Would These Work For Low Light/low Tech?

I have 2 tanks I'd like to eventually heavily plant.
Both are low light/low tech (one doesn't even have a hood light).
So far I've planted Java Fern, Java Moss and Anubias.
I'm considering some of the list below (based on internet research).

Which ones would do best in low light/low tech tanks?
And to clarify, I mean LOW light... as in almost none.
Eventually I'll try to get legit lighting, but for now I'm trying to figure out if I'd be able to grow a legit tank without good light.

Also, is there a plant I haven't considered that you'd recommend for my experiment?

Amazon Sword
Bacopa
Sagittaria
Water Sprite
Hornwort (Coontail)
Sagittaria
Narrow Leaf Chain Sword (Pygmy Chain Sword)
Micro Sword
Green Hygrophila
Rotala Rotundifolia sp. Green
Pellia
Pennywort
Waterwheel Plant
Guppy Grass
Sunset Hygro
Ceylon Hygro
Micro Crypt - Cryptocoryne Petchii
Crypt Aponogetifolia - Cryptocoryne Aponogetifolia
Crypt BecketiI - Cryptocoryne Becketii
Crypt Spiralis - Cryptocoryne Spiralis
Crypt Retrospiralis - Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
Crypt WendtiI - Cryptocoryne wendtii
Rotala Indica
Moneywort
Vallisneria
Ludwigia repens
Elodea densa
Indian swampweed – Hygrophila polysperma
Moss Balls (Marimo Moss)
Dwarf Hairgrass (Sagittaria Subulata)

 

Hygrophila and cryptocoryne are both genera, not species. Which species did you have in mind? Other than those 2, the rest will do fine. Many would appreciate root tabs and fert dosing, though.

 

Thank you!

• Sunset Hygro
• Ceylon Hygro

• Micro Crypt - Cryptocoryne Petchii
• Crypt Aponogetifolia - Cryptocoryne Aponogetifolia
• Crypt BecketiI - Cryptocoryne Becketii
• Crypt Spiralis - Cryptocoryne Spiralis
• Crypt Retrospiralis - Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
• Crypt WendtiI - Cryptocoryne wendtii

 

Do you know what light and tank size you're thinking of? Mamy answers will vary depending on exaclty how low light we're talking about.

I've had crypt beckettI and several varieties of crypt wendiI in some crazy low light conditions and they've done well. They'll definitely thrive with a bit more light though.

I haven't had good luck with Amazon Sword in low light, but that may just be me.

 

Do you know what light and tank size you're thinking of? Mamy answers will vary depending on exaclty how low light we're talking about.

I've had crypt beckettI and several varieties of crypt wendiI in some crazy low light conditions and they've done well. They'll definitely thrive with a bit more light though.

I haven't had good luck with Amazon Sword in low light, but that may just be me.

I have a 20 gallon tall w/ whatever light came with the hood and a 29 gallon tall with no light at all

 

I have a 20 gallon tall w/ whatever light came with the hood and a 29 gallon tall with no light at all

So you don't know what lightinv you'll be using?

 

So you don't know what lightinv you'll be using?

Correct :-/
Imagine the lowest budget light you can think of that would come with a hood on the 20g.
I will have no light at all on the 29g.

With my super lame lighting would it be better to just stick with Anubias variations and Java Fern until I can upgrade my lighting?
Also, is there a "go to" low budget lighting that most people recommend?
My budget for lighting will be approximately $40

 

I totally understand the $$$ issue! I got a 48" Beamswork EA on my 55 gallon tank. It doesn't reach down as deep as I'd like, hence the super low lighting. But I think it'd be fine on your 12" tall 29g. The 30" light is $33 on Amazon or about . You could also get the DA version (4 rows of lights as opposed to 3 on the EA) for $45 on Amazon. If I had to buy it over again I would have sprung for the DA. But the EA was handling anubias, java fern, java moss, swords, buce and lots of crypts. I think the EA would be just fine on your 12" tank honestly.

 

If the 29 is 30” long I just bought the vivagrow 24/7 for $37 shipped. It will grow all the plants on your list. With root tabs.

 

Thanks guys! That is very helpful

Do I just plant the root tabs into the gravel?
If yes, how much should I put in there?
Also, are all root tabs created equal, or is there a certain brand most people use?
ALSO, do I need to add them monthly, or?
(I obviously know nothing about root tabs)

 

If u can get some flourish substrate instead. I use Manado and it was pretty cheap and seems to working fine also it have a nice look.
u kinda don't need root tabs then even tho it helps.

