# feedback on first planted tank plan



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I don't think many of your plant choices will work- they'll get much too big for a 5(ish)gal tank.

Nix the onion plant, Crinum, Crypt balansae, Crypt. cordata, and Barclaya- those will all get *much* too large. 18-24" too large, IME. I'd also nix the Blyxa unless you're planning on injecting CO2. If you do go with CO2 and Blyxa, it would be better as a background plant than a foreground, as they can grow 8-10" tall (sometimes taller than that...)

I think it would be pretty challenging to get a carpet out of Pellia. It does not root or attach itself to much, so will tend to float all over your tank. What about a Fissidens species moss instead? I know that there are quite a few that are native to East Asia. Xmas moss also would also work.

What about Cryptocoryne parva as a foreground? A pot or 2 at most should be all you'd need to have a full foreground with that one.

I do suspect that raising your light up off the tank will lower the light level too much. But you can try it and see how it goes.

Here's my own 10gal Asian-themed Betta tank for an idea of plant sizes. The plants are assorted Crypts (wendtii varieties, lucens, parva, undulata, wilisi, etc), Rotala rotundifolia, and Lilaeopsis mauritiana.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

Yea man, I'm afraid this needs a total overhall, I have seen a dwarf crinum onion that would suit this tank quite well though (can't recall the scientific name at the moment they come into the wholesaler from time to time though) 

+1 on crpyt parva though, that's an awesome plant. 

Wish I had for biotope info for ya buddy, just listen to laura haha.


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## red fish blue fish (Jul 19, 2010)

thanks for the feedback.  I'll look into some of those options.

I've found it's really tedious and time consuming to research possible plants, especially if you're looking for a specific region or type (like browns and reds). And then even more time consuming to have to check the info against numerous sources, go to several places to fill in the gaps, etc., etc. If I just wanted to grab some plants off the list of "beginner plants" this would be super easy, but if you're a beginner who wants to do something different... not so much.  

re: Monosolenium tenerum... 
I'm not really looking to make a full carpet out of it. Just some "mossy" type groupings in the front areas. I had read that attaching the bunches to rocks can allow you to do a sort of carpet effect nicely. So I thought that would work well with the river rocks. Hope that makes more sense. 


I'm a bit confused about feedback saying these plants are all too big for a 6 gallon tank. 
here's what I've found re: size, let me know if the info is erroneous:

Blyxa japonica: 3-6"
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Red': 5-12"
Cryptocoryne cordata var. cordata 'blassii' (Trumpet Cryptocoryne): 3-8"
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae (Cryptocoryne balansae): 24"
Crinum thaianum (Onion Plant) : 6.5-20" 
Barclaya longifolia (Orchid Lily): 12-32" 
Rotala rotundifolia (Dwarf Rotala): 5-15"

Not all sources may give reliable info, but nearly all plants I listed were stated at a size that would fit within the tank (under 8"). The only exceptions were the plants I planned to allow to trail on the water surface, so the extra length is desirable in that way (I prefer the look of providing shade by grass or leaves trailing the surface, than by floaters or loose moss). 

The plants listed to get taller were ones that were stated to only reach the big sizes under high light, CO2, lots of ferts, etc. So it seemed feasible to maintain them in a smaller tank with low light, low tech tank and some periodic trimming. Is that not the case?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You need to pay attention to the upper range on those sizes you found. Those plants all may start off at the small end, but will grow to at least the upper end.

Here's another pic for size comparison. The tank is probably about 125gals, so 24" tall and 6' long. The plants on either side of this tank are Onion plants, with some Crypt wendtii in the middle. The bulbs on those onion plants (they're buried, you can only see the very tops of the bulbs) are probably as big around as your fist. The Boesemani rainbows you see swimming in the tank look to be about 3" in size.









Crypt cordata species are one of the largest species of crypt. I have some C. cordata 'rosanervig' in my 46gal and it grows all the way to the surface, and each individual leaf is about 8" long. Barclaya gets about the same size, just the leaves are even bigger. I don't think even one Barclaya leaf would fit in a 5gal tank, much less a whole plant?

My Crypt balansae trails across the surface of my 29gal, which is an 18" tall tank. You don't have room for the leaves to grow in a 5gal, and when crypt leaves are cramped for growth (or rubbing up against something all the time, like a tank wall) they melt.


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## red fish blue fish (Jul 19, 2010)

thanks again, Laura Lee.  the pictures help for size comparison. 
I had referenced the AGA competitions for plants used in nano tanks, which included things like the onion plant and Blyxa japonica. So I figured those were safe for the 6 gallon. I'm now wondering if some of those may just be temporary for show, not something the owner intended to maintain for a year or more.

I'm looking into some smaller-sized options to the original selections.

I may deviate from the biotope idea, and just aim for small plants that have a similar look. That's actually easier as I can just review "foreground" plant lists for options. I also discovered this list of "reds" hidden under the Aquascaping Placement menu on Plant Finder.

ETA: re: the lighting issue, I figure I can always get a higher watt bulb if needed to compensate for the light lost from elevation.


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## TequariumLerro (Aug 18, 2010)

Bettas tend to hide in bushy high plants. If a biotope is what you are aiming for ,use varied sizes and colors from bright green to red of Cryptocoryne and a couple of lotus plants, too. I think the key is color contrast. Also try to layer the substrate to some degree especially if the Cryptocoryne aren't high.


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