# Best live plants for Rhoms?



## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

I've decided to switch all my Rhom tanks to live plants. I'm just sick of looking at bare tanks, with nothing but a few fake plants and some rocks. What's the best and most durable plants to use? I'm thinking swords, but if anyone has a better suggestion, let me know.

thanks,
Blue


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Depends what type of look you are going for and what lighting, substrate, and care level you can provide. Swords, java ferns, cryptocorynes, vals, and sag are all good.

I like to keep my planted tanks simple with only 1 main "carpet" style plant and maybe 1 or 2 specimen type plants, plus some driftwood. I say carpet style plants because in larger tanks, you can use crypts and small swords to make a carpet. (I'm trying to get a carpet of red wendtii going in my 65g right now and have a carpet of just red melon swords in a 75g.) My favorite carpet plants are E. tennelus micro and dwarf sag. Swords and crypts also make great specimen plants solo or in small clumps.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

I would reccommend crypts as well.. They are low maitenence and are sending out propogations like no tommorow..
I also have java ferns and hygrophilia(sp?) Ceylon and it grows sooo damn fast

Piranha tech do you have any pics of your crypt carpet?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Trigga said:


> Piranha tech do you have any pics of your crypt carpet?


Not yet...I just got them in and planted and they melted off a bit. It will probably take at least a month or two before they begin to fill in like I want.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

Do they look nice as a carpet plant? I have like 6 crypts in my 25 when I only started with one.. It might be a little hard for my sanchezi to go and get food off the ground if they cOmpletely cover the ground I think... But I could add some cherry shrimp to deal with it.. Sorry for the derail I'll make a new thread soon


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## Piranhoia (Sep 18, 2008)

I also threw in a carpet of Red Wendtiis... It looks really good... Thumbs up Piranha Teach!









Chad


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Trigga said:


> Do they look nice as a carpet plant? I have like 6 crypts in my 25 when I only started with one.. It might be a little hard for my sanchezi to go and get food off the ground if they cOmpletely cover the ground I think... But I could add some cherry shrimp to deal with it.. Sorry for the derail I'll make a new thread soon


In a 25 it would probably be a bit much due to the height of the tank, but a 65g can handle the shag! If you can get your hands on some dwarf crypts, then that would work. You could just also do the back half of the tank and leave the front open for feeding and swimming.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Crypts would be good or anything that dont go up too low. My p's sometimes take chunks out of them, but usually leave them alone. They have been butchuring my swords though. Java moss is pretty good if you have some wood to attach it to.


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

I tried some swords, and they aren't fairing too well. I gave it a shot.....


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

swords like higher light. My swords in my 125 are in low light and dont look any different than they did when I put them in there 6 months ago.

As far as the best plants for rhoms, there is none. You just have to consider what you can grow with your current setup.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Swords as stated above need high light and i have had great success by adding root tabs along with iron rich substrate. Eco-Complete/Flourite


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## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

It's not the light that's the problem. The P's are ripping them to shreds! 6 planted piranha tanks were a lot to do with live plants, and to have them all ripped to shreds was quite a disappointment. They'll have to be happy with rocks and driftwood for now.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Blue Flame said:


> It's not the light that's the problem. The P's are ripping them to shreds! 6 planted piranha tanks were a lot to do with live plants, and to have them all ripped to shreds was quite a disappointment. They'll have to be happy with rocks and driftwood for now.


I've got 5 planted piranha tanks and have some plants with circle bites missing and the occasional shredded leaf, but nothing that doesn't grow back. Swords don't look the best when chewed on though, so I don't use a lot of them...I do have an all 75g melon sword tank though and my geryi only shreds the leaves in his favorite spots.


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