Okay, as much as I love the look and other benefits of live plants...I am not a plant guy. I don't use CO2 and am not about to start; my lighting is usually provided by LED shop lights, and not about to change. My water is hard (300+ ppm) and somewhat alkaline (7.5 or a wee bit higher) and none of that is going to change. My water is my water; plants, like fish, will be chosen to suit the water I have. Some plants do well for me, or at least well enough not to die outright and to expand and spread...although usually not particularly quickly. I'm sure that by the standards of planted tank afishionados, my tanks are a horticultural Auschwitz. I am not even hoping for rich, miraculously fast growth; if a plant stays alive and grows reasonably well, I'm happy. My plants are almost always in pots or trays, and I do make one concession to them: I usually provide a layer of organic potting soil beneath the sand/gravel in the pots. I might... might...even jam a fertilizer stick into a pot occasionally if a plant asks me nicely...but I am just not going to kiss a plant's backside, ever.
I choose plants by buying various species, trying them out, and sticking with whatever survives. For me, that's been Sags, Vals, Swords, Java Moss, and various floaters (Duckweed, Hornwort, Guppy Grass).
I'm moving towards unheated aquarium more and more; I'd like to find a plant species or two that is likely to survive my contemptuous lack of care, and can also do well in temps that will likely top out at seasonal highs around 65F and bottom out in winter at 55F or perhaps down to 50F for the coldest few midwinter weeks. I just want to avoid some of the slow and tedious trial-and-error, and at least start out with plants that might have a chance.
Any suggestions that don't revolve around high-tech lighting/CO2/RO/DI/fertilization? Local aquatic plants appear to require a winter ultra-cold rest period, where they can die off and then come back in spring, so I haven't had much luck with them...or maybe they are just delicate?
I choose plants by buying various species, trying them out, and sticking with whatever survives. For me, that's been Sags, Vals, Swords, Java Moss, and various floaters (Duckweed, Hornwort, Guppy Grass).
I'm moving towards unheated aquarium more and more; I'd like to find a plant species or two that is likely to survive my contemptuous lack of care, and can also do well in temps that will likely top out at seasonal highs around 65F and bottom out in winter at 55F or perhaps down to 50F for the coldest few midwinter weeks. I just want to avoid some of the slow and tedious trial-and-error, and at least start out with plants that might have a chance.
Any suggestions that don't revolve around high-tech lighting/CO2/RO/DI/fertilization? Local aquatic plants appear to require a winter ultra-cold rest period, where they can die off and then come back in spring, so I haven't had much luck with them...or maybe they are just delicate?
