Legacy2005

currently i have:
1 anubias
2 anachris
2 rosetta swords
1 val

lighting (20 gal):
24 inch 20watt.
18 inch 15 watt.

i have eco complete substrate, and add flourish once a week after water changes. been adding excel as well but the val is getting droopy, so i plan to stop the excel for awhile.

would i be able to add more plants to the tank with out doing Co2? i would like to add some carpet type of plants to fill in a few areas of the tank that are bare on the bottom and to make the tank more eye appealing.

thinking about adding some dwarf hair grass or some java moss. im new to the whole planted tank thing so any other ideas on plant types would be great.

Isabella

Hello, and welcome to Fish Lore If you have't yet read the General Guide to the Low-Light Planted Tank at the top of this board, I encourage you to do so.

Based on your tank stats, you have approx. 1.75 wpg of lighting over your 20 gallon tank. (A total of 35 watts divided by 20 gallons, gives you 1.75 watts per gallon - or wpg - of lighting.)

All of your current plants should so OK with Eco-Complete and with Flourish added after every water change. And YES you certainly CAN add many more plants if your tank is not fully planted. I personally have a low-light tank (also 1.7 wpg + Eco-Complete + Flourish) that is rather planted a lot. And I am planning just now to plant is completely fully too. I use no CO2 and my plants are FINE.

Good carpeting plants for your level of lighting (and no CO2) would be Dwarf Sagittarias, Cryptocoryne Willisii var. Lucens (it's a Crypt that stays very shot and looks beautiful as a foreground plant; it does very well in Eco-Complete), and maybe Pygmy Chain Sword (a nice dwarf Sword). I think Dwarf Hairgrass needs high light and CO2 injections to do well. I also have to tell you that while others have reported success with Dwarf Sagittaria, I had to throw mine away. They didn't seem to grow at all. And when they do grow, they grow TALL, so they name is misleading that they are "dwarf". As for Java Moss, it's perfectly fine too. It should be grown attached to some decor or driftwood.

Legacy2005

thanks. ive allrdy read and bookmarked the low light plant guide (lots of good info). been trying to find some that will stay short and cover the bottom to give the tank a more eye
appeling look. i knew there had to be more out there just wasnt sure what..lol