-light plants out there. What lighting setup do you have? The plants above can live with almost any light setup, but to get them to grow and thrive you may want at least a cheap LED strip light.
Above, a 55 gal tank heavily planted with Vallesneria in the states, ....no CO2, with just a shop light, bulbs from Home depot, but a bit of flow, and a little afternoon sun, back in 2013
Below my 125 gal planted sump today, for a 180 cichlid tank, here in Panama, no CO2, no artificial lights (just sun), no ferts, just beach sand, allowing leaf litter to remain from garden leaf fall.
I choose plants that match the water pH, mineral, and salt content, such as vals, and Hydrilla, and mangroves because my water come from a desal plant, and I´m 50 ft from the pacific (Salty air).
Mangroves emergent from the sump.
Lilies and salvinia also work in hard, high pH water, and provide a little shade during intense afternoon sun.
For lower light I have always gone to Java fern, anubias, hygrophilia and giant vallisnaria. Never found cabomba or baccoppa to like anything other than high volume lighting to grow well, personally.
You can add bucephalandra, marsilea minuta, and dwarf sagittaria to this ongoing list
When we're talking about low-light, Anubias, Bucephalandra, and Java Fern has done well in my personal experience. I've have a small tank with no lights and a frosted tinted background that has it's back facing the window, about 3 feet away with Anubias that has stayed strong where as Dwarf Sag, Swords, and even Java Fern has melted away. No algae issues either. It's surpassingly well balanced. It's a 2.5g tank with 3 Anubias Nana Petit and 1 Anubias Barteri.
Have to do a bit of trial and error IMO even with the “low tech” stuff. Theres quite a few different types of java fern, crypt and anubias. IME some varieties do great for me in one tank and terrible in another even with the same light.
I grew out a java fern trident the size of a basketball in one tank. Moved it to a “nicer” tank to be viewed better and it meted into nothing with literally the same light
. Most def. Try a few types of each plant crypt, anubias and fern and see which ones thrive for u and which dont. Dont count out any one “general” type when theres multiples of each that might thrive in ur tank while just 1 didnt. 
I grew out a java fern trident the size of a basketball in one tank. Moved it to a “nicer” tank to be viewed better and it meted into nothing with literally the same light
. Most def. Try a few types of each plant crypt, anubias and fern and see which ones thrive for u and which dont. Dont count out any one “general” type when theres multiples of each that might thrive in ur tank while just 1 didnt. 