Help a newb with some plant choices

Vallisneria Spiralis. I think they might be called jungle vals normally, but i'm not so sure because the sign for the plant at the store only said Vallisneria Spiralis. I stumbled upon it while I was looking for a snail in Tampa. I was looking for the plant where I used to live, Lakeland, and instead got an amazon sword. I actually got 3 vals for $5.00, then one reproduced and then one died from losing so many leaves. My amazon sword also reproduced before but I cut off the baby too early so it died.

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I think this is good info for OP in case they want V. spiralis.

V. spiralis is different than V. americana (jungle val), but both are low light. They do much better with root tabs or a nutrient substrate (as do all root feeders), and it's possible that the light you have isn't good either.

 

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I think this is good info for OP in case they want V. spiralis.

V. spiralis is different than V. americana (jungle val), but both are low light. They do much better with root tabs or a nutrient substrate (as do all root feeders), and it's possible that the light you have isn't good either.

Do you know the normal name of V.spiralis then?

 

Common name? I hate common names because they're so subjective.

I got this when I googled it:
straight vallisneria, tape grass, or eel grass

 

Okay.

 

Wow these lights are 10x better. Can't wait to get some plants growing for my fish. They're still adjusting to the light

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They'll feel more comfortable with plants in there. The more hiding places you have, the most they seem to relax!

 

Yeah plants are defiantly on the list

I'm thinking Java fern and anubias on and around the driftwood. What would be a good talk plant for the back of the tank

 

Those sound good! Jungle vals grow tall. Wisteria is another fast growing background plant.

 

I like the jungle Vals. Will give me a good variety I think

 

So I picked up some anubias and Amazon sword today. What should I be adding to the tank to help them grow. Do I need root tabs?

 

Root tabs really do make a difference. I'm a total noob when it comes to plants, but I threw some root tabs in with my wisteria and Amazon sword, and saw the improvement very quickly. Leaves darkened up and the plant just looked stronger. My wisteria has grown a good 2 inches in the last month with root tabs

 

Any recommended brands. And how often do they need replaced

 

Any recommended brands. And how often do they need replaced

I use seachem products. They are my fav. So, seachem root tabs, seachem flourish (fert) and seacehm flourish excel (Co2 supplement)

and I think the root tabs need replacing every couple months?

 

Co2 supplement is needed?

 

Co2 supplement is needed?

Not really. Only for high demand plants.

 

I don't use co2. That comes in once you venture out of "beginner plants", and into those gorgeously scaped river tanks we beginners envy

 

So will I be ok with just root tabs then

 

Yes, as long as you stay with plants marked "beginner"

Those are the hardier, less demanding plants that we can learn on

 

So I've got the anubias tucked in on the bottom edge of some drift wood. For the swords I was thinking about using a bottle cap to put them in the sand will that work?

 

How would you use the bottle cap to plant them?

 

Cut a hole in the middle and stick the plant through it so it can hold in the sand. Saw a guy on YouTube do it

 

I don't think there's any need to do that, and I'd worry about the hole preventing the sword from growing well. I've had no issues with keeping my swords in the substrate, even with a digging pleco that uproots all other plants.

 

So just stuck it in the sand? Doesn't seem to have much root to hold it in place

 

You would be amazed how quickly the roots grow and spread out.

 

Alright I'll try that

 

Mine had only two root shoots at first, as it was a daughter plant

Granted it came up a couple of times during water changes, but after a week with root tabs it's spreading roots quite well and stays rooted on its own
Yours will do fine too

 

My Amazon swords have very large and long root systems - in some cases, the roots take up as much space as the leaves!

 

root tabs are fine for root feeders, but not all (including anubias) are root feeders. Anubias is a column feeder getting is nutrients from the water.

So will I be ok with just root tabs then