U can get a led stripe for around 50 euro, Aquael having some u can stretch out for your tank size
"Aqueal eddy slim"
Its a polish brand selling a lot in europe, not sure if u can find in north america but should be some similar products there.
But if u get new lights buy flourecent t5 or white leds around 6500k in colour temperature that plants love and you should be fine.

Problem with low lighting and low demanding plants is that u can't feed to much, in my old newbI tank I had lots of algaes on my anubias then after getting some fast growing plants(anacharis)
and let them float without shadowing the planted ones it got under control, its a nice tip if get some issues

 

I totally understand the $$$ issue! I got a 48" Beamswork EA on my 55 gallon tank. It doesn't reach down as deep as I'd like, hence the super low lighting. But I think it'd be fine on your 12" tall 29g. The 30" light is $33 on Amazon or about . You could also get the DA version (4 rows of lights as opposed to 3 on the EA) for $45 on Amazon. If I had to buy it over again I would have sprung for the DA. But the EA was handling anubias, java fern, java moss, swords, buce and lots of crypts. I think the EA would be just fine on your 12" tank honestly.

I'm getting closer to having the money to purchase legit lighting.
I'm going to start with my 20 gallon (which currently has a basic hood/light that it came with), and then eventually get lighting for the 29 gallon (which currently has a glass lid w/ no lighting).

Can you please help me with a few questions?

1) Am I thinking correctly that the bottomline for these 3 options is that the more expensive ones will grow plants better?

• Beamswork EA ($28)
• Beamswork DA ($40)
  
• Beamswork DA ($45)

2) Am I understanding you correctly that you believe I'd be able to grow Anubias, Java Moss & Java Fern just fine with the Beamswork EA?

3) On my 20 gallon will I need to remove my hood, or am I able to use the Beamswork with my hood?

4) Similarly, on the 29 gallon will I be able to place the Beamswork over my lid (it lays in the inner groves of the top frame)? And if I am able to place it over the lid, is that recommended, or does the glass cause less effective lighting to the plants?

 

I'm getting closer to having the money to purchase legit lighting.
I'm going to start with my 20 gallon (which currently has a basic hood/light that it came with), and then eventually get lighting for the 29 gallon (which currently has a glass lid w/ no lighting).

Can you please help me with a few questions?

1) Am I thinking correctly that the bottomline for these 3 options is that the more expensive ones will grow plants better?

• Beamswork EA ($28)
• Beamswork DA ($40)
  
• Beamswork DA ($45)

2) Am I understanding you correctly that you believe I'd be able to grow Anubias, Java Moss & Java Fern just fine with the Beamswork EA?

3) On my 20 gallon will I need to remove my hood, or am I able to use the Beamswork with my hood?

4) Similarly, on the 29 gallon will I be able to place the Beamswork over my lid (it lays in the inner groves of the top frame)? And if I am able to place it over the lid, is that recommended, or does the glass cause less effective lighting to the plants?

1) Am I thinking correctly that the bottomline for these 3 options is that the more expensive ones will grow plants better? Correct. I can't tell you exactly to what extent each would be better than the previous one. And also there's a fine line between growing plants better and having so much light that you end up with algae issues. I don't think any of these are strong enough to post enough of a problem, especially if you plant your tank well enough, but it's always a balancing act.

• Beamswork EA ($28)
• Beamswork DA ($40)
  
• Beamswork DA ($45)

2) Am I understanding you correctly that you believe I'd be able to grow Anubias, Java Moss & Java Fern just fine with the Beamswork EA? Yes, absolutely without a doubt. I was growing them in my 21" tall 55 gallon tank without an issue. An EA would be fine for those plants on either the 12" tall 20 gallon or the 18" tall 29 gallon tank.

3) On my 20 gallon will I need to remove my hood, or am I able to use the Beamswork with my hood? Depends what kind of hood it is. If it's the typical black hood with a slot in the middle I'm pretty sure you would need to take the hood off.

4) Similarly, on the 29 gallon will I be able to place the Beamswork over my lid (it lays in the inner groves of the top frame)? And if I am able to place it over the lid, is that recommended, or does the glass cause less effective lighting to the plants? Yes, you can definitely put the Beamswork over a glass lid. That's how I had it on my 55g. That's definitely how you should do it too. You don't want to risk having a light over open water. You'll want to clean the glass periodically to make sure the light can penetrate well but I never had a problem with it.

