What Plants Should I Go For In This List?!

[bizaliz3]

I'm going to the MN aquarium society annual plant expo thing tonight. I'd love some input on what I should go after.
I am planning on shooting for mostly anubias. But look at this list!!!! I need low to medium light plants only. My pH is in the 7s. My lighting is 10000k LEDs.

Anyway...here is the list!

Need plants? Join us at our plant extravaganza on Thursday. We may set a record with number of varieties available! Here’s our expected list of available plants:

> BUNCH PLANTS
Alternanthera reineckiI var. 'roseafolia'
Bacopa australis
Bacopa caroliniana
Bacopa monnieri
Cabomba caroliniana
Cabomba pulcherrima
Cardamine lyrata
Ceratophyllum demersum
Egeria najas
Gratiola viscudula
Hydorcotyle leucocephala / sibthorpioides
Hygrophila araguaia
Hygrophila corymbosa 'Kompakt'
Hygrophila difformis
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Limnophila aromatica 'hippuroides'
Limnophila indica
Ludwigia arcuata
Ludwigia glandulosa
Ludwigia inclinata var verticillata 'cuba'
Ludwigia palustris
Ludwigia repens
Lysimachia nummularia
Mayaca fluviatilis
Myriophyllum heterophyllum
Myriophyllum simulans
Nesaea crassicaulis
Pogostemon erectus
Potamogeton gayi
Proserpinaca palustris
Rotala macrandra
Rotala 'nanjenshan'
Rotala rotundifolia
Rotala wallichii
Shinnersia rivularis

> ECHINODORUS
Echinodorus barthii
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus bleherI 'compacta'
Echinodorus cordifolius
Echinodorus cordifolius 'Tropica Marble Queen'
Echinodorus martii
Echinodorus osiris
Echinodorus osiris "Golden Melon"
Echinodorus osiris "Pinwheel"
Echinodorus parviflorus "Tropica"
Echinodorus "Green Ozelot"
Echinodorus "HadI Red Pearl"
Echinodorus "Indian Red"
Echinodorus "Kleiner Bar"
Echinodorus "Kleiner Prinz"
Echinodorus "Oriental"
Echinodorus "Ozelot"
Echinodorus "Red Flame"
Echinodorus "Rubin"
Echinodorus "St. Elmo's Fire"

> ANUBIAS
Anubias afzelii
Anubias barterI var. 'nana'
Anubias barterI var. nana 'narrow leaf'
Anubias barterI var. nana 'petite'
Anubias barterI var. 'round leaf'
Anubias 'Frazeri'
Anubias 'Nangi'

> CRYPTOCORYNE
Cryptocoryne beckettiI 'Petchii'
Cryptocoryne blassii
Cryptocoryne crispatula 'balansae'
Cryptocoryne lutea
Cryptocoryne parva
Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Cryptocoryne undulata
Cryptocoryne usteriana
Cryptocoryne wendtiI 'brown'
Cryptocoryne wendtiI 'green'
Cryptocoryne wendtiI 'MI Oya'
Cryptocoryne wendtiI 'Tropica'

> SAGITTARIA
Sagittaria platyphylla
Sagittaria subulata

> VALLISNERIA
Vallisneria americana var. biwaensis
Vallisneria asiatica
Vallisneria spiralis

> APONOGETON
Aponogeton boivinianus
Aponogeton madagascariensis
Aponogeton ulvaceous
> MISCELLANEOUS

Blyxa auberti
Bolbitis heudelotii
Bucephalandra ‘Green Wavy’
Crinum calamistratum
Cyperus helferi
Isoetes lacustris
Lobelia cardinalis 'small form'
Microsorum pteropus
Microsorum pteropus 'Trident'
Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Nymphaea stellata
Nymphoides aquatica
Zephyranthes candida

> LOW, FORGROUND PLANTS
Echinodorus tenellus
Fissidens nobilis
Glossostigma elatinoides
Helanthium quadricostatus
Helanthium tenellus
Heminathus callitrichoides
Hydrocotyle tripartita 'Japan'
Lilaeopsis mauritiana
Marsilea quadrifolia
Micranthemum 'MONTE CARLO'
Monosolenium tenerum
Sagittaria subulata "Dwarf"
Staurogyne repens

 

[KinsKicks]

That looks so awesome!
Are you looking for a particular look for your tanks (like, you need some tall plants, some red plants, some grass-like plants, etc) or are you sorta in a "I'm going to buy what I can and figure out placement later XD"

 

[Platylover]

All of them... get all of them!!! Lol, I don’t know much about plants but I do like crypt wenditI so I’d go for some of the variants they have there. Those crypts are very pretty and good for low/medium.

