Plants for low maintenance tank

**uklau** · 8th Jan 2007, 13:21

Hi all,

Since low maintenance tank is gaining it's popularity nowadays, I think it would be good to create a list of plants that do well in low maintenance tank & make it handy to beginners, like me.

My defination of low maintenances are:
1) No CO2
2) No or very little fertilizing
3) No water change or few times a year
4) 1.5 to 2.0 WPG of lightings
5) No filter or small filter for circulation
6) No chiller but may have fan.

I'll begin with a few plants that I know of. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks in advance.

a) Anubias
b) Java fern
c) Mosses - Java, x'mass, taiwan moss, spiky moss
d) Japanese hairgrass (requires fertile substrate to start with)
e) Crypts
d) Echinodorus
e) Cyperus helferi
f) Hemianthus micranthemoides (HM, MM)

**valice** · 8th Jan 2007, 13:28

For japanese HG or even normal HG, it is assumed you have a fertile substrate to begin with so that there is an avenue for nutrient uptake. Else you will still need root tabs fertilisation.

Mine not doing well in a substrate of lapis sand only. Inserting Ferka root tabs helped it along...

**puffer07** · 8th Jan 2007, 13:46

i dun really think hair grass are low maintenance.

**bryan** · 8th Jan 2007, 17:17

Having base fertilizer is a one time affair so if it helps the plants, why not?

**uklau** · 8th Jan 2007, 17:55

Originally Posted by 2garytan

i dun really think hair grass are low maintenance.

Not even under low light & without CO2?

**|squee|** · 8th Jan 2007, 18:08

Hairgrass is low maintenance under low light and non-CO2 conditions. Mine are growing slowly in ADA Aquasoil.

I add in to the list:
Crypts
Spiky moss
Echinodorus
Cyperus helferi
Hemianthus micranthemoides (HM, MM)
These are the plants that I have in my non-CO2 now.

Actually, all plants can be grown in non-CO2 low light conditions. It's only how nice they look, and how fast they grow.