Best Low Light Plants

giambi4343

I have a 29 gallon blackwater tank with 2 Marineland double bright LEDs running 12 hours per day. i had my entire tank covered in live plants but half of them died off. i believe they died off because they were not supplied with enough light. the plants that did survive were the java ferns. because the tank is a blackwater tank, the lights are not as bright as they could be. what other types of low light plants would fit well in my tank? thank you for your help.

SinCrisis

Anubias plants would do well in a low light system as well as floating plants.

GwenInNM

Can't spell plant names correctly, but I'll try to tell you low light plants :) Any of the crypts, Anubias are great, Amazon Sword, Wisteria, Water Sprite and anachreis.

Under fish profiles there is a section for freshwater plants, click on that and scroll through profiles of plants there, and see what you come up with.

Gwen

Byron

It mayhave been light, but we shuld explore the entire setup just in case. Java Fern is notorious for surviving when other plants cannot. What is the substrate, and what nutrient fertilizers are being added and how often?

One comment on the Wisteria, this will not do well if your light is the issue. I cannot grow Wisteria planted in the substrate in my tanks due to light. Same for all the Hygrophila species.

Byron.

giambi4343

i am using eco complete plant substrate mixed with flourite. then i use flora pride as a supplement. does that seem okay?

Byron

I don't think this is the issue here, but when the Flora-Pride is gone, I would get hold of Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement. If is the only product known to me that is widely available and contains all essential nutrients [FP has only iron and potassium]. The enriched substrates obviously help, but this has no benefit for floating plants, non-substrate rooted plants (Java Fern, Anubias, moss, etc) and even some stem plants. Flourish Comp may seem expensive, but so little is used that it lasts a long time. In your 29g for instance, as little as 1/2 a teaspoon once a week is the recommended dose.

So back to the original question, it may have been the light. You don't mention the plants that failed, but if stem plants were among them this would be logical as any fast growing plant (such as stem plants) require more light. Red-leaf plants also.

I have never tried the LED light systems, but I have seen them in a local store and they seemed to be providing good light over smallish tanks (shallower than your 29g) so this may be an issue. The Anubias, some swords, and crypts already mentioned should manage. Water Sprite floating will, though this will block some light from reaching the lower plants. But floating plants are so useful and natural to forest fish that I always include them in my tanks.

Byron.

redchigh

I would try mosses, crypts, vallisneria, dwarf sag (will grow tall, more like a vallisneria in low light),Anubias...

If you don't mind the plant only surviving for a year or two, then dwarf lilies, Crinum sp, and aponogetons would be great. (They have bulbs where they store their starch reserves)

Freebird11

I knew following 3:
Anubias congensis
Anubias minima
Aponogeton ulvaceus