 

[bizaliz3]

That looks so awesome!
Are you looking for a particular look for your tanks (like, you need some tall plants, some red plants, some grass-like plants, etc) or are you sorta in a "I'm going to buy what I can and figure out placement later XD"

Thanks for the reply. Last year when I went, I went in blindly for the most part. I didn't know what my plans were! I knew I wanted aponogeton bulbs and I got a few of those. but other than that, I just played it by ear.

This year I would like to be more prepared. I wasn't familiar with the process last year. The way it works is, the plants are lined up on long cafeteria tables and we form a line. Your first time though the line you can pick ONE plant. The 2nd time through the line you can pick ONE plant. Then after that, it is a free for all. They do this to make sure everyone has a shot at what they wanted to get. I am definitely going to go after the biggest anubias plants they have! That will be what I grab my first time through the line. But as for the 2nd and 3rd times through the line, I am not really sure yet!

I have 16 tanks total. 12 of which are planted. Right now I need height. Lots of height. But I also need plants that are hardy. I have been doing live plants for like 3 years now and I have had lot of plants to really well for several months and then rot (always stem plants). I have had a lot of plants get destroyed by pest snails eating their leaves or my angels eating their leaves. (usually sword plants and hygrophila) I have enjoyed aponogeton bulbs very much, but their short life span (need for periods of dormancy) has pushed me away from them. This is why I am leaning towards mostly anubias. But that list is so long!!! I want to take advantage!!

But I do need height. I need to break up sightlines in my tanks for the sake of my angels. But I want to keep it clean. I say clean because things like water wisteria, hornwort, water sprite etc tend to be a little more chaotic looking and can make the tank get messy from little leaves or needles falling off. But they do give you the height! But I don't want a jungle-like tank. I like plants with swordlike leaves, broad leaves. Or tall skinny grass like leaves (like vals for instance or crpts) I got some extra tall sagittaria that I loved, it reached the surface of my 55 when I bought it, but all the new leaves growing in are about half the height of the existing ones. So that was a let down. I wasn't surprised because I didn't think saggitaria got that tall anyway! I wonder why it was so tall at the LFS...

All of them... get all of them!!! Lol, I don’t know much about plants but I do like crypt wenditI so I’d go for some of the variants they have there. Those crypts are very pretty and good for low/medium.

I agree, I am a fan of crypts for sure. I just know that there are a few types that need higher light. Like crypt parva for instance. So I want to make sure I don't end up with a type of crypt that isn't as "easy" and undemanding as wendtiI for instance.

 

[Betrayer]

Wow, this seems like such an awesome event! I wish I could go!!!

So, I have also had great luck with crypts. I have a "bronze" type as well as green crypt wendtii. They have been very hardy--slow, steady growers for me with low-medium light.

I'm in the planning stages for a new South American inspired tank, so I have been looking a lot at sword plants. Two of the ones that I especially like are on your above list. They are:

Echinodorus parviflorus "Tropica" (love the way the leaves come to a point at the tip)



Echinodorus "Oriental" (the "crinkly" leaves and hint of pink is very interesting to me)


I'm also planning to get Hydorcotyle leucocephala "Brazilian pennywort"


Not sure any of these are exactly what you are hoping for, but I thought I'd share them for ideas. Have fun at the expo! Let us know what you end up getting

 

[bizaliz3]

Thanks for the input EJ_Fresh !!

The first one...is that just a regular rosette sword? or is it something a little different? I have had a rosette sword before. It was really cute. It didn't stand the test of time for me for some reason! I also didn't have much luck with pennywort which I also really liked. So that was a bummer.

I really love the look of the oriental one you posted. I googled it though and it says it has high light demands...so that concerns me. So I might avoid that one despite its beautiful appearance!

This event is pretty fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it last year! The only problem is you have to be a member. And the membership costs money and only lasts one year. So even though I signed up last year, that has expired and I will have to pay that fee again in order to buy plants. So that stinks.

I'll definitely post an update after I go!!

keep the suggestions and advice coming folks!! I've got 6.5 hours to prepare! It is actually really stressful going through that line and deciding which plants I should grab first and which ones can wait until round 3....lol And you are very rushed because the line keeps moving. You really have to know what you want when you get in that line!

 

[bizaliz3]

Come on plant experts! I need you! My plant expo is 5 hours away and I need to be prepared! Haha

What plants in this list are low demand?
Which of those low demand plants are rare and hard to find? (Meaning I should jump on them first)
I want clean leaves.....Grass-like, sword-like, broad leafed....whatever. And while I do want plants of all sizes...I am in most need of height.

