# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Choosing the right plants for low tech?



## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Although there may be some disagreement on this, in general the easiest to grow plants are those rooted rosette plants, and the most prolific growing stem plants. Some tuber plants such as Aponogetons and some lillies could also be appropiate. The prolific stem plants are becoming illegal to keep because of their prolific growth rate.

From my limited experience, what I like keeping under low tech are various Echinodorus, (sword plants), various Cryptocorynes, Crinums, Valisneria, Anubias, various water ferns, Aponogetons, and Barclaya.

Cryps are particularly interesting because they vary to some extent in color and leaf shape. From my stand point there are basicaly two types of cryps, those most suitable for aquariums and those most suitable for emersed growth only. Serious Cryp collectors could care less about the aquarium. That is not where my interest lies. I want to do a Cryp only tank with as much variety as possible in species that will grow completly under water.

I am going to set up a 20 gallon long aquarium with the following species:

ciliata
balansae
spiralis
wendtii
lucens
lutea
petchii
willisii

I am going to attempt, believe it or not, to do as much of an artistic layout as possible. I want to have most of the foreground and center planted with willisii and the wendtii, lucens, lutea, and petchii in groups at the ends and in the middle with the ciliata, balansae and spiralis in the rear. I think I will go with a soil and peat mix topped with gravel, moderate light, no C02. Oh, I forgot blassi! Add that to!! Any suggestions?


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Although there may be some disagreement on this, in general the easiest to grow plants are those rooted rosette plants, and the most prolific growing stem plants. Some tuber plants such as Aponogetons and some lillies could also be appropiate. The prolific stem plants are becoming illegal to keep because of their prolific growth rate.

From my limited experience, what I like keeping under low tech are various Echinodorus, (sword plants), various Cryptocorynes, Crinums, Valisneria, Anubias, various water ferns, Aponogetons, and Barclaya.

Cryps are particularly interesting because they vary to some extent in color and leaf shape. From my stand point there are basicaly two types of cryps, those most suitable for aquariums and those most suitable for emersed growth only. Serious Cryp collectors could care less about the aquarium. That is not where my interest lies. I want to do a Cryp only tank with as much variety as possible in species that will grow completly under water.

I am going to set up a 20 gallon long aquarium with the following species:

ciliata
balansae
spiralis
wendtii
lucens
lutea
petchii
willisii

I am going to attempt, believe it or not, to do as much of an artistic layout as possible. I want to have most of the foreground and center planted with willisii and the wendtii, lucens, lutea, and petchii in groups at the ends and in the middle with the ciliata, balansae and spiralis in the rear. I think I will go with a soil and peat mix topped with gravel, moderate light, no C02. Oh, I forgot blassi! Add that to!! Any suggestions?


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Only one. Use a taller tank. There's only three plants on your list that won't easily reach the surface in a 20 gallon long.


Roger Miller


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

I agree with Roger. Unless you want some of those to grow emersed (which could be give some neat effects for an open top tank) you'll need something at least 24" high. Robert, please keep us updated on this tank, this could be way cool. Have you put any thought into using parva, or is that what the willisi is for?

Best,
Phil


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Well, parva grows so slow and is so small, I thought the willisii might work better. I might add some parva.

The balansae and spiralis will just drape over the water surface. The blassi might be interesting to see what happens. It will be an open top tank. If you think this tank is to small for these, what would you think of usteriana! At one point I was considering that too! Did you see the pic of the all Cryp tank in TAG? thats kinda what I want to do. Maybe I will use a larger tank. Anyone see any problems growing these species together?


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Robert,

I've got no experience keeping blassi submerged, I'm not courageous enough to risk it yet. As for the balansae and spiralis, you saw how tall it was in my discus tank and that's 24" high. I think the draping effect would work well with the balansae, but not with spiralis, which tends to look like vallisneria when it drapes.

Usteriana?! Diana brought some of that to our last meeting and it was huge! I can't imagine trying to grow that in anything shorter than 24". If it was able to grow up out of the tank in an emersed form I think it would lend a great effect, otherwise it would give Audry from Little Shop of Horrors a run for her money.









Aside from the possible height issue I don't see any problems. I don't recall any of them needed special treatment. The only thing I would be concerned with is size and the possibility of crowding out some of the smaller species.

What kind of lighting are you going to be using? One of the JBJ or ESU fixtures?

What kind of hardscape are you thinking of making/using? I've always liked how you did your 55g a few years ago. That general feel would go well with an all Crypt tank IMO.

Best,
Phil


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## The Bishop (Mar 11, 2004)

Robert,

I think that C. pontederiifolia or C. moehlmannii would look nice in that tank. It would add some shapes and textures that the species that you named don't already have. They're also among the fastest-growing Crypts, that would help get the tank going.

Also, if you can find it, C. huduroi I think it would look awesome as a centerpiece. And for your C. wendtii, the Mi Oya form is very nice.









