Red plants for low tech tank?

[alto]

plants i've been looking at are all in Tropica's easy range

just check the CO2 preference (unfortunately some of the plants are still missing data after the site change ), some Easy plants prefer medium CO2 and will struggle more in non-CO2 set ups

 

[EA James]

@tiger15 I suppose the good thing is with experimenting with plants in pots is that if it fails its easy to remove without causing too much disturbance, I could be worth a try. Let me know how you get on i'd be quite interested to know.
Polysperma was an option of mine but i know they need regular trimming and go crazy! I want the plants to grow of course but not take over

 

[EA James]

@alto ok i'll look out for that, thank you.
So far i'm liking mostly Anubias, Buce's and crypts. And some weeping moss, never had moss before, i think it looks great

 

[tiger15]

@tiger15 I suppose the good thing is with experimenting with plants in pots is that if it fails its easy to remove without causing too much disturbance, I could be worth a try. Let me know how you get on i'd be quite interested to know.
Polysperma was an option of mine but i know they need regular trimming and go crazy! I want the plants to grow of course but not take over

Another advantage of potted plant is that I can place it up high in rock hill to reach more light. All my plants are either potted or epiphytes attached to rock. So they are like mobile furniture, convenient to move around to re-scape. Many red stems did not do well in my medium light set up, and AR may have the same fate. But I don’t want to give up without trying.

Hygro polysperma is my most satisfactory stem. I placed mine at the far back corner to allow it to reach and hang on the surface like floating plants. Pruning is easy. Just chop off the tops and leave the bottoms. Because of its low light demand, , the bottoms are fully leaved and no need to discard and replant the tops.

 

[tiger15]

@tiger15 I suppose the good thing is with experimenting with plants in pots is that if it fails its easy to remove without causing too much disturbance, I could be worth a try. Let me know how you get on i'd be quite interested to know.
Polysperma was an option of mine but i know they need regular trimming and go crazy! I want the plants to grow of course but not take over

Another advantage of potted plant is that I can place it up high in rock hill to reach more light. All my plants are either potted or epiphytes attached to rock. So they are like mobile furniture, convenient to move around to re-scape. Many red stems did not do well in my medium light set up, and AR may have the same fate. But I don’t want to give up without trying.

Hygro polysperma is my most satisfactory stem. I placed mine at the far back corner to allow it to reach and hang on the surface like floating plants. Pruning is easy. Just chop off the tops and leave the bottoms. Because of its low light demand, , the bottoms are fully leaved and no need to discard and replant the tops.

 

[EA James]

But I don’t want to give up without trying.

Exactly, you never know it might be alright' Never say never!!
I do like polysperma and i think there is a slight red variety too, i've seen some posts about it on a facebook forum but not looked into it myself.

In the pics of your tanks you put up, the first pic is that java fern trident on the left hand side? Looks nice and bushy

 

[tiger15]

I have polysperma Sunset that is supposed to turn red in high light, but I only get a touch of pink in some tops.

Yes, it is Trident Java fern on left which makes tall carpet on larva rock, easy and thrive even in dim light.

AR reminds me of red Japanese Maple, so I have to try it. “Never know until try it” includes surprise success and failure. I couldn’t grow super easy Hygro difformis, yet Hygro polysperma is taking off.

 

[EA James]

I couldn’t grow super easy Hygro difformis, yet Hygro polysperma is taking off.

It's strange why some don't succeed' i tried hygro Siamensis and corymbosa but neither worked out, but at the time i had 4 threadfin acara's in the tank so i think they may have had something to do with it!

AR reminds me of red Japanese Maple, so I have to try it

I think you're slowly convincing me to do the same! It's worth a shot right?
What ferts do you use and do you have co2 injection?
Cheers, James

 

[tiger15]

It's strange why some don't succeed' i tried hygro Siamensis and corymbosa but neither worked out, but at the time i had 4 threadfin acara's in the tank so i think they may have had something to do with it!

I think you're slowly convincing me to do the same! It's worth a shot right?
What ferts do you use and do you have co2 injection?
Cheers, James

If you try one challenging plant at a time and lose it, it's an experiment. If you try too many and lose a bunch, it's a bad investment and terrible experience.

If your acara is the cause of your plant demise, you know it as you'll see uprooted plants, shredded leaves and likely catch them in the action. I keep big cichlid with plants. Not until I tried it, I was a former believer that big cichlid can never coexist with plants. With proper scaping and selection of plant and fish species, big cichlid and plants can be housed together in harmony.




