Setting up live plants

Hey I've never done a live plant tank before but I'm cycling a 20 gallon right now and was thinking about having at least a couple live plants.

Question 1. Does the tank have to be cycled before adding live plants?

Question 2. Are there any low maintenance live plants? Like some I can just root into the sand and only have to trim every once in awhile, no co2 or fertilizer??

 

You can add plants at any time during your cycle.
For easier plants I would recommend:
Java fern/moss
Vallisneria
Elodea canidensis
Hornwort
Moss ball (roll it around once in awhile)
All of these will grow with decent lighting.
Liquid ferts will help them to thrive

 

You can add plants at any time during your cycle.
For easier plants I would recommend:
Java fern/moss
Vallisneria
Elodea canidensis
Hornwort
Moss ball (roll it around once in awhile)
All of these will grow with decent lighting.
Liquid ferts will help them to thrive

All my tanks except my 30 have led lighting. I've heard of hornwort before is this a good one? So all I will need for the plants you mentioned is a trim every once in a while and add some liquid fertilizer whenever it needs it?

 

Moss ball about as low maintenance as they get. They grow about 5 mm per year so no trimming needed. Just give them a squeeze and roll them around every couple weeks so they don't go brown on one side.

 

• #1 Sagittaria
• #2 Vallisneria
• #3 Java Moss
• #4 Anubias
• #5 Java Fern
• #6 Green Hygrophila
• #7 Moneywort
• #9 Sunset Hygro
• #10 Rotala Indica
• #11 Rotala Rotundifolia
• #12 Hornwort

 

• #1_Sagittaria
• #2_Vallisneria
• #3_Java_Moss
• #4_Anubias
• #5_Java_Fern
• #6_Green_Hygrophila
• #7_Moneywort
• #9_Sunset_Hygro
• #10_Rotala_Indica
• #11_Rotala_Rotundifolia
• #12_Hornwort

Thank you good sir!!

 

• #1_Sagittaria
• #2_Vallisneria
• #3_Java_Moss
• #4_Anubias
• #5_Java_Fern
• #6_Green_Hygrophila
• #7_Moneywort
• #9_Sunset_Hygro
• #10_Rotala_Indica
• #11_Rotala_Rotundifolia
• #12_Hornwort

12. Water wisteria

 

I echo the Moss ball route. I bought 3 through Amazon about a month ago and they are awesome!! I got 3 for just under $10, which is about as good of a price that I've seen for them as they are giant (as Moss Balls go) at about 2" each. Super easy, super cool.

I have also experimented with other plants. Part of what may make a diifference if you have sand is what type of fish you are planning on having in your tank. I have a Pleco that has uprooted many of the stalky types of plants like Wisteria and Mexican Oak Leave. What he doesn't mess with, I've caught my Angels taking off leaves of them.

What has worked is a Java Fern, and a couple different versions of Amazon Sword. Banana Plants ar pretty cool and low maintenance too.

 

Cryptocoryne for the front/middle maybe for some depth - wendtiI is easy, quite dense and a nice bronze colour next to background green plants.

 

Maybe I'm the only one in the world who feels this way, but I don't like the moss balls. They look fake to me.

 

Maybe I'm the only one in the world who feels this way, but I don't like the moss balls. They look fake to me.

It's not an outrageous opinion and I can see where you're coming from.

For me, I have struggled mightily in getting plants to do much of anything in my tanks. Some just don't seem to grow and eventually fizzle out. Many others get uprooted by the fish, especially the Pleco, that they eventually also fail. Other than a few plants that have worked well somehow, the Moss Balls are something that is very low maintance, can even get moved by the fish, and most importantly stay alive! That's probably where my love for them as a plant stems from (pardon the pun).