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hey all,
can some plant knowledgeable people be able to tell me some plants that would do well with 1.5-1.7 wpg?
I am looking for some variation for my 90g tank, i already have amazon sword, hygrophilia "angustifolia", pennywort, wisteria, and rotala wallichii.


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The low level plants will all do well. They include java moss, java fern, anubias, bolbitis, algae balls, and crypts. Saggitaria should also do alright for you.

All of this plants can grow well in the kind of light you have.

Elodea, watersrite, Cryptocoryne walkeri (lutea), Sagittaria platyphylla, Vallisneria americana (natans), Ludwigia repens ''Rubin'',

Hornwort, aponogetons, elodea (aka anacharis), and dwarf lillies will grow in that amount of light. Mine do well in 1.1 WPG

doesnt the hornworts stem grow way more than the leaves if not a whole lotta lights are given? thats what happened to me when i only had 1 tube of light.

Here's what I have in 1 wpg.

1. Hornwort - Ceratophyllum demersum
2. Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)
3. Limnophila Sessiliflora (Asian Ambulia)
4. Hygrophila Polysperma
5. Vallisneria spiralis (Straight Vallis)
6. Cryptocoryne x willisii
7. Anubias barteri var. nana
8. Bacopa caroliniana
9. Pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucocephala)

One I used to have that is also good is Anacharis.


The Amazon Nut...

Ok , so now my list of plants is:
Wisteria
Giant Hygrophilia
Pennywort
Amazon Sword
Rotala Wallichi
Java Fern
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
Hygroryza aristata
Crinum thaianum

Do you guys think these will do well? I do not have C02, but I do fertilize with an Iron rich fertilizer, and a trace elements fertilizer.


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Just be careful with the ferts. Without CO2 the plants may not be able to utilise it fully, leaving the excess for the algae to consume. Monitor closely and if you see any algae start to pop up stop dosing. I probably wouldn't use a lot of iron yet, unless there signs of deficiency, plants only need very small quantities and the rest will be readily accepted by beard or thread algae (been there ].

I don't have CO2 either and have learned to be very careful with ferts and really I only dose now if there are signs of deficiency or the plant growth slows.The biggest difficulty in planted is finding a balance of light, co2 and ferts that sustains the plants but keeps the algae at bay. Too much of one or not enough of another results in problems of some sort.

I'm sure the plants you have chosen will all do fine, but try not to push them too hard.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

IME, adding CO2 has greatly enhanced even tanks at 1w/gal range. Growth is still slow but very rich and nice.
Many more species do better.

Then you will add the fertilizer and traces.
Without CO2, generally folks will reply solely on the fish waste and some iron from the substrate.

It also depends on the type of lighting, a PC light with a nice reflector vs a shop light are not the same.
The PowerCompact puts out close to 150% or more light.

Regards,
Tom Barr

everyones given you some goods suggestions! including my favorite java moss and fern lol...but DEFINATELY stay AWAY from most foreground plants because they may die and pollute the tank!

Hey thanks for the replies.
The light I have is a power compact, brand new, by Corallife. It has two 65 watt bulbs in it.
I am dosing iron and trace elements as the well water we have right now is only rich in calcium, and the plants were dying from iron deficiency.
I have no algae problems at all in my 25g, and my 10g has some algae, but thats due to the fact that I have 4.6 watts per gallon of light in that small tank. I purchased a butterfly loach (hillstream loach) and he has completely cleaned the tank up, almost clear of all algae.
I dont think c02 will be in the near future, as that is expensive here, and I cant really afford it being a student on a student loan. Money is tight.
Thanks for the advice all!
If you guys have any more suggestions on types of plants let me know! IM always lookin for more plants!


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Ludwigia Repens is a great plant. Fast growing, easy and non demanding, in any kind of half decent light the leaves have a nice rust color. I have a few bunchs with some Hygro Polysperma filling the rear right corner of my tank and think it looks good, similar style of plant but the different leaf shape and color really complement each other.

Bacopa Carolina is another great plant. Lovely color makes a great higlight plant, undemanding, will do well in moderate or even lowish light. Doesn't grow as fast as some other stem plants so low maintenance, and suitable for mid ground or highlighting, if you don't trim it it will eventually grow out of the tank, down the outside of the tank walls across the room and try to strangle your mother in law (not neccessarily a bad thing )

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2 are some other low light plants.

whoa, all this year, and i never heard of PC light and shop light. that refers to the light tube or the light fixture itself? i buy my tubes from wal-mart, but they are the ones for plants. i have 2 light fixtures, one came with the tank(24" 20w), and the other is one of those things you put in shops(shop light?)(2X18" 30w)so, does this mean that my lighting is bad?? and you guys know the kinda light thats like long "U" shaped, almost like a double tube, and it is very strong in power, are those any good? i have always had trouble with plants, now i think its my lights, any suggestions? 29g with one 24" and 2 18"(shop lights?) suppose to be 50watts total?

Just so you know, the plants won't know the difference between 1.5 and 1.7 watts of light.

You can use DIY CO2, cost is not really an issue.

But if you go non CO2, go all the way with that method.
Add enough fish and feed regualrly to supply the plants with enough nutrients.

Here are 2 small non CO2 cubes of mine that about 18 monthes old:
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/gallery/album02/DSC00140

I do not do water changes, that's bad for non CO2 plant tanks. Only after a major rework.
I top off for evaporation only.

The substrate is deep and onyx with about 1 cm of ground peat. You can use soil also and sand mix.
That will supply all the iron etc that you will need.

I add only fish food to these tanks and water for evaporation. Nothing else generally.

Pearl grass does quite well in non CO2 tanks. Even the LFS here is able to have a nice foreground in their non CO2 125 gal.

You can keep about any plant you want at 1.5-1.7 w of powercompact lighting if you use CO2 also.
I've had nice foregrounds of hairgrass and Glossostigma with that much lighting using plain T-12 FL lights.
This will only help.

But lower light tank with CO2 are easier to deal with than at 3 w/gal etc. Growth is slower, there is less demand placed on the nutrient dosing.

If you have a relatively decent fish load and are consistent in feeding, then a lion's share of the nutrient can come from fish waste still, with perhaps weekly or 2x a week dosing on a 1.5-1.7 w/gal tank w/CO2.

Growth is nice but slower and the lectric and light fixture cost is lower.

Regards,
Tom Barr