# Low light plants for beginner: 36 gallon



## Stone73 (Mar 20, 2011)

Hello, I am new to plants, and I have a 36 gallon bow front aquarium with 5 glass catfish, 6 cardinal tetras, and 1 female BN pleco. I only have 1 24" t8 fluorescent 17 watt 8,000k bulb. I ordered 6 small-medium pieces of driftwood that I will be putting java needle leaf ferns, and crypts on, and one large "centerpiece" driftwood that I will be putting taiwanese moss on. The driftwood wont be here for a week or so.

I wanted to start out with a few long grass like background plants, I was thinking 3-5 vals, but I have low lighting, so I don't know which to get.

I also had a question of a good small low light foreground plant, that preferably can be rooted on driftwood or a rock?


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Anubias 'nana' or 'petite' will work for your foreground and will attach to wood/rocks. Vallisneria might do okay in the background if you have the light directly over them.


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## Stone73 (Mar 20, 2011)

I went to the best LFS around (drove for almost an hour) to get some plants, the guy there told me that corkscrew vals would be good in low light so I went with those, I got 15 of them and planted them along the back wall of my aquarium. I know that they traditionally need higher lighting than I have, although I am hoping to over compensate my ferting them with seachem flourish tabs.
I'm going to let them grow for a little while, when the driftwood arrives I'll go ahead and put the moss on it, but I'm going to wait to get the java ferns, and crypts

@ davemonkey: Could I plant the anubias nana in the foreground, because I planned on using all of my driftwood to plant my midground plants. If not are there any good small plants that will root in the ground. Keep in mind I am already using root tabs.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

you can also do dwarf sags!! they might get a little bigger with low light but in my experience they do very well!


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## sketch804 (May 27, 2007)

well good luck on your venture but the only thing i have to say is i have used vals in my tanks for years now. And your right there higher light plants but i have found many times that the vals will grow under that small amount of light, but they will be very weak and not as green as they should be. now how high is your tank? because if it's anything like my 29gal high (and mine is 18"+ tall) then that amount of light will just not grow them that well. i hope I'm wrong on this one because vals are some of my fav. plants (and they reproduce like rabbits, ha) and i hope they grow great for you!


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