Help with choosing Aquatic Plants!

[The Masked Shadow]

Hey,

I have a 90g tank (48”x24”widex18”) The soil is 100lbs of Black Diamond sand. I also have a Very large piece of manzanita wood in it. The tank wil have 6 different bichir species and a leopard Ctenopama. I want a few hardy green plants, and atleast one red plant. Suggestions?

 

[eon aquatics]

i ordered from this place, very good prices

Security Measure | eBay

www.ebay.com

the jungle val looks nice

 

[Deadeye]

Jungle Val and Amazon sword are nice…I have trouble growing it just because of my crushed coral in the substrate…
Anubias and Java fern are bomb proof provided you don’t keep them in too bright of light.
Ludwigia develops a nice red color. It can be grown as a floater or in the substrate.

Hornwort is also super easy, basically just needs water to grow.
Aponogeton is pretty and looks like seaweed. It will flower periodically:

 

[kno4te]

Anubias and bucephelandra can work if attached to your driftwood. Ludwigia and rotala will work if u have strong lighting to keep red.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

How could I forget about jungle val! I think I’ll have a few pieces of jungle Val in the mix. Perhaps an amazon sword, rotala rotundifolia from my sisters tank, a few sprigs of Jungle Val, and one or 2 Anubias or Anubias ‘petite’

 

[tiger15]

Anubias, Java fern and Bolbitis are easy low light plants, and destruction proof. They do well in my cichlid tank with alkaline dolomite gravel. Luwidgia, cryptocoryn and Rotala will add orange brown color, but need strong light to stay red.

 

[fishguy1978]

Vals, crinums, crypts and swords are great because they are not overly demanding when it comes to light or co2 but they are root feeding plants and will require regulare root tab additions.
Stem plants like rotala, ludwigia and hornwort are great because they can be left floating or stuck into the substrate they will grow roots. If you want to maintain the red though you will need more intense lighting and the addition of liquid ferts may become neccesary. I don't care for the finer leaves found on some stem plants as they tend to clog uplift tubes on filters especially AC filters.
Java Fern/moss, bolbitus, anubius and buce are near bullet proof when it comes to plant grazing fishes but not all. JF/M and anubius do well in a broad range of light intensities and water conditions. They do best when attached to wood. Anubius will grow with its roots buried in the substrate but make sure the rizhome isn't because it will rot.
Apon's are bulb plants and do require a dormant season if you want to maintain them long term but they are also very undemanding and flower readily.
I haven't used the Black diamond sand so I don't know how fine grained it is. If the tank is empty of fish then this would be the best time to plant. A dry planting works really well and is just that dry or sans water. Add your sand and hardscape materials and then moisten the substrate enough that its not fluidized. Add the plants and seal the tank with cling wrap for 3-4 weeks. This allows the root systems to become established before filling.

 

[tiger15]

Vals, crinums, crypts and swords are great because they are not overly demanding when it comes to light or co2 but they are root feeding plants and will require regulare root tab additions.
I haven't used the Black diamond sand so I don't know how fine grained it is. If the tank is empty of fish then this would be the best time to plant. A dry planting works really well and is just that dry or sans water. Add your sand and hardscape materials and then moisten the substrate enough that its not fluidized. Add the plants and seal the tank with cling wrap for 3-4 weeks. This allows the root systems to become established before filling.

All plants can uptake nutrients from the water column, and no need to be root fed if you dose fertilizers regularly. I grow my sword, crypt and stems in net pots filled with inert gravel. Since my cichlid dig, I only have paper thin substrate barely covering the bottom and no plants rooted in it. Black diamond sand is fine with plants if you have no digging fish.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Hello, I have liquid plant fert, and I also need to get some root tabs for the rotala in my sisters tank.

Black diamond sand is fine with plants if you have no digging fish.

Bichirs fo head bury, but I don't think it would be frequent enough to cause a problem.

The lighting I have now is a StingRay.

Tank is already running. I have plant glue that I used before. I have 1 Bichir in the tank, but he shouldn't mind it.

 

[fishguy1978]

Hello, I have liquid plant fert, and I also need to get some root tabs for the rotala in my sisters tank.

Bichirs fo head bury, but I don't think it would be frequent enough to cause a problem.

The lighting I have now is a StingRay.

Tank is already running. I have plant glue that I used before. I have 1 Bichir in the tank, but he shouldn't mind it.

No worries. It could take multiple tries to keep rooted plants in the substrate as they will want to float but can still be done.