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Can you have too many plants?

23K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  elisagrace 
#1 ·
Like the title says, can your tank be over planted? I have an 80 gallon, And as I propagate I just replant. Getting to about 60 or 70 plants, with a mix of, moneywort, ludwigia repens, one giant ozelot sword( gonna be 2 right away, has sent up a shoot that is growing out of my tank), some wisteria, some moss on a few pieces of driftwood, and some anubias nana. I have a soil substrate capped with gravel. I put root tabs in every 2 months, and dose 1-2 times a week with flourish, and everyday with excel. Just more wondering what peoples thoughts are on this.
 
#3 ·
You can overcrowd the plants. For stems, when you cut the tops and leave the bottom in you can reach such a high plant density that water flow and light will be reduced in some areas. This will lead to leaf or plant damage. A smaller effect can be seen in leaf size. When plants are crowded you can see a reduction in leaf size.
 
#4 ·
I guess it really depends on the kinds of fish are involved. If a person has fish that love open water, they'll survive, but they are not going to be happy if deprived of their swim space.

As for the plants themselves, as long as everything is growing, happy and you don't mind maintaining them, then no.

I say the same thing about houseplants. If I could have them in every nook and cranny of my house, I would. Even spoiled myself to a bromeliad today as it has been a long week and it's pretty.
 
#5 ·
For fauna I have, 10 harlequin rasbora, 20 neon and 10 lemon tetra, 15 ish shrimp, 2 siamese algae eater, 7 zebra danio, 1 oto, They all seem to be loving the space so far. I guess I need to stop being a plant hoarder and give some away. lol
 
#6 ·
Have had my tanks really overgrown from time to time. I do like the lush look but just like mentioned in the thread I would say it is impossible with massive plantmass to give all the plants enough light. Sooner or later shaded plants and or lower parts of plants will start releasing leaves that are a waste to keep and eventually they will die in those parts. If you really want a big plants mass you will have to select your species and plan their placing carefully and keep a set maintainance routine.

It's a shame really, kinda like it when the plants live their own lives to some extent and fill out the tank themselves.
 
#11 ·
I find certain combinations aren't as good as other combinations (could be allelopathy or simply outcompeting nutrients), but I also like a lush, almost jungle scape. Mine is getting out of hand though and crowding is a real concern, especially for my AR mini.
 
#16 ·
So this is my first attempt at a planted tank.I have been trimming the Ludwigia like crazy, and have just added a few wisteria plants. I will be planting another ozelot sword when the roots are longer from the shoot. For lighting I am running 2- 54watt 6700k, and 2- 54watt 10000k lights for 8 hours a day. I only dose flourish once a week, and excel daily, and root tabs every 2 months. I have a soil base with a rock cap. Tank has been up for about 4 months.
 

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#18 ·
I seem to like jungle'ish tanks more than scaped ones as well.
I just let mine get out of hand until its just TO much then trim back. Ive lost a couple fish this way as well though (mostly Rams) who freak when they lose their space.
Right now my 55 Im about to move everything to is getting quite jungle'y.

I had to trim a TON of ludwigia out. I should have RAOK'd it again but Ive just been SO busy. I may do a cool one soon with that some nice moss and a few other bits.
 
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