# Need Advice for new planted tank



## Morpheus (Feb 12, 2004)

I am getting a new 75gallon tank soon and I want to keep plants in it. I have tried in the past with my existing 55g tank but with limited success, keeping hygrophila, java fern, anubias barteri, low maintenance plants that dont require really bright light or perfect conditions, however I lost the battle with algae and now I only have java fern.

Anyway I would like to know what are the easiest plants to keep that dont require ideal conditions. I wont have a CO2 system and the lightin will be around 1.5 wpg in my new tank. Also In the new tank i am going to use quartz gravel and have an undergravel heating cable.

At the moment I am thinking of having Hygrophila and Stargrass as they are fast growing and should out-compete the algae in the battle for nutrients.

Any advice appreciated.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2006)

What intensity of lighting and what spectrum bulbs? Hygro Difformis sucks up the nutrients so you could try that aswell.


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## harrykaa (Jan 10, 2005)

Morpheus said:


> I am getting a new 75gallon tank soon and I want to keep plants in it. I have tried in the past with my existing 55g tank but with limited success, keeping hygrophila, java fern, anubias barteri, low maintenance plants that dont require really bright light or perfect conditions, however I lost the battle with algae and now I only have java fern.
> 
> Anyway I would like to know what are the easiest plants to keep that dont require ideal conditions. I wont have a CO2 system and the lightin will be around 1.5 wpg in my new tank. Also In the new tank i am going to use quartz gravel and have an undergravel heating cable.
> 
> At the moment I am thinking of having Hygrophila and Stargrass as they are fast growing and


Morpheus,

I have outcompeted algae (green algae, red algae, diatoms, blue-green bacteria), all of them even so that I have big Pygo's and only 1 wpg in a 150 g. Huge amounts of feeding with Pygo's burden the water heavily, so the issue was not an easy one.

I would like to know what fishes you plan to keep in your 75 g. That makes a big difference. Otherwise the figures 1.5 wpg without pressurized CO2 does not seem bad at all.

Plants:
Hygrophila polysperma is a very fast growing plant and it likes eutrophic waters, algae cannot kill it. H. corymbosa is not at all that easy. Also Ceratopteris thailictroides is a good one to starve algae.

BTW how did you once lost the algae-war? What were the conditions and fishes?

Regards,


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

I agree with harrykaa.

The plants dezscribed are easy and needs low maintainance.The algae problem is something completely different since you must corractly id the type of algae you have in order to find the cause of it.

Start your new tank and we are going to help you to find a solution if algae apears again...


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2006)

Im gettin some horrible brown algae. My first step is goin to be adding more Co2. Next, I have an algaecide ready. Finally, I might have to just turn my lights off for a few days.

Am I on the right path?

/derail.


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## Morpheus (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks for the replies.









My existing tank had some java fern, anubias and hygrophilia. It has two 7" red bellies in it. I was doing ok with the plants and seemed to have got the balance right with fertilisers and light , but then my tank recycled and the tank got swamped with hair algae which covered my hygro so bad I had to throw it away.

I got rid of brown algae by stopping using a ph buffer which had phosphates in it, but I still get hair algae and brush algae in my tank now because I dont have any fast growing plants anymore. I am going to wait till I get my new tank and start over.

By the way does anyone have stargrass (heteranthera zosterifolia) in their tank? I read that was a fast grower too and it looks really good. I would like to have that in my new tank if it is not too demanding.


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## harrykaa (Jan 10, 2005)

DannyBoy17 said:


> Im gettin some horrible brown algae. My first step is goin to be adding more Co2. Next, I have an algaecide ready. Finally, I might have to just turn my lights off for a few days.


DannyBoy17,

First of all, do not give up hope by starting the use of algicids. Sure they kill algae in a few days. But only temporarily. Algae will come back. It comes back stronger and faster. This is because all the algicids interfere with plant photosynthesis. Thus all the plants suffer or die. When the algicid is gone what comes next are the fastest plants and they are algae. So at this stage they have all the nutrients available and almost no competition form higher plants.

Your brown algae can be Diatoms (Bacillariophyta). They can be planktonic (free floating) or benthic (attached). These algae are unicellular and often very easy to remove. When cleaned (benthic) they actually form a cloud in the water. These algae need silicates to bloom and of course phosphates and they are usually the pain in a new tank or in a tank with a new gravel or sand. Diatoms do well in a low light conditions too.

I would start by increasing water changes and after a week or so by adding big fast growing plants in there (Ceratopteris thalictroides, Hygrophila polysperma).

*****************
Morpheus,

I have noticed that hair or beard algae (Compsopogon) and brush algae (Audouinella) which belong to the red algae (Rhodophyta) grow well only when nitrates and phosphates are both high.
> waterchanges and removal of infected leaves, brushing the rocks and driftwood.

Regards,


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