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What plants are good at taking up nutrients, yet are low maintenance - like, doesn't require much trimming.

I have 20w on my 20 long and no co2, but daily dosing of Flourish Excel. I already have anubias nana, java fern, java moss, hornwort, banana plant and one other stem plant that has since been identified as Najas Guadalupensis

I'm beginning to see the pain of some stem plants, like the hornwort. It looks awful unless it is right in a current where debris is blown free. It is a fu-fu collector and turns ugly at the bottom in quieter areas of the tank. Should I be trimming from the bottom?

Last edited by Cory_Di at 22-Jan-2005 10:44

Well water sprite is working for me... It's very pretty. I'd reccommend it but I'm not quite sure how big it gets. Definately looks good though and much easier to care for than hornwort and cabomba.

Last edited by fishnewbie at 22-Jan-2005 11:08

Water Sprite or Hygrophila can be great or it can be fu-fu for you Cory. Most of the species like bright to very bright light. H. corymbosa will do well in medium to bright light and will grow to 20 inches tall. Leaf is large like an ivy and is not fussy about substrates. I would try this plant although you have only 1 watt per gallon. A 20 is not particualrly deep and it may find reasonable light intensity if you have new bulbs.

A great way to find plants that suit your conditions is to go to Tropica (http://www.tropica.com). At the top of the home page is an Advanced Search button. It takes you to a page that will give you recommendations for plants based on some or all of light, hardness, temperature, pH, aquarium height and difficuly.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I've wanted to get water sprite. I'm hoping to make a trip out to Lansing where there are more plants in the spring. I like to think ahead .

isnt water sprite one of those plants that can be either tied down or floating on the surface?

Yep, it is. But with my HOB filters I don't think it would be able to just float. Too much water flow, for me.

what if you tied it to the intake tube under the over flow? maybe with some string or rubber bands? could tie it to a suction cup in the middle where theres less current also i would think.

sorry just thinking outloud, trying to picture it in my own tank at the same time

Water wisteria (often confused with sprite) is a planted plant ...can go on the surface but it's without a doubt a root plant. Its also a massive consumer.... IME anyway.

^_^

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Elodea (Egeria Densa) is another nutrient consuming plant, it can be floated or attached to the bottom, but it is a fast grower.

[link=Hygrophila Corymbosa]http://plantdatabase.qwertydigital.com/plant.php?id=51" style="COLOR: #FFCC00[/link] is a nutrient sucker but it isn't a fast grower i have it on really small tanks and once it hits the surface it won't go any further.

[link=Hygrophila Difformis]http://plantdatabase.qwertydigital.com/plant.php?id=52" style="COLOR: #FFCC00[/link] is also very consuming, but it grows like crazy, quite easy and beutiful plant IMO, Difformis comes from the fact that it's able to change form or the deformation of the leaves depending on the light, the more light, the more "forked" the leaves become.

Cory_Di:
I'd recommend you stay away from stem plants. Most, if not all of them are fast growers requiring periodic pruning. Which I think you are looking to avoid.
The Anubias and Java Fern are good for what you want. Both species are slow growing. The Java Fern, and I believe the Anubias too, take nutrients from the water column. Thus, a heavy planting of these species should keep the nitrate in check (your mileage may vary).
Java moss might be another plant to consider. Not terribly fast growing. However, it does eventually need to be pruned. You prune it with scissors, just like cutting hair.

Other possibilities may be crown plants -
Cryptocorynes and the Echinodorus (Amazon swords), but both those plants are root feeders. They get their nutrients from the soil/substrate.

There are also several floating plants, such as Water Lettuce (Pistia), Azolla, Ceratopteris sp., Salvinia, etc. But floating plants tend to block light from all underneath them.
Given good conditions, they tend to multiply quickly. Since they're floating plants, they're relatively easy to maintain. Pretty much scoop up the excess and you're done weeding.
But if you're looking at zero-maintenance (well, near zero-maintenance), then the slow-growing Java Ferns and Anubias are the way to go.

-Wayne