Recommended plants for snakeheads?

[josh pelican]

Hey, all!

I am getting a few Channa bleheri (rainbow snakehead) imported to me sometime this summer, so I'm hoping to at least get some ideas for plants and have the tank running within the next month or two. I don't have a lot of experience with plants, so hopefully I will be pointed in the right direction.

For starters, I'm told to get java fern, as it fares well in most aquariums.
But what else? Will any swords do? I know some of them get pretty large, but there are a few smaller ones. How about smaller anubias plants? Would sagittaria be fine, or will it spread?

Secondly, will I need a fertilizer at all? Special plant chemicals (Seachem Flourish, etc.)? Some sites recommend adding a centimeter of fertilizer under the substrate, but is it necessary? I know most plants don't need it, but will it help?

Finally, what kind of lighting is needed for most plants? I know a lot of them, if not all of them, require a certain amount of lighting. Is there a certain brand I should look for? Do T5 lights work well for plants? Is there a watts per gallon ratio or anything of the sorts?


Thanks in advance,

Josh

 

[cepon3]

Hey Josh,
Welcome to MFK

Just to answer a couple of your questions..

I use swords and hygrophilia for my Piranhas..I would use the larger leaved plants for channas.. I would probably use amazon and brazilian swords, java fern, and some anubias sp. like nana and barteri or some hygrophilia .. with planted tanks its usually recommended to use 3 to 4 watts per gallon but you dont mention what size tank your using so just go with that ratio.. my 75 has anywhere between 216 watts and 326 watts depending on the time of day. And i use a mixture of HOT5 and PC lighting.. just watch out for algae and stuff like that if.. as for fertilizers its the same deal.. it will help but is usually not necessary, but it also depends on what plant species you go with.. you have any other questions or want to get more indepth just let me know..

 

[josh pelican]

Thanks a lot for all of the information. It's very helpful, and will come in handy!

If I tried to use the following list of plants, will everything work out?

Anubias barteri "Round Leaf"
Anubias barteri "Nana"
Anubias barteri "Coffeefolia"
Cryptocoryne Ciliata
Java Fern
Sagittaria subulata "Narrow Leaf"
Sword, Amazon Compacta
Sword, Brazil (some sites say this is a terrarium plant)
Sword, Red Melon
Sword, Red Rubin

Also, would any floating pond plants do well in the tank? I've heard they'll help the snakeheads as they're supposed to like dim lights. I'm not 100% sure if this is true or not!

On aquariumplants.com, they sell some of these as show plants, and if they'll work out well in a Channa bleheri tank, I might grab some.

I assume this would be way too many for, say, a 90 gallon, but if I were going to pick any of these, which do you think would be the best choices? As far as I know, most of them will do fairly well in most settings, are very hardy, and don't require soil, but I may be wrong!

 

[cepon3]

The list you mentioned there seems fine.. I personally havent had any luck with cryptocorne.. like i said i only use Amazons and Hygro in my tank.. simple but effective.. It really depends on what kinda other visual barriers your going to use, like wood or rocks or all plants.. If your going to go with some foating plants i would say to use very low light plants in the tank.. like the anubias nanas and the ferns.. for floating plants you can use dwarf lily which is planted in the substrate and shoots stems with nice pink leaves up to the surface or some watersprite. It doesnt have to be planted in the subrstrate just thrown ontop of the water.. usually i would say throw some large growing plants in the back and get shorter up to the front..heres a picture of my tank just to give you some ideas.. its grown out a bit since then the swords are filling in the background nicely..

 

[josh pelican]

Once again, thanks a lot. Seeing as how I don't have a lot of plant experience, this will help me set my tank up. I think I've got some good ideas as to what to do. I'm thinking about a big sword or two at the sides and along the middle of the back to spruce things up, then have the smaller ones in the mid-section of the tank, and a bit in the front. Chances are I'll throw in some wood for nooks and crannies.

-Josh

 

[cepon3]

keep us updated.. would really like to know how it turns out..