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Any of you guys got any ideas for good foreground plants that'd do alright in ~2wpg (they'd probably be rather shaded by my aponos, vals, and water onion, too, btw)?

Basically I'm just looking for a short plant that's decent looking and would be alright in a basic planted tank (I dose ferts and have lights...that's about all the special treatment that the plants get...that's all I can afford )...

Glosso is definately out of the question, and I don't want to do dwarf sag (would look dumb next to my vals) or java moss (already got a bunch on my driftwood)...
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The tank (as listed in my profile) -

Fish:
6 Peppered Cories
3 Blackfin Cories
2 Corydoras delphax
3 Ottos
1 Neon Tetra
2 Celebes Rainbows
2 Female CT Betta Splendens
3 Ghost Shrimp (one holding babies )

Plants:
3 Anacharis
1 Pothos Vine (growing in a filter outside of the tank)
1 Water Onion
1 Cryptocoryne wendtii
1 Java Fern
3 Chunks of Java Moss
7 Aponogeton sp.
3 Vallisneria sp.
1 African Fern
1 Unidentified Fern

24" 18,000k 20 watt flouro w/metal reflector
8 watt flouro (above tank for pothos...not much light goes into the tank)
15 watt CF w/metal reflectors (above tank for pothos...not much light goes into the tank)

100w Visi-Therm Heater

Whisper 20-40
2X Penguin 125 w/biowheel
DIY 75GPH Cannister/Sump
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Parameters -

pH ~7.5
nitrates ~20-30
temp ~80-81

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I was thinking possibly anubias nana petite, but that grows too slow, and is expensive. Are there any crypts that would be good? How 'bout c. parva? Any other ideas?

Thanks

Scott,

As I have discussed with you before C. parva might work.
another choice might be E.tenellus, which grows similar to
dwarf sags. 2WPg sort of limits the good foreground plnts
like hairgrass, calictitroides, glosso, and blyxa
japonica(ther are other's I know). Under higher lights
some crypts tend to grow closer to the substrate makin them
good foreground plants, though I don't think they will do
it at 2WPG.

I do not know if this is due to the fact that the plant if
a diana walstad grandplant, but I have polysperma that
grows to be 2" at most, spreading across the substrate
instead of gaining height in my 75G with 2WPG. I got the
plants from Sun, who got them from Walstad, but I believe
hers behave in the same manner as mine. It may be worth a
try.

Also what is wrong with dwarf sags?

Megil.

Last edited by Megil Tel'Zeke at 31-Oct-2005 18:40

Try this.....

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

IMO dwarf sags would look retarded in the tank (next to vals, and water onion...aponos, ferns, and java moss a 'lil farther away...)

Yea, wing...been to that site...doesn't really help anything, but thanks anyway

Any other ideas, guys?

What about marsilea aka 4 leaf clover? [link=http://www.greenchapter.com/plant.php?char=M]http://www.greenchapter.com/plant.php?char=M" style="COLOR: #C000C0[/link]
In lower light it won't get that 4 leaf form but will stay with 1 leaf so it looks more like glosso.
[link=http://www.lucidcentral.com/keys/APPW/images/marsilea_angust_eleung.jpg]http://www.lucidcentral.com/keys/APPW/images/marsilea_angust_eleung.jpg" style="COLOR: #C000C0[/link]
It's somewhat slow growing in low light although 2wpg isn't bad and takes awhile to get established in the tank but once established grows faster than anubias plants.

Alright, thanks for all the ideas and everything, everybody... but there's been a change of plans

I've decided to go high light + co2 + lotsa ferts in 1-2 months

I'm gonna throw 'bout $200-250 into the tank (for lights, co2 setup, ferts, new plants, etc)

So I'll need help deciding on lights (I was thinking PC? 120-150w total? or MH? combo?). I'd really like to get a single fixture that's got moonlights an' PC's I've done some looking around, but I can't find any decent stuff for 30" tanks (all the good stuff I've found is for 2", 3" or 4" tanks )...any suggestions on better places to look?

What ferts should I dose? How often should I dose, etc?

Any other cool plants I should do? How 'bout microsword in the foreground? Maybe a few more species of aponos?

What's the best way to diffuse CO2? I was thinking I could put the end of the airline under the intake of a powerhead and have it go thru the powerhead to break up the bubbles and disperse it in the tank? I don't really want to have a huge reactor sitting in the tank... I don't want to build or buy an inline reactor...

Anything else I'm missing? Can I do all of this for $200-250ish? can I atleast get a start on all of this for $200-250ish and get more stuff later?

BTW, I've got 1-2 months to think and plan before I buy anything... won't have any money 'till then

Thanks