what's the toughest plant around?

car0linab0y

What plant can I absolutely NOT fail with? I'm looking for something that will grow out of control and cover the tank. I'd rather prune daily than fish out dead plants every week. So far my ferns haven't died (at least they don't look dead), but they haven't gotten any bigger, and some amazon swords that are doing OK, but the fish keep digging them up before they get a chance to root.

teddyzaper

what light do you have, we could help with more info, because some plants will grow very slowly in different conditions.

Austin

I don't think there's any plants that are extremely hardy yet fast growing even in the worst conditions.

Angel079

If you have plant troubles tell us what light you have (wattage, size, kelvin rating?) and what ferts you are using?

Apart from that plants that thrive in a wider variety of conditions then other "touchier" plants...My first thought would HAVE TO go to the mile long Pennywort that you can trim, cut abuse and rip out and it still thrives followed by the larger Hygrophilias and the Rotala which can go from a few stems only to taking over your tank like the Pennywort in just a few weeks.

car0linab0y

basic 2-bulb 36" T8, still has the "natural daylight" bulbs that came in it. used flourish root tabs initially, but most of the plants died within the first 2 weeks.

aunt kymmie

Are you remembering to water them? J/K. It's possible it could also be that your bulbs have lost their intensity. How old are they? I replace mine every six months. I forget the exact exponential rate of loss of intensity but I know they need to be replaced periodically. Less intense bulbs, combined with your fish constantly disturbing the roots could be a factor.

car0linab0y

they've been running 3 months.

redchigh

Plants that can't be killed?

Lets see.... Algae, Duckweed, Azolla, wait you wanted attractive plants. hmm. ;)

I would say... Anarchis is the fastest growing plant I have. If it gets ripped up it could care less. It works as a floating plant.

A Close second would be hygrophila... The only one I have experiance with is Hygrophila difformis because polysperma is illegal in my state. Then again, so is anarchis... so don't tell anyone. ;)

So.. you have Java Fern already right? You could try Java Moss if your water isn't too tough.

Anubias is tough but it's slow growing like Java Fern... For your Amazon Sword, try putting some large rocks around the base. Also, instead of root tabs, If I was only going to use one type of fert I'd use a liquid. People around here like Flourish Comprehensive. It's probably the one I'm gonna buy soon.

Daylight t8s should be almost perfect- another option is maybe the lights are too bright? If everythings not in balance your plants won't grow well. If your tank is well-stocked then you don't need CO2. Go buy a fert if you can, and see if growth improves. If it doesn't, then try replacing the bulbs.

If you can't buy any ferts, then try taking a bulb out and see what happens. You have to have balance, but sometimes lowering the light levels is the easiest solution. *shrug*.

I originally had too much light in my 10G- about 20 watts. Now the surface is covered with azolla and Duckweed it's almost dark. Plants are still doing well though. I just want ferts to make some of my plants red.

spoot

Anubias won't grow fast but it's made out of titanium. I've read about folks trimming every leaf and root off of an Anubias rhizome and it still grew back. Albeit slowly.
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Byron

There seems to be more at issue than is being noticed. Swords are quite hardy plants and should not die within two weeks unless something is drastically wrong and this could be the plants as much as the aquarium conditions. To try and sort this out, can you provide some info please:

- tank size in gallons and length (not mentioned yet)
- water parameters (pH, hardness, temperature)
- substrate type and depth
- fish in the tank (species)

Two 36-inch tubes is a fair bit of light but we need to know the tank size this is over; it may be fine, it may be too much, it may be too little.

Water parameters will help in case liquid fertilization is necessary (it usually is). And substrate will help sorting out why plants are being uprooted (this is detrimental but should not be a problem with adequate substrate).

Byron.