I have medium light and medium CO2 not exceeding 10-15 ppm. Fertilization is once a week macros and micros, DTPA iron every other day, 75% WC weekly and 2 ppm Glutaldehyde post WC.

 

[EA James]

If you try one challenging plant at a time and lose it, it's an experiment. If you try too many and lose a bunch, it's a bad investment and terrible experience.

Exactly that! Good quote


These were the culprits! Only juveniles as you can see but they did like a plant or two, i've moved them on now so its no longer a concern
Your tanks look good, like you say most cichlid tanks don't do so well with plants

 

[tiger15]

There are a few strategy you can keep large cichlid with plants.

Keep tough texture plants like sword, Java fern, Anubias and Buce. Avoid delicate and tasty plants such as Brazilian pennywort and Limnophila aromatica which are edible salad green. Avoid substrate plants but root plants in pots or attach epiphytes to rock and wood. Cichlid typically don’t bother plants up high. For big cichlid, keep male only to avoid pairing, which will claim territory and make nests out of plants. Small cichlid are fine in pairs as they are too weak to do damage. Be ready to rehome troublemakers as certain manic individuals will tear up plants for no reason.

 

[EA James]

@tiger15 just wondering if your AR arrived and if you'd got it planted yet?
Cheers

 

[KeeperOfASilentWorld]

Rather than pots, you could scape in a way to have soil on your background.

 

[tiger15]

@tiger15 just wondering if your AR arrived and if you'd got it planted yet?
Cheers

The first shipment came. It’s a bundled trimmed stems with none, not even aerial roots. As expected, it melted in 3 days. I took a photo and got a refund. I ordered a replacement potted version which is coming in soon. AR are heavy rooted stems closer to rosette, and rootless stems are hard to establish in new setting. Hope this second shipment will work out.

Rather than pots, you could scape in a way to have soil on your background.

Yes, most aquascapers piled dirt behind hardscape to gain height. I keep cichlid that dig dirt and won’t work. Potted plants have the flexibility to easily move around to re scape, besides piling rock to gain height makes caves below for cave dwelling cichlid with no waste of tank volume.

 

[EA James]

Rather than pots, you could scape in a way to have soil on your background.

My tanks already up and running though, has been for nearly a year now. I'm re-scaping soon but don't want to go that far with removing all the sand, pots solve my issue without an extra ton of work

Hope this second shipment will work out.

Yeah fingers crossed, that's a shame about the first lot. Keep me updated please

Cheers all

 

[tiger15]

My tanks already up and running though, has been for nearly a year now. I'm re-scaping soon but don't want to go that far with removing all the sand, pots solve my issue without an extra ton of work

Yeah fingers crossed, that's a shame about the first lot. Keep me updated please

You can re scape as easy as moving furniture if plants are potted or epiphytes attached to rock. I re scape all the time as plants grow and change perspective, and I am never satisfied with the last scape.

The second shipment of AR came and has been in place for a week and seem to be holding. The first shipment has the most intense red but no roots and melted away in just 3 days. The second shipment has more subtle red, some aerial roots, but I’m still unsatisfied that there is no fibrous roots at the bottom. So it appears to be newly potted from submerged cut stems due to the present of aerial roots. Time will tell if it will make it.

I planted it on top of rock half way up the tank to reach more light, so it is at the level of medium to high light zone of 60 to 120 PAR. My tank has medium light of around 50 PAR at the substrate level.

 

[EA James]

@tiger15 i've got my fingers crossed for you! Shame about the first one, the colour on that is really intense. At least the second lot has some root growth, better than nothing eh.
So was that just the standard AR you went for?

 

[tiger15]

Yes, both shipments are Alternanthera Reineckii Rosanervig. Yes, the first shipment has insane red, but doesn't last long for me and appears to be emerged cut. The second shipment appears to be submersed cut. The AR mini come with tissue culture only. If this second shipment fails, I will try the mini but I have to nurse it up high and be protected as I read that TC is delicate but has good root system which is a plus.

 

[nigel bentley]

Last year i bought a Echinodorus ozelot Red.. As the name says, until now it is still pretty Red...

I have a couple of these and I must say they are one of my favourite plants

 

[CJayT]

Alternanthera Reineckii mini is a good shout. Won't get super red, more on the copper side. But nice non the less