What plants in this list would you be super excited to have access to...that you typically do not?

 

[KinsKicks]

Narrowed it down just a bit; these are the ones I think you'll have the best chance with (staying away from the bunch/stem haha)

Swords:
• Echinodorus bleherI ‘compacta' (~dwarf amazon sword…so its smaller)

• Echinodorus cordifolius (these one can get huge, but they are sometimes grown emerged and can lose leaves when submerged)
• Echinodorus martii
• Echinodorus parviflorus “Tropica" (small sword plant)
• Echinodorus "Green Ozelot”
• Echinodorus “Oriental" (mostly green, but can have red leaves f provided the iron)

(these are red, do you'll need some iron supplements to bring out those colors)

• Echinodorus barthii
• Echinodorus bleheri
• Echinodorus osiris
• Echinodorus osiris "Golden Melon”
• Echinodorus "HadI Red Pearl”
• Echinodorus "Indian Red” (will do fine in medium, but will not be as brilliant or as dark red)
• Echinodorus "Kleiner Bar”
• Echinodorus “Ozelot"
• Echinodorus "Red Flame” (some pruning so lower leaves don't get light deprived)
• Echinodorus “Rubin"
• Echinodorus "St. Elmo's Fire"

Anubias:
• All of the Anubias (the A-Afzelli, A-Frazeri. and A-NangI will be the large growing species)

Crypts:

• Cryptocoryne beckettiI ‘Petchii’
• Cryptocoryne blassiI low light
• Cryptocoryne lutea
• Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
• Cryptocoryne spiralis
• Cryptocoryne undulata
• Cryptocoryne usteriana (this one can be a bit picky; it usually will do fine in the medium light, but can suddenly go awry wanting higher light)
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘brown'
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘green'
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘MI Oya’
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘Tropica'

Aponogeton:

• Aponogeton boivinianus
• Aponogeton ulvaceous ( you theoretically can, but without high light, it won't reach its full potential)

Misc:

• Bolbitis heudelotii
• Bucephalandra ‘Green Wavy’
• Isoetes lacustris (Get large, but do need a rich substrate)
• Microsorum pteropus (This is Java fern)
• Microsorum pteropus ‘Trident' (Java fern trident)
• Microsorum pteropus ‘Windelov' (Java fern windelov)
• Nymphoides aquatica (banana plant lol)

Foregrounds:

• Echinodorus tenellus
• Fissidens nobilis (moss)
• Helanthium quadricostatus (it’ll grow, just slowly and kinda squat…higher lighting is best for filler potential, also needs quite a bit of nutrients)

• Helanthium tenellus (needs quite a bit of nutrients; higher light for more red color
• Hydrocotyle tripartita ‘Japan'
• Lilaeopsis mauritiana (micro sword narrow leaf; higher light means less height but more spreading)
• Marsilea quadrifolia (4-leaf clovers)
• Monosolenium tenerum (moss/fern…will do fine, but will explode in high light and CO2)
• Sagittaria subulata “Dwarf"

Personally, Id shoot for those large anubias species and the swords as well as a couple of crypts if theyre still available

Edit:

Come on plant experts! I need you! My plant expo is 5 hours away and I need to be prepared! Haha

What plants in this list are low demand?
Which of those low demand plants are rare and hard to find? (Meaning I should jump on them first)
I want clean leaves.....Grass-like, sword-like, broad leafed....whatever. And while I do want plants of all sizes...I am in most need of height.

What plants in this list would you be super excited to have access to...that you typically do not?

sorry lol, lots of typing. I'm sure the experts will jump on soon

 

[bizaliz3]

Narrowed it down just a bit; these are the ones I think you'll have the best chance with (staying away from the bunch/stem haha)

Swords:
• Echinodorus bleherI ‘compacta' (~dwarf amazon sword…so its smaller)

• Echinodorus cordifolius (these one can get huge, but they are sometimes grown emerged and can lose leaves when submerged)
• Echinodorus martii
• Echinodorus parviflorus “Tropica" (small sword plant)
• Echinodorus "Green Ozelot”
• Echinodorus “Oriental" (mostly green, but can have red leaves f provided the iron)

(these are red, do you'll need some iron supplements to bring out those colors)

