Ideas for tall low light plants.

[1077]

It occured to me the other day that my recently set up low light tank is largely comprised of smaller profile plant's with the exception of a couple aponogeton,one Echinodorus Rubin,and some leopard vals.
I would welcome some suggestions on a few taller plants with ability to thrive under low light 32 watts x 3 T8 6500 K over 80 gallon tank.
Am dosing macros and micros once a week or two and all plant's are doing well .
Would like some plant's to place near the back and begin weeding out the leopard vals. Would prefer something with some contrasting color and to the largely green enviornment I have presently.
Are there any Reddish plant's that would do fairly well with low light?
Many thanks in advance,
Lee.

 

[dutchy]

Hi Lee,

If you're using CO2, almost every plant will grow with the light you have. Althernanthera sp. would do well too. There are also lots of Crypt species in various forms and colours, form small (parva) to big (balansae)

regards,
dutchy

 

[1077]

Dutchy,
Not running CO2 or using Excel.
I do have some crypt Parva and added some Bronze crypt a week or two ago. I shall look up Crypt balansae .
Thanks for the help.

 

[joshvito]

Crypt. retrosoiralis and Crypt. spiralis are also easy tall green plants.

 

[shane]

Crypt cordata rosanervig

 

[1077]

Thanks for suggestions,I'm on em if I can find em.

 

[Freebird11]

Dracaena marginata, one of my favorites, completely different looking from 'Janet Craig'. The taller ones are expensive but, look like spikey trees with a bamboo-like trunk. It stays skinny, so doesn't take up a lot of space. 'Tricolor' is a pink-leaved version.
Ficus lyrata (fiddle-leaf Fig) is another plant that you can find in small tree form. Has huge, glossy leaves and looks very modern.

 

[1077]

Will keep these in mind for house plant's.
Am currently tuned to aquatic plant's.

 

[Biollante]

I Love Tiger Lotus & Ozelot Swords

Hi,

Kind of depends on how deep your tank is but off hand I can think of these.

Anubias Hastifolia
Microsorium pteropus
Anubias, Congensis (Anubias Congensis )
Anubias, Coffeefolia
Anubias, Barteri
Cyperus helferi
Cryptocoryne crispulata var. balansae
Echinodorus Angustifolia
Echinodorus x. 'Ozelot
Nymphaea zenkeri

As to reddish, off-hand Echinodorus Barthi "Red Melon Sword," Cryptocoryne wendtii "Red,” is perhaps shorter than you want.

There are quite a few that may be a bit leggy at lower light…

Biollante

 

[1077]

Hi,

Kind of depends on how deep your tank is but off hand I can think of these.

Anubias Hastifolia
Microsorium pteropus
Anubias, Congensis (Anubias Congensis )
Anubias, Coffeefolia
Anubias, Barteri
Cyperus helferi
Cryptocoryne crispulata var. balansae
Echinodorus Angustifolia
Echinodorus x. 'Ozelot
Nymphaea zenkeri

As to reddish, off-hand Echinodorus Barthi "Red Melon Sword," Cryptocoryne wendtii "Red,” is perhaps shorter than you want.

There are quite a few that may be a bit leggy at lower light…

Biollante

Thanks' much, It is 80 gallon low tech tank.
I did place some crypt spiralis and balansae in the tank, and some of the leopard vals that I thought I had removed have sprung up
I do intend to get a bunch more anubia as soon as I can find a suitable piece of wood.
Have a pleco tank crammed with various wood pieces, but none are the shape I want for the planted tank.
Very much like the darker green of the anubia I have and the Bronze crypt seems to have the reddish color under 8000 k bulbs.

 

[Biollante]

Keep An Eye On 'em... Many Plants Actually Adapt To Low Light


Hi,

The Crypts will take over if you don’t keep an eye on them.


As you are probably aware, Anubias can be planted on the substrate (don’t bury the rhizome) or tied to rock or stone.



Echinodorus 'Ozelot’ and other primary root feeders often do better in pots.

Many stem plants do fairly well under low light; they tend to be ‘leggy.’


Biollante

 

[1077]

Yes, the balansae has grown to the surface ,much faster growing in my tank than the spiralis and I rather hope they fill in the back corners but will keep an eye on them so they don't choke out new growth.
I did place a Echinodorus "Radican marble Queen" mother plant in the tank a couple weeks ago and it is dropping leaves with other's in various form of deterioration but new growth is also occurring. Chalking this up to possibly emmersed to submerged condition's.
As you suggested ,I have grown these in pot's in tank's holding large cichlids and may resort to this if plant continues to fair poorly.
Placed a osmocote "Pop in" under it and substrate is mature(year and a half) eco-complete capped with three inches of fine pea gravel.Dosing NPK once a week or every two weeks, and CSM+B trace as well.
It is at the base of the Sword plant that I wish to place the anubia and I may just do as you have mentioned and place it in substrate with Rhizone exposed.
Thanks for the help and "Keep your powder dry".

 

[Black-phoenix]

I agree with the Anubias suggestion, there are some fantastic larger Anubias out there and no low-light aquarium is complete with out at least one! :encouragement:

 

[morainy]

I'm not a plant-growing expert at all, but most of my tanks are tall and they're all low-light. I don't use CO2. I have had a lot of success with Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis 53B', and whenever I give clippings to people the Siamensis 53B seems to do well in their tanks, too.

Actually, most hygrophilias seem to do well and grow fast.

One plant that I was told would not work was Pogostemon stellatus. But it does! It's a wonderful, lush, lovely plant. In a higher light, CO2 setup (which is where I got it from) it turns purplish at the top. In mine, it stays green. But always that fresh, spring green.

However, you can't go wrong with Siamensis 53B!

 

[michal]

wow very nice one post here. Keep it up.!