Is this too much plants for a 5 gallon?

So I have a fluval spec v I’m looking to rescape. I have a list of plants, but I think it might be too many. It’s going to be a waisted aquarium btw

foreground: dwarf sag, Cryptocoryne small species
midground: hygrophila pinnatifida, Java fern petite, anubias nana petite
background: bacopa monnieri, ludwigia Rubin, ludwigia super red, crypt retrospiralis, cabomba, hygrophila polysperma, Rotala green

is this too much plants for the 5 gallon? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I think you already know the answer. 5gal is fairly small... I kept around 4 types of plant in my old 5gal and they easily covered the tank. I currently only have 6 types in my 25gal and its overgrown.

You have listed 12 plants... half that would be better.
I'd go dwarf sag, Mix java and anubias mid and pick 3 background, contrast colour a leaf shape.

Also to note plants don't like competition. Give them space and they will be happier.

 

12 plant species in a 4+ gallon tank:
Small planted tank for dummies | Aquarium Plants Forum

with nothing but inert sand, water changes, a bit of liquid fertilizer
without dedicated light, filter, heater

Except for Rotala wallichii, doing OK given the fact that it's winter.

 

12 plant species in a 4+ gallon tank:
Small planted tank for dummies | Aquarium Plants Forum

with nothing but inert sand, water changes, a bit of liquid fertilizer
without dedicated light, filter, heater

Except for Rotala wallichii, doing OK given the fact that it's winter.

Nice tank ruud. I failed to mention i like wood/stones... 60% of my tank tends to be hardscape

 

Nice tank ruud. I failed to mention i like wood/stones... 60% of my tank tends to be hardscape

Ha! Mine too
This 4 gallon tank is just to show a few people you can grow pretty much any plant with almost nothing. I committed to spring, then I tear it down.

 

I took out the hygrophila pinnatifida, Bacopa, and ludwigia super red. Would this be manageable for the 5 gallon? Sorry for the questions this is my first attempt at a heavily planted tank, and I want it to look its best.
P.S, Ruud that is a beautiful tank!

 

No, its not . It's just a small tank with sand and plants grouped together. A bunch of "root feeders" growing in inert sand without root tabs.

Myself, I would skip Hygrophila pinnatifida from your list for now.

Don't add Ludwigia super red to get super red colors. Ludwigia super red already is a bit red-ish in low tech conditions, like AR mini in my planted tank, and hence, rewarding.

To bring out super red colors in plants you need to crank up light intensity. And this iswhere problems start to rise.

Turning up the intensity should only be done in mature, heavily, healthy planted tanks. CO2 injection makes a big difference also.

Again, Ludwigia super red is already rewarding in low tech/energy tanks.

 

So I'd leave the Ludwigia and Bacopa in the tank.

 

No, its not . It's just a small tank with sand and plants grouped together. A bunch of "root feeders" growing in inert sand without root tabs.

Myself, I would skip Hygrophila pinnatifida from your list for now.

Don't add Ludwigia super red to get super red colors. Ludwigia super red already is a bit red-ish in low tech conditions, like AR mini in my planted tank, and hence, rewarding.

To bring out super red colors in plants you need to crank up light intensity. And this iswhere problems start to rise.

Turning up the intensity should only be done in mature, heavily, healthy planted tanks. CO2 injection makes a big difference also.

Again, Ludwigia super red is already rewarding in low tech/energy tanks.

Did I forget to mention it’s a walstad tank? Thank you for the suggestions anyway, and For the lighting tip

 

Walstad.... according to her original writings or how she currently runs her own tank?

To me Walstad, refers to planted tanks where faith is put on biology as opposed to technology. Basically, how things where done before the money-making industry took over.

With the exception of one of my tanks, I run all my tanks Walstad-ish, but without the double layered substrate. I use either rich soil or inert sand. Both work, so I don't need to use both. It is more of an aesthetic decision to go with either soil or sand.

 

I have a spec V and it’s basically a short and thin tank with the preference given to length. I would be inclined to say that it isn’t really a tank that has a foreground, mid ground and back ground. Some of what you are listing for the back such as camboba and hygrophila polysperma are too big for that tank.

 

I have a spec V and it’s basically a short and thin tank with the preference given to length. I would be inclined to say that it isn’t really a tank that has a foreground, mid ground and back ground. Some of what you are listing for the back such as camboba and hygrophila polysperma are too big for that tank.

I understand your reasoning. Also, in nano tanks, small leaves work better as large leaves (like H. polysperma) make the tank look a lot smaller.

