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I have been told that to help control my nitrates, I should get some plants. And I have to say, I am a little nervous that they will mess up my tank. SO, what is the best way to start, and what do I need?

Here is what I have: 20gal tank, fully cycled. It was a starter kit tank, so not sure of the wattage of light, but they are florecent. I have just aqaruiam gravel, with some agates on the bottom. Lots of fake plants and hiding places. I also have noticed a lot of 'rusty' spots on the decorations, so obviously have some algea already. I do have a bubble wall on one end of the tank and a Topfin 20 filter.

My current stocking list is: 3 MM Platies, (and some frys), 1 dwarf gourami, and 6 panda cories. I will be adding 8 tetras in the next week or so. Then its done.

What would be a good starter plant, and what do I do with it once I get it home??

Thanks in advance for your expert advice.

get hornworth. its cheap abundent and it grows extremly fast, dosent need high lights. just let it float on the surface or you can anchor it to somthing. probably one of the best oxyginators and nitrate absober plants you could find

I've also had a lot of luck with floating anacharis. It looks nice and doesn't fall apart as easily as hornwort. In one of my tanks it has started to root itself to a large piece of driftwood. Floaters are a good way to start.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Whisteria is also a fast growing nitrate consuming plant, and you can let it float or attach to the bottom, it will do great in any condition.

So do you just buy it, and throw it in the tank? What do you have to do to prepare it for the tank?

Also, stupid question, but don't the floating plants get in the way when you are feeding the flakes? Or do the fish figure it out?

Thanks so much. My nitrates dropped down to 10-20 ppm now after the water changes, so I may not need the plants...but they couldn't hurt, could they?

CyndieL73:
As you have already learned, the best method for dealing with nitrates is to dilute the concentrations through regular water changes. Not only do water changes dilute nitrate levels, but you also introduce fresh water, which I'm sure your fish appreciate. While plants are not the true answer to eliminating nitrates from a closed system, they are a wonderful addition.
I am all for aquatic plants, but that's just me. Some hobbyists have kept unplanted tanks for years and have thriving stock. Personally, I think tanks look much better with live plants. It have a therapeutic affect on me - as I love admiring the tanks, and I believe it to be beneficial to the fish too. The are in a natural surrounding which I believe lowers stress levels. With lower stress, the fish are more immume to sickness. The plants might very well play an active part in reducing, 'bad things' from the water, but I have yet to prove that.
edit: floating plants - fish figure out where the food is. Remember. Hunger is a driving force!.
'This may be a stupid question..'. Cyndie. The only stupid question is that which was not asked.
How to get started: There are 100's of wonderful websites filled with a lot of information to help get you started. There are also some fantastic books on the subject. If you are really interested in aquatic plants, read through the posts in this forum. A lot of good advice and guidance has been written here in the past. Also, read the FAQs for additional helpful tips. Aquatic plants can be challenging and frustration at first, but they are also very rewarding!
-Wayne

Last edited by wayneta at 11-Oct-2004 20:03

When I first started with live plants (only about 4 months after setting up my first tank), I slowly added Wisteria to the tank, and started weeding out the plastic plants. As the wisteria took hold, I removed more and more plastic plants and replaced them with amazon sword, and more wisteria. After about 2 months, I had done away with all the plastic plants. Now I have 3 tanks with all live plants in each 1.
I assume your flourescent bulb will probably be around 15 watts. This is very low light, less than 1 wpg. This limits the plants you can grow. Some good plants for your lighting are: Java Moss, Java Fern, Microsorum Pterops "Windelove", Hornwort (i have never been able to find this plant anywhere), Marimo Balls, and there are a couple others. Avoid plants like Cabomba, and any red plants. You might be able to grow some types of Vallisneria, and likely some Aponogentons and Anubias.
Most plants do not cause a mess in the tank, unless you have fish that eat them (large cichlids, goldfish, some types of tetras). Even then, I just leave the peices to float on the top, and remove the stuff that goes brown once a month or so. Wisteria, if broken apart, will form many new plants from leaves, and even peices of leaves. It is truly the best beginners plant.
Good luck!


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