# What plants are in your low light 55+g aquarium?



## puser1 (Aug 13, 2017)

Post what kind of plants you have! Picture bragging is allowed.:smile2: It doesn't matter if the plant is rated for 'low light' or not and it would actually be awesome to know what plants that aren't considered low light that are thriving in your tank!

My tank light is pretty bad. I bought two 24" hood not knowing anything about lights and it turns out I have two 18" 15 watt T8 light so yeah... Can't afford to upgrade. :crying:

I have API Leaf Zone that came today and API CO2 Booster arriving Monday. Hopefully it helps. My substrate is a mixture of Flourite and Eco-Complete.

I can't afford the trial and error process on figuring out what plants work with my limited set up hence this post to save me some $$ by buying true and tried plants. Also if you wanna sell/give me some of yours(I'll pay shipping), PM me. :angel:


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## jipan (May 8, 2017)

Look for moss, microsorum and most of cryptocorine.


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

In my low-tech 55 I have successfully grown: Cryptocorne Wendtii, Cryptospiralis, Amazon Swords, Rosette Swords, Rotala (very, very thinly), Wisteria, Water Sprite, Java Moss, Java Fern, Jungle Val (grows very long but few leaves), Hygros, and Duckweed....so much Duckweed, and completely unintentionally. 

All of these were grown using nothing more than Osmocote tabs and a single 48" Stingray.


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## puser1 (Aug 13, 2017)

goodbytes said:


> In my low-tech 55 I have successfully grown: Cryptocorne Wendtii, Cryptospiralis, Amazon Swords, Rosette Swords, Rotala (very, very thinly), Wisteria, Water Sprite, Java Moss, Java Fern, Jungle Val (grows very long but few leaves), Hygros, and Duckweed....so much Duckweed, and completely unintentionally.
> 
> All of these were grown using nothing more than Osmocote tabs and a single 48" Stingray.


I googled oscmocote tabs as I've never heard of it before. Thanks! I've been waiting for flourish tabs to be a good price to try but I'll look into buying osmocote tabs instead.


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## jipan (May 8, 2017)

Mine is not 55 gallon, sorry, didn't read that part on your title XD
I did grow the listed plants, though.

What I got on my second tank (low light): microsorums (windlelove, narrow leaf, needle leaf, the ordinary kind), crypts (balanse, wendtii both green and brown), echinodorus (dunno which kind) and bucephalandra (velvet). Moss I got taiwan, java and fissiden.

On my first tank which had bordering on medium light (it was upper end of low light), other than the previous listed plants, I had tiger lotus, cabomba (green, the red one is failed, need more light), rotala rotundifolia and hygrophila polysperma (both normal and sunset / Rosanervig variety).
The rotala and hygrophila grow gangly and the Rosanervig lost the red vein. The cabomba (green) grow nicely, the tiger lotus too, although the leaf stem rather longer. Oh, I also got amazon sword (dunno with species) and valinesria spirallis, both grow slowly. Also got anubias and bucephalandra (velvet and one other), both grow nicely.

Both 15 gal dirted, capped with sand (silica on first, crushed lava rock on second). The light is DIY led, 22 x 1 watt (22 watt total) on first (8 - 10 cm from water surface), and 13 x 1 watt (13 watt total with 45 degree lenses), about 40 cm from water surface.

Hope it help.


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## Silang (Mar 28, 2017)

Vals, Ludwigia Repens, Pearlweed, and Amazon swords are growing nicely. My Bacopa Monneiri and Dwarf Water Lettuce are alive but not growing / propagating.


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## nrchandl (Sep 22, 2017)

*55g*

Here is a picture of my 55g. I started the tank 07/10/17 with most of the plants in the picture. I have added a few new plants here and there and removed some plants that werent doing well. It's been a bit of a trial and error experiment for me as this is my first planted tank! Here is a list of my current plants...

Amazon Sword (added about a month ago and flourishing)
Staurogyne Repens (started with reeeally slow growth but has since sped up)
Italian Val (planted when the tank was started and it all melted off and is coming back VERY slowly)
Rotala Indica (planted at start, growing slowly)
Java Fern (planted at start, seems to be doing fine)
Anubias Nana (planted at start, I originally split the pots I ordered and they have all at least doubled in size!)
Ammania Gracilis? (reddish plant left mid, recently added, growing very well)
Dwarf Sagittaria (added at start, I split what I ordered with another tank, melted at start but has since began growing back well shooting runners)

I had some anacharis in the back right corner in the bald spot but my fish kept uprooting it and most of it was dying off. I got tired of replanted and scooping out bits of it so I just took it all out. The plan is to get a few more different plants to fill that back right corner.

I use Aquarium Co-op Easy Green and Easy Iron as recommended and there are Flourish root tabs scattered around the substrate. I have a total of 4 T8 Fluorescent tubes, 2 are 6500k 32 watt, 2 are 5000k 32 watt. Lights are on for about 10 hours total a day but with a afternoon break of a couple hours (cant remember how long off the top of my head).

clear as mud? :red_mouth	
EDIT: This picture was taken 09/30/17


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## tyson2925 (May 11, 2017)

Hi, I started my first planted tank in 3/1/17. My first mistake was trying to grow plants with old bulbs. I managed to kill a lot of Dwarf Sag before I finally go my light situation under control. Then progress was made. This is my opinion as beginner and no one else may agree but Jungle Val is saving my tank. My struggles with getting other plants to grow in the beginning led to algae issues (BBA, etc.) Nothing gives you confidence in this hobby like actually seeing growth. I figure as my tank gets more established I can remove the Val if I want to try some different plants.

Light: Vivagrow LED on 9 hrs a day with afternoon break.

My plants:
Jungle Val
Crypt Balansae
Crypt Wendtti
Red Tiger Lotus

Good luck, let me know if I can help.


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