• Echinodorus barthii
• Echinodorus bleheri
• Echinodorus osiris
• Echinodorus osiris "Golden Melon”
• Echinodorus "HadI Red Pearl”
• Echinodorus "Indian Red” (will do fine in medium, but will not be as brilliant or as dark red)
• Echinodorus "Kleiner Bar”
• Echinodorus “Ozelot"
• Echinodorus "Red Flame” (some pruning so lower leaves don't get light deprived)
• Echinodorus “Rubin"
• Echinodorus "St. Elmo's Fire"

Anubias:
• All of the Anubias (the A-Afzelli, A-Frazeri. and A-NangI will be the large growing species)

Crypts:

• Cryptocoryne beckettiI ‘Petchii’
• Cryptocoryne blassiI low light
• Cryptocoryne lutea
• Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
• Cryptocoryne spiralis
• Cryptocoryne undulata
• Cryptocoryne usteriana (this one can be a bit picky; it usually will do fine in the medium light, but can suddenly go awry wanting higher light)
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘brown'
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘green'
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘MI Oya’
• Cryptocoryne wendtiI ‘Tropica'

Aponogeton:

• Aponogeton boivinianus
• Aponogeton ulvaceous ( you theoretically can, but without high light, it won't reach its full potential)

Misc:

• Bolbitis heudelotii
• Bucephalandra ‘Green Wavy’
• Isoetes lacustris (Get large, but do need a rich substrate)
• Microsorum pteropus (This is Java fern)
• Microsorum pteropus ‘Trident' (Java fern trident)
• Microsorum pteropus ‘Windelov' (Java fern windelov)
• Nymphoides aquatica (banana plant lol)

Foregrounds:

• Echinodorus tenellus
• Fissidens nobilis (moss)
• Helanthium quadricostatus (it’ll grow, just slowly and kinda squat…higher lighting is best for filler potential, also needs quite a bit of nutrients)

• Helanthium tenellus (needs quite a bit of nutrients; higher light for more red color
• Hydrocotyle tripartita ‘Japan'
• Lilaeopsis mauritiana (micro sword narrow leaf; higher light means less height but more spreading)
• Marsilea quadrifolia (4-leaf clovers)
• Monosolenium tenerum (moss/fern…will do fine, but will explode in high light and CO2)
• Sagittaria subulata “Dwarf"

Personally, Id shoot for those large anubias species and the swords as well as a couple of crypts if theyre still available

Edit:


sorry lol, lots of typing. I'm sure the experts will jump on soon

Thank you so much for taking the time to type all that up and putting all of the thought into it! You rock! Lol it's still a long list, but narrowing it down helps!

Are there any species in there that you wish you had access to?

 

[KinsKicks]

Thank you so much for taking the time to type all that up and putting all of the thought into it! You rock! Lol it's still a long list, but narrowing it down helps!

Are there any species in there that you wish you had access to?

Hmmm...definitely the Buce (in fact, if I were there, that's the first thing I'd shoot for!).
The fissidens nobilis (its a rarer moss)
E. Kleiner Bars (idk, I really like them lol)
Java Fern trident
and either the monte carlo, glosso, or stag repens (love the carpeting look lol)

 

[bizaliz3]

Thanks again KinsKicks for your help.
My "event" is in about 2 hours. I have been naughty at work spending a bit too much time online prepping myself for this thing. haha

I didn't get as many different opinions and suggestions as I had hoped, but I think I have made up my mind about what I am going for.

First time through the line:
If there are extra large anubias of any kind, like...ones that are ALREADY extra large (not ones that have the potential to be large one day way in the future lol) That is what I will be grabbing during the first round for sure. My second first choice, if there are no extra large anubias plants worth grabbing, will be The Bucephalandra 'green wavy'. I am in love with that one! Especially the wavy leaves!

Second time through the line:
Bucephalandra 'green wavy' (unless I grabbed one during the first round as a result of there being no extra large anubias) If I already grabbed one during the first round...I think my next choice will be the fissidens nobilis (moss). I thought I was totally done with moss. It's Just too messy for me. But this moss looks different. And it looks really cool! And is apparently very rare.

Third time through the line:
Now it is time to just grab whatever you want. As many different plants as you want. A Total free-for-all. At this point I think I want to go for the Crypt "mI oya" because it is less common crypt and I like the way it looks. I want to grab things I might have a hard time finding elsewhere.
I have no idea what will be left at this point. So I will just have to play it by ear. I might grab a couple aponogeton bulbs. I enjoy them very much, I just hate that they get to the period where they need to be removed for a while.

The important part is that I now know what I want to grab during my first and 2nd times through the line!! I remember being very stressed last year because I didn't know it was organized the way it was. And the line moves fast, and if you stop at any point, people will blow right by you. Its crazy! So ya, I know what I want to pursue during rounds one and two, so that's great!! Now I have to get as much work done as I can in the next 45 minutes to make up for me wasting so much time here at work!!!

