# Thick Sturdy Stem Plants?



## HybridHerp (May 25, 2012)

I'm trying to figure out what plants I want in my 75, and I'm willing to try pretty much anything. Problem is though that some of my fish would rather eat certain plants then think they are pretty lol
I've found that most plants with fine thin leaves would soon get picked straight down to the stem, such as the Wisteria that I had going for a while. I want to know what stem plants get thick sturdy stems that also have nice and sturdy leaves. Btw, if it helps, I have been keeping Windelov Java Fern in the tank and while at first the fish tried to rip it up they soon gave up after they were unsuccessful. I know for a fact that things like hornwort and cambodia do NOT do well in my tank though, they just become a salad bar for my fish lol

btw, my tank is a high light tank so feel free to suggest anything that would also enjoy the bright lights. especially if it has some color to it, because right now I'm a little short on red plants that aren't swords or crypts

thanks in advance 

(p.s.- I've looked through the plant finder and all but its hard for me to really gauge how thick or sturdy a plant is just by looking at it, so I would love some personal experience )


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## ecotanker (Jun 12, 2009)

You may want to look at a hygrophila species. Try these two easy ones:

Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis'

Hygrophila corymbosa 'Stricta'


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi HybridHerp,

Hygrophila pinnatifida


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## HybridHerp (May 25, 2012)

I'm defiantly trying some form of H. corymbosa, just not sure which one I want to go for yet
I was also considering trying pinnatifida as well, but I get the bad feeling that my fish would de-leaf it
any other ideas, keep them coming


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Maybe _Bacopa caroliniana_?


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

Very important question - What fish do you have? Certain types of fish are just not compatable with planted aquariums (silver dollars come to mind). Others are only slightly compatable like goldfish, digging fish and large cichlids. These fish can be kept with plants, but with limitations like special placement and species selection. We can help you more with more information.


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## HybridHerp (May 25, 2012)

the fish that are of concern for my are my rainbow cichlids basically, they like to pick and pull at any small things they see, but if they are unsuccessful they just sorta give up and go on with their day
I have some plants doing decently in the tank already, such as crypts and red tiger lotus and surprisingly madagascar lace, and I'm getting significantly better lighting in the next week or so (gotta wait for it to get to me)
the other fish I have, angel, blood parrot, pleco (that leaves me plants alone interestingly enough), pearl earth eater, and two bichirs don't really do much more than accidentally knock lose plants that have crummy roots


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

There was an article in TAG recently about how to keep plants with loaches that dig. The author suggested two things to deal with the digging issue. One, designate an area where the fish can dig freely with sand substrate and no plants. Two, place large(r) rocks around plants you don't want to be dug around. This way the fish (hopefully) wont be able to disturb the plant. If this doesn't work, try larger, heavier stones. If that doesn't work, I'm afraid to say your fish may just not be compatable with plants and will have to make a decision. (BTW, this doesn't address the issue of fish eating the plants - that's an entirely different issue. That said, allowing your plants to establish themselves may be all you need.)

As for plants to use, I think all Hygrophilia species are good (my vote would be for H. augustifolia). Crypts and Swords are good choices, too, with their deep root systems. Sagitarria do well for me.


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## HybridHerp (May 25, 2012)

my fish leave some plants alone and will make life difficult for others
crypts and swords have been 100% a-okay with my fish, along with red tiger lotus, banana plants, and madagascar lace plants
my issue might also just be that the stem plants were unable to root and thus started melting, becoming soft, and therefore tasty for the fish

I'm considering adding more crypts, a ton of Vallisneria (thicker leafed though, I like the look more anyways and think it might stand more of a chance) and defiantly experimenting with various Hygrophilia species (not sure which ones I visually like the best though)

any tips though for helping stem plants get a better root system? I've heard floating them helps and I've also considered placing them in a tank without fish for some time until they grew better roots (but none of my other tanks are as high light as this tank in question will be, so idk if it would be better to let them root in another tank and then move them or to just float them under high lights)

thanks for the help though, I'm still learning and experimenting


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## HybridHerp (May 25, 2012)

Well, I went to my lfs and found some Alternanthera reineckii and some sort of red Rotala (still trying to figure out exactly what species since it was only labeled as Rotala) and so far my fish have not stripped the stems clean of leaves, so that is a plus lol
now to work on having the stems actually stay down, but that might be easier when the plants develop roots
any tips for getting better roots? does the floating thing help at all?


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