# List of plants that will grow/thrive in HardWater



## DutchMuch

*My water has a ph of 8.2 just raw. And its Super hard it even creates mineral deposits.
I've been struggling myself to find plants that will grow and thrive in hardwater conditions. Over my years of testing different plants out I've come up with this list of durable plants.

Enjoy, and feel free to comment plants you know are hard water hardy.

Plants that will grow in HardWater conditions:*

Ludwigia Arcuata
Ludwigia Repens
Ludwigia Rubin
Pearlweed
Dwarf Hairgrass
Tall Hairgrass
Buce sp.
Crypt. Wendtii (var. brown, green)
Crypt. Lucens
Pogostemon erectus (give it lots of time)
Limnophila Aromatica
Hydrocotyle Japan
Marsilea Hirsuta
Amazon Frobit
Water Wisteria
Anubias sp.
Java fern sp.
Java moss
Christmass moss
willow moss
peacock moss
Brazilian Pennywort
Syn. Sp. (including Manaus)
Bacopa Caroliana
Bacopa Monnieri
Stargrass
Hygrophilia Corymbosa Compacta


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## mysiak

My water is about pH 7.6-8 and very hard too. These are growing fine in my tanks:
Stringy moss
Hygrophila polysperma
Sagittaria subulata
Egeria densa 
Pistia stratiotes
Duckweed
Echinodorus bleheri, ozelot
Crinum calamistratum

Do you find water hardness a limiting factor? Which plants failed to grow due to it? I'm curious as usually it's low light or low CO2 which stunts the growth.


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## DutchMuch

Plants failed for me:
Pogostemon erectus, (i put this as a winner to, but let me add it only grows FOR ME 1/2 of the time, and it takes a long time if it Does grow) 
Ludwigia mini super red
Rotala species

And that's all i remember right now, all my setups are high tech, Estimative index dosing (or dirted), high lighting.

i find if your keeping Fish and not plants, hardness isn't a limiting factor because fish can adapt (depending on the type) to imo just about any parameter environment (ph and hardness). 
As for plants i find it a huge limiting factor... Simply because most plants require softer water and a way lower ph than water hard water offers you.


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## mysiak

I have heavily planted tank, so many smaller plants are shaded. I don't add CO2 and only small amount of fertilizer, so these are main limiting factors in my tank. I was and am able to grow all "easy" plants, even if they are not in their "native" pH/hardness range. Not saying that they wouldn't grow better in soft water, just that I don't see it as a huge issue. Though I have only 2 tanks and jumped into this hobby about 2 years ago, so my experience is quite limited.

About fish adapting to any parameters - I read an excellent article about this topic here: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/member-submitted-articles/stress-freshwater-aquarium-fish-98852/ I recommend reading all posts in that subforum from user "Byron", they are very informative and often provide different, scientific view on common "myths".


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## DutchMuch

mysiak said:


> I have heavily planted tank, so many smaller plants are shaded. I don't add CO2 and only small amount of fertilizer, so these are main limiting factors in my tank. I was and am able to grow all "easy" plants, even if they are not in their "native" pH/hardness range. Not saying that they wouldn't grow better in soft water, just that I don't see it as a huge issue. Though I have only 2 tanks and jumped into this hobby about 2 years ago, so my experience is quite limited.
> 
> About fish adapting to any parameters - I read an excellent article about this topic here: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/member-submitted-articles/stress-freshwater-aquarium-fish-98852/ I recommend reading all posts in that subforum from user "Byron", they are very informative and often provide different, scientific view on common "myths".


Ive had my time with Byron, i cant say i believe everything he says after a few times he got carried away, and he isn't a pleasant guy to talk with. I think that's why he only sticks to that forum. 
When i said fish adapting to any parameters. i didn't mean with a simple drip acclimation, i meant you need to breed it into the fish, literally. Generations of the fish would be required (again depending on the type, 1/2 the time a drip acclimation is all it takes, i mean this for the more difficult needy fish like discus) in order to breed the Hard water lets say, into them. a good example is English discus. Discus bread over in England it took them a while to get discus strains over there and now they have but it took a while because in England they have Very hard water like we do, and they had to breed the water parameters into them over time.


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## heathenspirit.brandon

DutchMuch said:


> *My water has a ph of 8.2 just raw. And its Super hard it even creates mineral deposits.
> Ive been struggling myself to find plants that will grow and thrive in hardwater conditions.. Over my years of testing different plants out ive come up with this list of durable plants.
> 
> Enjoy, and feel free to comment plants you know are hard water hardy.
> 
> Plants that will grow in HardWater conditions:*
> 
> Ludwigia Arcuata
> Ludwigia Repens
> Ludwigia Rubin
> Pearlweed
> Dwarf Hairgrass
> Tall Hairgrass
> Buce sp.
> Crypt. Wendtii (var. brown, green)
> Crypt. Lucens
> Pogostemon erectus (give it lots of time)
> Limnophila Aromatica
> Hydrocotyle Japan
> Marsilea Hirsuta
> Amazon Frobit
> Water Wisteria
> Anubias sp.
> Java fern sp.
> Java moss
> Christmass moss
> willow moss
> peacock moss
> Brazilian Pennywort
> Syn. Sp. (including Manaus)
> Bacopa Caroliana
> Bacopa Monnieri
> Stargrass
> Hygrophilia Corymbosa Compacta


I've grown much of what you mentioned with little problem (ludwigia always gives me problems) with tap water about 8.2, bit the aquarium water is now about 7.6, thanks to the plants I'm sure.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## DutchMuch

Bumping this, anyone else got anything to add?  


More plants that do good in hard water:

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
Nymphaeaceae 
Echinodorus grisebachii
Echinodorus amazonicus
Vallisneria sp.


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## khanzer22

Quick Q, what's your water parameters? Like TDS, KH and GH?

My water source's PH ranges from 7.8-8.4 posted from their water quality report but when I check my tap, it varies between 7.7-8.0... GH and KH however are both 2 degrees and TDS varies as well between 79-90... These parameters though, I can grow pretty much everything so far, including difficult plants...


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## DutchMuch

Adding to list:
Rotala indica (not true variety)
Rotala Mac.
Ludwigia Glandulosa (if not added already)
Ludwigia mini super red
Ammania Gracilis
Crypt. balansae

Edit*
Hottonia palustris
Hygrophila'Compact'
Hygrophila difformis
Lagenandrameeboldii 'Red'
Limnophila hippuridoides
Limnophila sessiliflora
Ludwigia palustris
Murdannia keisak
Rotala rotundifolia
Sagittaria subulata


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