# What would you plant in a 30 inch tall 50 gallon tank...



## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi,
I am new to this forum and El Natural... I can't believe all the wonderful information and I thank every one for the assistance and input.
My husband brought home a free 50 gallon xtall tank. Here are all the dimensions. 30tall 19 deep 22 wide. I believe it is called a column tank??? Anyway it has a bag of miracle grow organic choice in it and he is going to get the gravel tomorrow. We want to do this with as little maint. as possible. So as the title reflects, what would you put if it were yours? We don't care if the plants come out of the top either. I am stumped...
Here is what we are thinking so far:
Rubin Sword
flame sword
Crinum Calimastrtum
Crypt Balansae, spirals
Isoetes
water sprite
sunset hygro


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi sandie,

I have a tall tank (24") and have grown several of the plants you have listed. The problem I find with some plants is the taller stems and leaves shade the lower leaves and they die. Some of the ones you have listed that worked well for me are: Isoetes sp.; Crypt. balansae; Vallisneria sp.; and Ludwigia repens x arcuata. Keep us posted how it goes!


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi Seattle Aquarist;
Thanks for answering me. I have placed the tank where it will get some good sunlight and hope that I can just plant it and leave it...


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

any more ideas?


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Hey Sandie,

well, as Roy mentioned, with a tank that tall, the difficulty will be getting light to penetrate to the lower depths. 

Crypt Balansae is a gorgeous plant once it settles in, and I've found they do really well in NPTs. The bullate leaves are very eye catching. They are not super fast growers, and don't "pup" as readily as many of the other crypts, so even though the per-plant price might be a bit daunting at first, I'd vote to get a nice stand of at least several of these as your background. 

Crinum calamistratum is a lovely plant, but is more of a solitary type - for more bang for the buck, I think the Crypt Balansae is a similar look and will fill in more satisfactorily.

You might also consider some of the other crypts for the lower areas - any of the C. wendtii group, which come in brown, bronze, green and "red" variants, are all lovely plants that would likely do OK with the reduced light levels at the bottom of your column tank because they'd appreciate the nutritious substrate. Also check out the C. willisii group - C. undulata is a little taller in stature, and has a nice mottled mauve appearance. 

Unless you want to hide the stems of the Hygrophila behind something, I'd advise against the "Sunset Hygro" (plus, its not legal to purchase in many states). Although its rated as "Easy" on the APC PlantFinder, I find that it needs a fair amount of light. It doesn't require CO2 or water column fertilizers, but because of the coloration, it does need the brightest spot in an NPT. Even then, it will stretch and reach for the light, and lose its bottom leaves, making it rather stark (ratty) looking. 

Instead, in order to have some fast-growing plants, which are particularly needed at the initial setup of an NPT, the Hygrophila difformis would be a better choice. Even the H. polysperma 'Celon' could be a good choice. 

With the shape of that tank, try thinking in vertical regions, knowing the uppermost vertical region will get the most light, then the middle ground, and finally the lower level of the aquarium, which will likely have reduced light reaching it. Think in terms of the light needs of the plants, and which ones would be suitable for each depth.

Hope this helps. And.... Keep us informed as you set up your tank - its always exciting!
-Jane


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi Jane,
Your post is exactly what I needed. You mentioning thinking in vertical regions made all the difference. Thanks so much!
Sandie


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Hey Sandie,

I'm glad to help! 

And welcome to the wonderful world of "El Natural" - I think you'll like the low-maintenance nature of these setups; after the initial break-in period, they are VERY flexible to a busy lifestyle.

Will you have any natural sunlight coming in kind of sideways to this tank? That could give you some additional options for a tall "back" plants, since these plants would get supplemental window light.

Also, w/ the Miracle Grow Organic soil, I've gotten it damp, then let it sit a few days before submerging it - this will let off some of the ammonia, and keep the initial spiking to a minimum.

Best wishes with your tank!
-Jane


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi Jane,
I do have this tank situated where it will receive a few hours of sunlight. It is under my upstairs loft (on the first floor)that has a picture window on the second floor that will give it a healthy dose of sunlight that comes in sideways but wont ever make it to the top of the tank. The tank is under the ceiling of the loft but it is all open, first and second floor, in the whole living room/foyer area the dining area is under the loft. I don't think I can explain it any better than that I'm sorry,I hope that just made sense... I have another tank that I want to convert from Excel/EI to El Natural and I have some pretty decent plants in there. All the plants are flourishing without CO2 injection could I transfer them? Here is what I have in that tank:
Isoetes: 5 of them
Crypts various: undulata, wenditti green and red, willisi lucens, parva
Ozelot Sword: Magnificent beauty BIG she is at least 20 inches tall and 12 inches around sends up stalks
Crinum Calimistratum: 4 of them
Lilleopsis Mauritiana: too many to count
Dwarf Hairgrass: too many to count
Hygro Compact: 3 of them
Hygro Sunset: lots
Ludwigia Glandulosa
Various java ferns
Red Root Floaters
Lots of stuff I know, but I really want to take advantage of the height of this tank so I am willing to pick up some more. And I AM SUPER EXCITED to do El Natural!!!


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

OH WOW!

Sure you can use the plants you're already growing! You've got quite the "shop" to take from at home already! Neat!

Sounds like a lovely location for this tank, as well. The natural light coming in diffused from other angles will be quite helpful. 

The only crypt I'd hesitate to put into the tall tank would be C. parva - it is surprisingly light hungry, and because of its small stature, I'd be concerned about its light needs. The others sound wonderful - and you already know their growth habits, too, which is a huge plus.