 

[KinsKicks]

Thanks again KinsKicks for your help.
My "event" is in about 2 hours. I have been naughty at work spending a bit too much time online prepping myself for this thing. haha

I didn't get as many different opinions and suggestions as I had hoped, but I think I have made up my mind about what I am going for.

First time through the line:
If there are extra large anubias of any kind, like...ones that are ALREADY extra large (not ones that have the potential to be large one day way in the future lol) That is what I will be grabbing during the first round for sure. My second first choice, if there are no extra large anubias plants worth grabbing, will be The Bucephalandra 'green wavy'. I am in love with that one! Especially the wavy leaves!

Second time through the line:
Bucephalandra 'green wavy' (unless I grabbed one during the first round as a result of there being no extra large anubias) If I already grabbed one during the first round...I think my next choice will be the fissidens nobilis (moss). I thought I was totally done with moss. It's Just too messy for me. But this moss looks different. And it looks really cool! And is apparently very rare.

Third time through the line:
Now it is time to just grab whatever you want. As many different plants as you want. A Total free-for-all. At this point I think I want to go for the Crypt "mI oya" because it is less common crypt and I like the way it looks. I want to grab things I might have a hard time finding elsewhere.
I have no idea what will be left at this point. So I will just have to play it by ear. I might grab a couple aponogeton bulbs. I enjoy them very much, I just hate that they get to the period where they need to be removed for a while.

The important part is that I now know what I want to grab during my first and 2nd times through the line!! I remember being very stressed last year because I didn't know it was organized the way it was. And the line moves fast, and if you stop at any point, people will blow right by you. Its crazy! So ya, I know what I want to pursue during rounds one and two, so that's great!! Now I have to get as much work done as I can in the next 45 minutes to make up for me wasting so much time here at work!!!

Considering the time zones...have you already gone?? How'd it go??

 

[bizaliz3]

Considering the time zones...have you already gone?? How'd it go??

It starts at 7pm central time. I'm heading over there in about 20 minutes! I'm excited! Lol I will update as soon as a return! Or maybe I'll update while I'm there in the middle of it all! Haha

Thanks for the follow by the way!!!

 

[KinsKicks]

It starts at 7pm central time. I'm heading over there in about 20 minutes! I'm excited! Lol I will update as soon as a return! Or maybe I'll update while I'm there in the middle of it all! Haha

Thanks for the follow by the way!!!

Oh! Haha the timezone thing still gets me sometimes! . Have fun!! And go gladiator mode!!!!

(And thank you for the follow as well!)

 

[Jocelyn Adelman]

So????? What did you end up with????

 

[bizaliz3]

So????? What did you end up with????

Here's my haul!!

First...there were a few large plants for auction....I won this monster for just $11!



And the next two pics cost a total of $33! I can't even remember what most of these are!

 

[KinsKicks]

Here's my haul!!

First...there were a few large plants for auction....I won this monster for just $11!



And the next two pics cost a total of $33! I can't even remember what most of these are!

Omg awesome awesome haul! I'm so jelly haha

You made out like a bandit with all of those swords!! And they all look so good Xd

 

[Betrayer]

Wow, that's great!! So many plants and they look really healthy with nice roots. Yay!

I'm sure you know at least as many as I do, but a couple that I feel pretty confident about (because I have ones that look the same ) are the top one in the first group pic being anubius barterI and the brighter/lighter green in the middle of the second group pic being anubius congensis.

 

[Jocelyn Adelman]

Any in tank shots yet?

 

[bizaliz3]

Any in tank shots yet?

Sorta! Lol

Here are the two halves of my giant sword I got for $11. One is in the 46 and one in the 29.





My favorite plant that I got (other than the giant sword I won in the auction) is this one....the Kleiner Prinz sword. It's so pretty!


Look at its new leaf already!!




Here is the red Rubin sword.



I haven't really had a chance to plant all these new plants yet!! There's so much more obviously!!

 

[Jocelyn Adelman]

Looks amazing! That sword was a monster!!!!

 

[fishandfish]

Sorta! Lol

Here are the two halves of my giant sword I got for $11. One is in the 46 and one in the 29.





My favorite plant that I got (other than the giant sword I won in the auction) is this one....the Kleiner Prinz sword. It's so pretty!


Look at its new leaf already!!




Here is the red Rubin sword.



I haven't really had a chance to plant all these new plants yet!! There's so much more obviously!!

Looks good!