I have always felt that an all-Crypt tank would be absolutely spectacular. I'm pretty excited to see how yours turns out.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

An "all Crypt" tank sounds nice. 

I think you could pack most species into a tank 18" high. That's the height of my 45 and 50 gal, and I've got several Crypt varieties in both. The C. usteriana's long (2+ ft) leaves just float on the surface. They seem to fit in okay.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Thats kinda what I thought Diana. I know wendtii and others can get fairly tall, but in a tank with low to moderate light and no added C02, the growth is slow and more compact.

I got my substrate materials. A bag of potting soil, and this crushed rock that I forget what it is called... it is some kind of building material. It is simply crushed rock equavilant in size to Flourite, perhaps a little finer. I think it is the same stuff Ekim uses. And then I got Pea gravel. All this was purchased at Lowes. (2) 50 pound bags of crushed rock, 1 cubic foot bag of potting soil, 2 50 pound bags of pea gravel, all for $18 total.

I am actually setting up a whole new rack which will hold several tanks. I will use the same substrate for these tanks.

Each rack is 4 ft wide with three shelves. Each unit is side by side for a total width of 8 ft. Above each shelf I have installed an 8 ft HO flourescent light that holds two 8ft tubes. Each tube is 110 watts. The tubes are cool white, the only temp that HOs are available in. I got the fixtures at Home Depot for around $50 each. The tubes were only $5 each. Each shelf can hold a maximum of 1500 pounds, (1500 for every 4 ft) The boltless rack shelves were much more expensive. About $140 each when you add the shipping. They weighed so much that they had to be shipped strapped to a pallet by truck line from California.

I am not sure yet if I will have this cryp tank on this rack, or somewhere else. The tanks on the rack will be open top, and there is a good amount of space betweem the top pf the tank and the light, so some of the light is lost, but it is still a good amount of light! So maybe that doesn't qualify as low to moderate light!

But, back to the substrate: I am going to mix the potting soil with the crushed rock and add a little Terralit to it. Terralit is an aquarium substrate from Aqua Medic that has high CEC. This will add a very porous material to the substrate. On top of this bottom layer I will add some more crushed rock, and then a top layer of the Pea gravel. This "pea" gravel is actually a little smaller than most pea gravel I have seen or heard of, so its just about the perfect size. I decided not to bother with the peat. I figure the soil will provide enough organic material since it is mostly compost. I plan to use it very sparingly.

This is what the shelves looked like before I installed the lights:










The fixtures hang about three inches down from underneath each shelf, (a metal brace in the middle prevents the lights from being mounted flush to the bottom of the shelf. So you can see there is still plenty of space between the 20 gallon long tanks and the lights above them. Taller tanks would be a tighter squeeze.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Sounds and looks great Robert. I can only imagine that rack full of Crypts....*drool*.









Best,
Phil


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## Wally (Aug 31, 2003)

Robert,

Those racks look a lot like what I use in my fish room. The ones I got are called gorilla racks and I got them at Sam's Club for about $60 each.

Each shelf is slightly larger than 18" by 48". I have had as many as 4 shelves on each unit each holding 4 ten gallon tanks skinny side out (16 tanks total) with no problems. In my current set up I have a 75 gallon filled with 3 inches of gravel and then big rocks on top of that and a 40 breeder on top of that, so weight is not a problem.

If you need more racks for your new store check them out, it will be cheaper for you


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Don't know if my tank qualifies as an all-Crypt tank, but it might soon. Right now there are 7 individual Wendtii that I got from Robert and they have been doing very well. Growing into this low, dense, carpet-like plants. For a very very low-light tank, that is just amazing, and I am more than grateful. Yesterday I ordered some more small Crypts, including some Wendtii, Lucens, Tropica Wendtii, and Lutea. Once I get them I plan on planting in the front of the tank, as the ones I got from Robert are growing nicely in the middle and back. 

I do have other plants but they are reall in mess. All clumped together, and these stay semi-submerged as I put them all atop a piece of drift wood that I purposely made protruding a little over the surface. These plants include: one or two Ciliata plantlet(maybe also from Robert...not sure), Java moss as the cover on the wood, several lilaeopsis, one dwarf hairgrass root with new leaves coming out(these roots I got from the bottom portion of the pot with wool that I separated....Yes, guys, I save everything; roots, leaves, stems, debris;P), and today, Gomer's Monosolenium tenerum. I know I know, sounds like it's alot, but it's really not. These are all spare, leftovers I saved over a period of time. I'm a miracle believer(or left-over collector). I will take pictures to show you. 



Paul


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> : I am going to mix the potting soil with the crushed rock and add a little Terralit to it. Terralit is an aquarium substrate from Aqua Medic that has high CEC.
> 
> Robert,
> 
> ...


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

in what section of walmart are those gorilla racks located? i couldn't find it..


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