 

1) Am I thinking correctly that the bottomline for these 3 options is that the more expensive ones will grow plants better? Correct. I can't tell you exactly to what extent each would be better than the previous one. And also there's a fine line between growing plants better and having so much light that you end up with algae issues. I don't think any of these are strong enough to post enough of a problem, especially if you plant your tank well enough, but it's always a balancing act.

• Beamswork EA ($28)
• Beamswork DA ($40)
  
• Beamswork DA ($45)

2) Am I understanding you correctly that you believe I'd be able to grow Anubias, Java Moss & Java Fern just fine with the Beamswork EA? Yes, absolutely without a doubt. I was growing them in my 21" tall 55 gallon tank without an issue. An EA would be fine for those plants on either the 12" tall 20 gallon or the 18" tall 29 gallon tank.

3) On my 20 gallon will I need to remove my hood, or am I able to use the Beamswork with my hood? Depends what kind of hood it is. If it's the typical black hood with a slot in the middle I'm pretty sure you would need to take the hood off.

4) Similarly, on the 29 gallon will I be able to place the Beamswork over my lid (it lays in the inner groves of the top frame)? And if I am able to place it over the lid, is that recommended, or does the glass cause less effective lighting to the plants? Yes, you can definitely put the Beamswork over a glass lid. That's how I had it on my 55g. That's definitely how you should do it too. You don't want to risk having a light over open water. You'll want to clean the glass periodically to make sure the light can penetrate well but I never had a problem with it.

Thank you! This is really, REALLY helpful advice on several fronts. I will budget for a glass lid and continue to debate between EA & DA.
One final question when you say "especially if you plant your tank well enough, but it's always a balancing act" it makes me realize there must be a lot I don't know about aquarium plants. Can you please give me the basic advice a noob needs to know to try to find that balance?

 

Thank you! This is really, REALLY helpful advice on several fronts. I will budget for a glass lid and continue to debate between EA & DA.
One final question when you say "especially if you plant your tank well enough, but it's always a balancing act" it makes me realize there must be a lot I don't know about aquarium plants. Can you please give me the basic advice a noob needs to know to try to find that balance?

A great local fish store first introduced me to the algae equation. This is probably the best page I've seen online that explains the equation. The formula for algae production is, in essence: "Light + water + nutrients = algae". If you get algae in your tank then that formula is out of whack and needs to be rebalanced. There are a few options to do this:

1. Decrease how many hours your light is on a day and/or break up the photo period (for example have your light on for three hours, off for three hours and then on for three more hours ). You can also raise your light higher off the tank (away from the water line). This will reduce the strength of the light. All of this can help impede algae growth.

2. Reduce excess nutrients (uneaten food, fish poop, etc) in the tank. Excess nutrients produce nitrates. Plants, including algae, need nitrates to grow. This is why many experience fishkeepers grimace when the first recommendation to fish an algae issue is "Get an algae eater!" First of all many of the "algae eaters" (usually people are referring to plecos) don't actually do a great job eating algae, and second, most of them are absolute poop machines. Poop increases the waste in the tank, which increases the nitrates, which will actually make the tank worse off than it was. The best ways to fix this problem are to make sure you are not overfeeding your tank and to suck up excess muck when vacuuming the tank. And definitely don't throw fish at problems to try and fix them (that's your job, not the fish's).

3. As I mentioned in the previous section, plants eat nitrates for dinner. Another great option is to add to your tank plants that grow really fast (such as water wisteria) or floating plants (like frogbit). The more plants you have, the more they'll outcompete algae for those nutrients. The floating plants are a great two-in-on solution because they suck up nitrates like crazy and also dI'm the lighting a bit, both of which will help in the battle.

Hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions.

 

A great local fish store first introduced me to the algae equation. This is probably the best page I've seen online that explains the equation. The formula for algae production is, in essence: "Light + water + nutrients = algae". If you get algae in your tank then that formula is out of whack and needs to be rebalanced. There are a few options to do this:

1. Decrease how many hours your light is on a day and/or break up the photo period (for example have your light on for three hours, off for three hours and then on for three more hours ). You can also raise your light higher off the tank (away from the water line). This will reduce the strength of the light. All of this can help impede algae growth.

2. Reduce excess nutrients (uneaten food, fish poop, etc) in the tank. Excess nutrients produce nitrates. Plants, including algae, need nitrates to grow. This is why many experience fishkeepers grimace when the first recommendation to fish an algae issue is "Get an algae eater!" First of all many of the "algae eaters" (usually people are referring to plecos) don't actually do a great job eating algae, and second, most of them are absolute poop machines. Poop increases the waste in the tank, which increases the nitrates, which will actually make the tank worse off than it was. The best ways to fix this problem are to make sure you are not overfeeding your tank and to suck up excess muck when vacuuming the tank. And definitely don't throw fish at problems to try and fix them (that's your job, not the fish's).

