# Background plant ideas for a low-tech nano



## Majsa (27 Oct 2021)

I'm setting up a low-tech nano shrimp tank (20L) and I'm hoping someone could suggest a nice plant for the background. I have now crypt wendtii back left but I think I need a little more colour, bright green or even pinkish...something rather tall, and preferably slow-growing. The water is rather soft (rainwater with tap but may move to GH+, with a fresh active substrate).


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## aec34 (27 Oct 2021)

Might be a bit boring, but I’m about to redo my own 20 litre shrimp cube and have ordered bolbitis and anubias gracilis for the back. Looking forward to seeing what others suggest 🙂


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## Garuf (27 Oct 2021)

If you have a robust enough substrate in terms of nutrients then “most” rotala rotundifolia variants will grow okay after a period of adaptation. Just don’t expect them to look as lush and dense as they do in a co2 injected tank.


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## Majsa (27 Oct 2021)

aec34 said:


> Might be a bit boring, but I’m about to redo my own 20 litre shrimp cube and have ordered bolbitis and anubias gracilis for the back. Looking forward to seeing what others suggest 🙂


I like bolbitis a lot, in fact the plants in my nano come from a high-tech tank I'm closing down, and that one was more or less taken over by bolbitis  I don't know if the same would happen in a low-tech, probably not, but I decided against bolbitis for this one and the plants are going to a friend this weekend.


Garuf said:


> If you have a robust enough substrate in terms of nutrients then “most” rotala rotundifolia variants will grow okay after a period of adaptation. Just don’t expect them to look as lush and dense as they do in a co2 injected tank.


I hadn't thought of rotala rotundifolia...would "orange juice" possibly be one of those variants? Are these fast growers in a low-tech (wouldn't wat to prune too often)?


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## Garuf (27 Oct 2021)

I aren't sure, you'd have to try it for yourself and see, it "should" work, but results always vary with low-tech, some guys are lucky, some ain't so. I had h'ra in a low tech and it was flushed with colour. 

Nothing really goes fast in low-tech, you'd probably prune IDK, like, 4 times a year in my experience.


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## Wolf6 (27 Oct 2021)

Valisneria or crypt crispulata? Something with nice long leaves seems in place


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## aec34 (27 Oct 2021)

Garuf said:


> Just don’t expect them to look as lush and dense as they do in a co2 injected tank.


I’ve got a standard green rotala rotundifolia in my tanks, all low tech: it grows tall pretty quickly, but the leaves are small and I am struggling to keep it looking nice.


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## GHNelson (28 Oct 2021)

Rotala macrandra 'Green'......Didiplis diandra........Rotala macrandra "Bangladesh".
Those are three I would consider!


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## erwin123 (28 Oct 2021)

*Limnophila Aromatica  *as it can colour up in a low-tech tank (no liquid carbon added),  or *Rotala "Blood Red"* which remains red even in low-tech


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## azawaza (28 Oct 2021)

Wolf6 said:


> Valisneria or crypt crispulata? Something with nice long leaves seems in place


Seems you have low light; go with Wolf6, especially the latter, goes well texture-wise with the low-light plants you have now. 

Happy planting!


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## shangman (28 Oct 2021)

Doing lowtech there are 3 plants that reliably go red for me: red tiger lotus, echinodorus (there are many varieties and some are quite small and red), and ludwigia super red. All of them will go more red in brighter light, but that's a balance in lowtech so you don't get much algae. These plants all went well for me in rainwater, but they should have some substrate in the back with nutrition like root tabs to grow well. Ludwigia less so, but it does seem to help.


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## Majsa (29 Oct 2021)

Thank you all for the suggestions!


Wolf6 said:


> Valisneria or crypt crispulata? Something with nice long leaves seems in place


Crypt Crispatula is one of my favourite plants...I have it in another low-tech (similar conditions, 50% rainwater), but it has grown really tall so I think it would become too big for a 20L. Vallisneria nana could be nice.


shangman said:


> Doing lowtech there are 3 plants that reliably go red for me: red tiger lotus, echinodorus (there are many varieties and some are quite small and red), and ludwigia super red. All of them will go more red in brighter light, but that's a balance in lowtech so you don't get much algae. These plants all went well for me in rainwater, but they should have some substrate in the back with nutrition like root tabs to grow well. Ludwigia less so, but it does seem to help.


I saw a picture of your lotus in your journal and it is stunning!
I haven't grown echinodorus before so I was thinking of echninodorus rosé (or maybe tricolor), it seems to be of a good size. Once the plant gets taller than the water lever, will the leaves then lay on the water or grow out?


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