|
|
Getting
Started with Planted Aquariums:
Easy Plants to Try
Cavan
Allen
Finformation,
August
2003
|
|
This
month I’ll talk about some plants that are good to try for folks
just getting into keeping planted aquariums. Not every tank needs
to be a strongly lit, co2 injected, tank with fast growing plants.
Very easy:
Vesicularia dubyana – Java moss. Everyone
is familiar with Java moss. It requires very little light and will
grow under almost any conditions. A neat thing to try is to
tie moss down to driftwood or other objects with black cotton thread.
Before long, the moss will attach itself and the thread will disintegrate.
It can then be contoured to the shape of the wood using a pair of
scissors, which looks a lot better than a messy clump.
Microsorum pteropus – Java fern. Although
it will grow much more strongly under higher light and with carbon
dioxide injection, Java ferns are anything but fussy and do
well in most tanks. Do not bury the rhizome (the horizontal “stalk”
from which leaves grow) under gravel. That will hurt the plant. Instead,
attach it using rubber bands, cotton thread, or staples to almost
anything in the tank. Java ferns can be easily propagated by dividing
the rhizome or detaching small plantlets that develop on the surface
of mature leaves. Several forms of M. pteropus exist. Besides
the common variety, there is also the “Windelov” variety
that stays about 5 inches high and has frilly leaf tips, a variety
with long narrow leaves that are only about 1/8th of an inch wide
(that may be a different species), and several others. All have the
same care requirements.
Anubias barteri – There are several
varieties of this hardy and adaptable plant. Anubias barteri
var. barteri and Anubias barteri var. nana are the most common
(“A. nana” is not a species of its own), the former a
much larger plant but otherwise very similar. A. barteri
grows slowly under all conditions, which explains why they are more
costly than many plants. They are definitely worth it, however, and
have a place is both the tanks of beginners and those of people with
more experience. The plants’ strong points are many. It does
equally well in tanks with soft, acidic water and hard water
with a high pH. Very, very few fish will eat them. They look great.
Lighting isn’t important, and barteri do well in thedarker
corners of a tank. The plant does have a tendency to accumulate green
spot algae on its leaves, but keeping nutrients under control and
giving it a bit of shade goes a long way towards alleviating or even
eliminating that problem.
Cryptocoryne wendtii and C.
beckettii (formerly C. lutea)– Two more
very hardy and adaptable plants. Many Cryptocorynes die back a bit
when moved to a new tank, but if you leave them undisturbed, they
will recover and do quite well. Crypts are big root feeders, so giving
them a Jobes fern and palm spike (buried deep under the gravel) will
give them a boost. The two species named above usually stay at a manageable
eight to ten inches high. They grow slowly, but eventually form a
big clump of many individual plants.
Almost as easy: These plants can be grown without
co2 but are even better for when you’re just getting into supplementation.
Rotala rotundifolia – This is perhaps
one of the best of all the stem plants. With good nutrients and light,
it takes on a strong reddish color. One thing I especially like about
this plant is that it is very easy to aquascape with. Many stem plants
need to be pulled up, topped, and replanted since they either don’t
grow back fast enough to not set the appearance of the tank back or
don’t grow enough new shoots to fill the space back in. For
example, Potamogeton species typically propagate only by
runners and not by new shoots after trimming. Lagarosiphon madagascariensis
only grows side shoots
spontaneously and not from below a cut point. With R. rotundifolia,
pruning could not be simpler. Simply give it a “haircut”
and in a short time, it looks as if the grouping was never touched.
Stems tend to be bare and less colorful lower down, so having a stand
of the plant growing from behind something like another species or
a large piece of driftwood is usually the best way to go. R. rotundifolia
is frequently labeled and traded as R. indica. The two plants
are not the same thing. The real R. indica is almost never
kept in aquariums and may not even really be suitable for them.
Heteranthera zosterifolia – Stargrass
is another “haircut” plant. Stems are rather thin with
simple, pointed light green leaves. A great way to use the plant is
to plant a large grouping of stems from the midground to the back
of the tank. When they’ve grown in, trim them into a slope with
the shortest stems at the front. Stargrass does much better with good
light and co2. When it isn’t happy, it tends to blacken a bit,
but is by no means difficult. A similar looking plant that isn’t
so easy is Eichhornia diversifolia, recognizable by its rounded
leaf tips, thicker stem, and overall larger size.
Hygrophila polysperma – This plant
grows so well that it can be considered a weed (it is banned in several
states). No co2 is necessary, although it will certainly benefit from
it. It is a great plant for the break-in period of a new tank. The
normal green variety will grow a reddish brown under strong light.
The “sunset” polysperma has reddish leaves and
white veins caused by a viral infection (that will not harm the plant
or anything else).
Hygrophila difformis – This is another
Hygrophila species that is well suited for beginners. It
looks quite different from H. polysperma with its lacy foliage.
There are no special care requirements.
Shinnersia rivularis (formerly Trichorinis
rivularis) – “Mexican oak leaf. ” As the common
name suggests, the leaves of this stem plant look similar to those
of some oak leaves. It is an attractive plant, but grows unbelievably
fast. Even H. polysperma can’t keep up. I had some
stems that grew over three inches a day (no kidding). That’s
why I don’t keep it anymore. Like polysperma, it’s
a good one for new tanks and people that are gluttons for punishment
when it comes to constant pruning. Nonetheless, it is still worth
keeping at least once.
Vallisneria spiralis – This species
is not at all demanding and is a nice contrast to plants of other
leaf shapes. It may take a while for them to get going, but runners
will eventually spread all over the tank. They are not for very small
tanks, as they can grow over two feet long.
Echinodorus bleheri – “Amazon
sword plant”. Like the Cryptocorynes, this plant benefits from
root feeding. Its light requirements are moderate. I don’t recommend
keeping this plant in tanks smaller than about 55 gallons. They get
big. E. quadricostatus is a small species that reproduces
by runners and is a better choice for smaller tanks. Both require
a good bit of iron.
|
Up
5
|
| Back
to Top
Questions
or Problems? Contact
|
|
|