3. As I mentioned in the previous section, plants eat nitrates for dinner. Another great option is to add to your tank plants that grow really fast (such as water wisteria) or floating plants (like frogbit). The more plants you have, the more they'll outcompete algae for those nutrients. The floating plants are a great two-in-on solution because they suck up nitrates like crazy and also dI'm the lighting a bit, both of which will help in the battle.

Hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions.

You're the best! Thank you so much!!! Yes, this is super helpful!

 

A great local fish store first introduced me to the algae equation. This is probably the best page I've seen online that explains the equation. The formula for algae production is, in essence: "Light + water + nutrients = algae". If you get algae in your tank then that formula is out of whack and needs to be rebalanced. There are a few options to do this:

1. Decrease how many hours your light is on a day and/or break up the photo period (for example have your light on for three hours, off for three hours and then on for three more hours ). You can also raise your light higher off the tank (away from the water line). This will reduce the strength of the light. All of this can help impede algae growth.

2. Reduce excess nutrients (uneaten food, fish poop, etc) in the tank. Excess nutrients produce nitrates. Plants, including algae, need nitrates to grow. This is why many experience fishkeepers grimace when the first recommendation to fish an algae issue is "Get an algae eater!" First of all many of the "algae eaters" (usually people are referring to plecos) don't actually do a great job eating algae, and second, most of them are absolute poop machines. Poop increases the waste in the tank, which increases the nitrates, which will actually make the tank worse off than it was. The best ways to fix this problem are to make sure you are not overfeeding your tank and to suck up excess muck when vacuuming the tank. And definitely don't throw fish at problems to try and fix them (that's your job, not the fish's).

3. As I mentioned in the previous section, plants eat nitrates for dinner. Another great option is to add to your tank plants that grow really fast (such as water wisteria) or floating plants (like frogbit). The more plants you have, the more they'll outcompete algae for those nutrients. The floating plants are a great two-in-on solution because they suck up nitrates like crazy and also dI'm the lighting a bit, both of which will help in the battle.

Hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks again for all your help!
I just ordered a Beamwork EA 30" and a Beamswork DA 24"

 

A great local fish store first introduced me to the algae equation. This is probably the best page I've seen online that explains the equation. The formula for algae production is, in essence: "Light + water + nutrients = algae". If you get algae in your tank then that formula is out of whack and needs to be rebalanced. There are a few options to do this:

1. Decrease how many hours your light is on a day and/or break up the photo period (for example have your light on for three hours, off for three hours and then on for three more hours ). You can also raise your light higher off the tank (away from the water line). This will reduce the strength of the light. All of this can help impede algae growth.

2. Reduce excess nutrients (uneaten food, fish poop, etc) in the tank. Excess nutrients produce nitrates. Plants, including algae, need nitrates to grow. This is why many experience fishkeepers grimace when the first recommendation to fish an algae issue is "Get an algae eater!" First of all many of the "algae eaters" (usually people are referring to plecos) don't actually do a great job eating algae, and second, most of them are absolute poop machines. Poop increases the waste in the tank, which increases the nitrates, which will actually make the tank worse off than it was. The best ways to fix this problem are to make sure you are not overfeeding your tank and to suck up excess muck when vacuuming the tank. And definitely don't throw fish at problems to try and fix them (that's your job, not the fish's).

3. As I mentioned in the previous section, plants eat nitrates for dinner. Another great option is to add to your tank plants that grow really fast (such as water wisteria) or floating plants (like frogbit). The more plants you have, the more they'll outcompete algae for those nutrients. The floating plants are a great two-in-on solution because they suck up nitrates like crazy and also dI'm the lighting a bit, both of which will help in the battle.

Hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions.

Do you use a dimmer with your Beamswork?
If yes, which one?
I just read a thread about a major algae problems in a 20 gallon tank until they got a dimmer.

 

View attachment 405574 View attachment 405575 If the 29 is 30” long I just bought the vivagrow 24/7 for $37 shipped. It will grow all the plants on your list. With root tabs.

I just saw this on my sugessted while surfing through. Do you have a pond lilly in your tank or is it like a dwarf version. I would love to know I really want one now.

 

Yes it’s s dwarf lily. Easy to grow I have a few in my tanks