The L. mauritiana might do well around the front/sides, getting some of that scattered natural light, as long as its not directly shaded by other plantings. Its a short foreground plant, but you may be able to make it work, especially since its already (A.) submerged growth, and (B.) probably has a good root system on it in the current set up. I've had it going in one of my El Natural tanks for several months now. A fast grower, it is NOT, (plus I planted each individual node separately) but after three months, and the emersed-to-submerged transition, its finally getting a little beefier, if not quite yet spreading. 

Hey, if you have lots of H. polysperma 'Sunset', by all means, try it! Keep some going in the other tank, though... as a backup. I just thought that you'd considered it on looks alone, but if you already "know" this plant, its worth trying. 

One of the things about El Natural is that each setup is going to have its own "personality". And a lot of that will emerge as you experiment with it. I have two 10g that I *thought* I set up identically, although 2 months apart - same soil mix, same large grain sand/gravel cap, same lighting. But, there are just some plants that will grow in one, but not the other, and vice versa. I thought it was a maturity thing, so I would occasionally try a stem of one in the other, but without success. I've come to the conclusion that because the first has been growing Limnophila sessiliflora for awhile, the Cabomba caroliniana (which grows just fine in the second) simply will not take root. Allelopathy? Perhaps. And darned if I can get a V. 'nana' from the first tank to do anything but listlessly exist in the second, even while its source plant continues to send off shoots in every direction back in the first tank.

So, if you have some plants already, DO try them! Perhaps find a few plants that you'd like in this tall tank - its an opportunity to do a "tall" plant! Gosh, some of the larger Vallisnerias would be lovely (and a C. calimistratum in front of them as a backdrop would really show off its unique shape), or the C. balansae, or some of the taller growing Echinodorus - for instance, I've always wanted to try E. uruguayensis, but never had the height to do so. How do you feel about Aponogetons? I got a bulb of A. Ulvaceous, and grew it in a 20H, where it ended up stretching across the surface of the water when the leaves got too tall, but gosh, it was a lush beauty, and it loved the soil underlayer!


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi Jane,
I think the aponogetons are lovely. Here is what I am thinking so far. This tank when it is on the stand is taller than me, here is my idea. I would love input...
corkscrew vals or c. crispitula, water wisteria,sunset hygro, red root floaters, ozelot sword, c. undulata, c. wenditti red, green gecko.
I would have to buy the vals or crispitulas so I am really undecided. What do you think?


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

Letting the soil air out now, would love more opinions...


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

sandie said:


> Hi Jane,
> I think the aponogetons are lovely. Here is what I am thinking so far. This tank when it is on the stand is taller than me, here is my idea. I would love input...
> corkscrew vals or c. crispitula, water wisteria,sunset hygro, red root floaters, ozelot sword, c. undulata, c. wenditti red, green gecko.
> I would have to buy the vals or crispitulas so I am really undecided. What do you think?


Sounds like a very nice assortment! With a tank that tall, working in it is going to be a bit difficult. For this reason (and really only this reason, since I think all those plants would do well in this setup) I would tend to not have the vals, since they throw runners in every direction, and getting down to the surface to trim these and control where they go would be rather difficult. The C. crispulata (var balansae and others) will grow more slowly, and mainly get fuller, and if/when they do "pup" and send out an offshoot, it isn't very far away. I've had Val 'nana' pop up WAY far away from the parent plant, getting into the foreground, etc. They're great plants, but a bit more difficult to control.

Here's another thought - If you do go for the vals, or any plant really, with a tall tank, invest in a LONG pair of tweezers. I have both a curved and a straight-tip 10" tweezers, and use them constantly. You can probably get away with a "normal" pair of scissors, at least for a time, but the tweezers have been invaluable.

Mine came from this place:
http://www.drinstruments.com/xq/ASP.store/cat.25/qx/Forceps.htm

-Jane


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## sandie (Jan 11, 2010)

I see your point with the vals. I have aired out the soil and will very soon be planting. I am excited and scared all at the same time. Thanks for the tip, and the link with the instruments. Looks far more economical than some of the other sites I have been looking at.


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## Aquaticz (May 22, 2009)

Jane in Upton;
<snippo>
Here's another thought - If you do go for the vals said:


> http://www.drinstruments.com/xq/ASP.store/cat.25/qx/Forceps.htm[/URL]
> 
> -Jane


 One of my tanks is 25 1/2 inches tall. I am just under 6 foot. That is a great tip from Jane on the tweezers. Here are two more that I've not heard from others. First Aqua Gloves, although I do not use them when planting I do use them for maintance & what with a plastic floor mat you won't trash the carpet  Another I found recently is the sonic scrubber at Dr F&S. It allows you to get another 7-8 reach and works a lot better than scrubbing your glass with some sort of pad. It also allows me to really clean in those hard to get places. I am not one for gadgets but this one I recommend.

One last thought on tweezer. I have some reptiles & amphibians as well and you can get really long tweezers at reptile shows. Typically every show has a few retailers. I would not be without them as they are invaluable for planting.
HTH


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Whoa!

I didn't think of herp supplies - good idea.

This place
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/reptile-husbandry-tools/

has stainless steel tweezers up to 24" long! Holy smokes!

But EEEEWWW! *shudder* I REALLY didn't need to know about THIS..... "The Pinkie Pump is used for liquefying pinkies to force feed snakes and lizards up to ten pinkies at once."

-Jane


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## goldier (Feb 13, 2010)

Jane in Upton said:


> Whoa!
> 
> I didn't think of herp supplies - good idea.
> 
> ...


Haha, I need 2 ft long tweezers! One of my tanks is already that tall. Thanks for the link Jane.


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