Plant Ideas for a 12 gallon tank.

Can you give me any live plant ideas for my 12 gallon tank with no substrate?

 

What kind of lighting will you have. Anything that floats, like java moss would be fine. Why no substrate?

 

Flourresent

 

I assume your lighting will be a standard fluorescent tube, probably around 15 watts. This is OK for low-light plants. Good plants for your setup will be Java Moss, Java Fern, Anubias, and perhaps Hornwort which can be left floating. Java Moss, Java Fern, and Anubias are tied to various aquarium decor, preferably driftwood. You can use black cotton thread or fishing line to tie the plangts to your decor/driftwood.

You mention you'll have no gravel. Will this be a breeding tank or something like that? A hospital tank perhaps?

 

I have gravel I just don't think it is substrate. Or is all gravel substrate?

 

The term substrate is actually somewhat incorrect in the context we use it. The proper term would be "substratum" which means "something that underlies or serves as a basis or foundation".

So yes, gravel is substrate I think you meant it is not plant-specific substrate, correct?

 

yeah.

 

I have gravel I just don't think it is substrate. Or is all gravel substrate?

Well, I guess "planted tank people" will generally refer to substrate as a nutrient-rich medium in which rooting plants are grown. So if it's "nutrient-rich" then it's "substrate", and if the medium is inert, then it's just plain "gravel". I've noticed, the terms are being used losely and interchangeably though. I usually add the terms "nutrient-rich" to either "substrate" or "gravel" when I want to indicate that the rooting medium is full of nutrients. Otherwise it's just plain gravel to me.

So, if you'll have plain inert gravel, you may want to try one rooting plant: Water Sprite. I have this plant in my 30 gallon tank, in plain inert gravel, under less than 1.0 wpg, and it does grow. It's a very easy and undemanding rooting plant. You can also tuck the Hornworts in your plain gravel.

 

You could tie java moss and ferns to rocks or driftwood. Or use root tabs to fertilize the rooted plants you do decide to add.

 

I agree with Isabella. Water Sprite. I love my Water Sprite. It'll even grow floating.

 

There are also fertilizer spikes for growing plants in gravel.

 

My water sprite grew pretty fast.....atleast one of them did but then a pond snail that I missed got a hold of it and one of the leaves is lookin a little drab o well it will grow back. Its a really neat plant. One is rooted and one is floating.

 

I just found out that my lighting is compact flouresent lighting and the gravel in my tank is nutrient rich. So, would this add any plants to the list of plants that I could get. Also, so you know I want plants that would go in the backgound of my tank.

 

For the background you'd want tall plants. Amazon swords are good; cabomba is also good, and fast growing. You could also try some of the taller vallisneria or ludwigia, though those are more light sensitive and require good lighting.

 

I think I might try Amazon swords and vallisneria.

Also, how do you plant the plants and how do you trim plans because I read that Amazon swords get really big.

 

Dont know about Swords but Vals are easy. You just mow it like grass. I have Contortionist Vals. They get pretty tall. I hear Corkscrew Vals won't get as tall. A better choice for shorter grow space. Those are the only two I know about. They are OK background plants once they get thick. A little wispy until then. Swords I do know get quite tall, then again there are several "sword" type plants.

 

Also, has anybody ordered live plants from the internet, just want to know if the plants are okay after shipping. And what are plant tabs and how do I use them.

 

I got all the plants for my 56g from liveaquaria. They arrived in 2 days in perfect shape, and all are thriving.

Amazon swords can get big, but they're usually slow growing, so you could get small ones and let them grow. I don't think the leaves grow beyond the surface of the water, though the plant itself will sometimes send up a flower spike that does stick out of the water. It's also a source for 'daughter' plants that start on the various nodes, and can eventually be cut off and planted.

Plant tabs are just that -- a small tablet of plant fertilizer that you stick in the substrate near the plant to provide nutrients that may otherwise be lacking. Seachem makes them, among others, and they can be found in any LFS.

 

I ordered my plants from aquarium plants Very happy with their product. Never ordered plants from Drs Foster and Smith (Liveaquaria) but every thing else has been top notch from them.