Stoloniferous plants, like Valls, Lilaeopsis, Eleocharis, Helanthium Tenellum, Sagittaria, mixed with Staurogyne Repens would work great in a thin tank.

That said, I never pay attention whether plants are labeled as easy, medium or difficult. Or foreground, midground, background. I have bacopa monnieri creeping over hardscape, partly growing emersed. And I have a hygrophila polysperma in a tiny tank as the center piece. Will make a picture of both later today and add to this thread.

 

I understand your reasoning. Also, in nano tanks, small leaves work better as large leaves (like H. polysperma) make the tank look a lot smaller.

Stoloniferous plants, like Valls, Lilaeopsis, Eleocharis, Helanthium Tenellum, Sagittaria, mixed with Staurogyne Repens would work great in a thin tank.

That said, I never pay attention whether plants are labeled as easy, medium or difficult. Or foreground, midground, background. I have bacopa monnieri creeping over hardscape, partly growing emersed. And I have a hygrophila polysperma in a tiny tank as the center piece. Will make a picture of both later today and add to this thread.

Would be very interesting to see your tank.

I just did a quick measurement of my spec V and it’s coming in at just under 18cm deep. It’s difficult for OP to get some kind of carpet/foreground with something substantial/bushy/broad leafed behind there. I had a look at 1 year old dwarf sag in another of my tanks and that’s currently spread itself out and is taking around 10cm per plant.

 

I should check on my riparium a bit more often. I've too many tanks in too many rooms! I imagined I had more creeping bacopa monnieri after my last trimming / pulling out. Below you can see it finding its way on the rocks, monkey mask roots and growing out of the water.




Below is an 8 by 8 inch footprint tank, that I've shared on this forum before. Here too, I did trimming after the summer and took out a large wooden log sticking out of the tank. It looks a bit sad at the moment; typical of no tech tanks during winter time. Hygrophila on the left. In two months from now, it'll start to grow fast and out of the water, unless I trim it frequently.




Here's an older image of the same plant in another one of my ripariums.




Everything is possible with plants.

 

Walstad.... according to her original writings or how she currently runs her own tank?

To me Walstad, refers to planted tanks where faith is put on biology as opposed to technology. Basically, how things where done before the money-making industry took over.

With the exception of one of my tanks, I run all my tanks Walstad-ish, but without the double layered substrate. I use either rich soil or inert sand. Both work, so I don't need to use both. It is more of an aesthetic decision to go with either soil or sand.

Basically a dirted tank, sorry for the mix up

I have a spec V and it’s basically a short and thin tank with the preference given to length. I would be inclined to say that it isn’t really a tank that has a foreground, mid ground and back ground. Some of what you are listing for the back such as camboba and hygrophila polysperma are too big for that tank.

I understand your reasoning. Also, in nano tanks, small leaves work better as large leaves (like H. polysperma) make the tank look a lot smaller.

Stoloniferous plants, like Valls, Lilaeopsis, Eleocharis, Helanthium Tenellum, Sagittaria, mixed with Staurogyne Repens would work great in a thin tank.

That said, I never pay attention whether plants are labeled as easy, medium or difficult. Or foreground, midground, background. I have bacopa monnieri creeping over hardscape, partly growing emersed. And I have a hygrophila polysperma in a tiny tank as the center piece. Will make a picture of both later today and add to this thread.

yeah now that I think about it, the tank is pretty thin, so maybe it would be possible to put h polysperma, as a focal point? Bacopa is definitely a keeper as well as the ludwigia. I will also look into the plant choices.

Would be very interesting to see your tank.

I just did a quick measurement of my spec V and it’s coming in at just under 18cm deep. It’s difficult for OP to get some kind of carpet/foreground with something substantial/bushy/broad leafed behind there. I had a look at 1 year old dwarf sag in another of my tanks and that’s currently spread itself out and is taking around 10cm per plant.

my sag isn’t very tall and forms a nice carpet. I was thinking of adding some sag from my other tank which grows nice and compact. Here is a picture
Also this is the tank I am planning to harvest most of my plants from, including Bacopa, limnophila, Hygrophila, dwarf sag, ludwigia Rubin ,and I think that the cabomba is actually limnophila sessiliflora. I already have some Val’s in here but I am afraid they will grow too big, as they are the jungle variety. The hygrophila is staying rather small however, so I don’t really know if it will be that detrimental to the 5 gallon. Sorry for any ignorance, I am just really curious and sorry again.