Live plants in a colored gravel tank......?

Question

I have colored gravel in my tank is there any live plants i can put in my 29 gallon tank Right now i have all slik was thinking live ones would be nice

if you can how do u get the plant to stay at bottom of tank. Any good web sites about live plants in tank. Thanks

Answer 1

Hi, Just putting plants in normal tanks usually means in several months to lush green shoots have turned into sorry looking brown stalks & need constant replacing thereby filling the pockets of your local fish store, the alternative being a costly CO2 unit set-up with all the attendant maintenance headaches.

A very nice compromise is simply plant them in small glass pots such as tea-light holders using one of the growing substrates available. The one I use is called TetraPlant but there are many more. First ensure the pot or container is completely clean & ensure any coloured glass pot is really that (many coloured pots are simply sprayed over the clear glass so beware of those) by scratching it with your nail.

The two best plants to use are Elodea/Anacharis & Vallis (Corkscrew &/or straight), both will root readily & the Vallis will send out many small runners which can be trained into additional pots. Make sure you cover the exposed substrate at the top of the pot with large pebbles or marbles because Goldfish love using it for mouthwash & will distribute it all over your tank otherwise!

I started out doing this in a small 20 gallon just as an experiment thinking when I upgraded to a 40 I would make it a proper planted tank. However, the experiment was such a success that when I upgraded to a 40 I carried on using pots only bigger ones-black Marmite jars are particularly good as they have bulbous bases for the roots to grow with very little area for the fish to steal the substrate out the top! An advantage of pots is you can move them around like the scenery & additionally if, like many aquarists you choose to have no gravel in your tank, with pots you can still have a forest of natural plants for the fish to play in.

Answer 2

your light is more important than your gravel for a lot of plants.

some really easy to grow plants are the bulbs -- apongetons -- often sold as "betta bulbs", lilies and lotuses (nymphaea) and onions (crinums)

there are really easy to grow plants that you can just tie to driftwood and they will eventually attach -- java fern (microsorum), bolbitus, java moss (vesicularia), and anubias.

really easy to grow plants i like are hygophilias -- there are at least 3 varieties -- difformis, temple plant, and "giant hygro". they grow like weeds and all are nice relatively big leaved plants. they need to be trimmed every week or two -- they are that fast growing.

water sprite is great -- gouramis and bettas love using it to hang out in at the top of the tank if you float it and it makes a really nice looking plant if you just weigh it with a plant weight (they look like metal versions of twist ties and you can get them in any pet shop). aquarium plants are different than land plants -- they use their leaves to absorb stuff as much if not more than the roots. many aquarium plants actually benefit from not having their roots submerged (like watersprite). they hygros are easier to trim from the bottom -- you don't need to worry about roots too much.

the cryptocorynes are smaller plants and very low mainentance.

really the best way to grow plants is a decent light and an iron rich fertilizer -- they are usually marked 0-0-3 or something similar. fish poop provides all the other nutrients.

you want to watch out for plants that need co2 -- they are usually harder to grow, need more light(multiple lights), and need co2 injections -- which means more equipment -- i prefer to stay more low tech.

Answer 3

individually i admire organic shade gravel yet with all of those bright colorations i might bypass with black gravel with the aid of fact it's going to make each thing else stand out slightly greater, which contain your betta

Answer 4

Adding plants to a tank can be very rewarding. There is a TON of info out there with discussions about substrate, lighting, types to get, fertilizer... just start simple.

some sites:
www.plantedtank.net - great start spot
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_fertilizer_intro.htm - ferts

www.ahsupply.com - light solutions

Answer 5

Here is a great site with a lot of pics and info

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=56
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=326
Good luck

Answer 6

Yes any live plants