Excellent List of Low Light Plants

[James From Cali]

You can try Hydrocotyle leucocephala or Hydrocotyle ranunculoides and keep it trimmed low at the border of the sand, It would look quite nice imo. Im using Horticulture sand which is 1.99 for a 1 quart bag. That one bag filled half of my foreground and now I need one more for the final aditions. The sand is Uni-Grow Premium Organic Sand from OSH. Quite cheap and looks very very very natural.

[SheriffBooth]

Originally Posted by James From Cali

You can try Hydrocotyle leucocephala or Hydrocotyle ranunculoides and keep it trimmed low at the border of the sand, It would look quite nice imo. Im using Horticulture sand which is 1.99 for a 1 quart bag. That one bag filled half of my foreground and now I need one more for the final aditions. The sand is Uni-Grow Premium Organic Sand from OSH. Quite cheap and looks very very very natural.

I'm going to try turface pro red - I'm hoping that the combination of the red substrate and the yellowish blackwater will give it kind of a red-clay foothills streambed look. I'm about halfway to starting in on the project and I've got a vacation starting next week so it'll probably be late February before I get rolling. But I'm definitely excited - the anticipation is the best part.

[James From Cali]

Post pics when it is set up. That sounds like it would be definitely a nice tank. Especially how you described it. What are your methods of doing blackwater? Natural or Chemical? What plants will be in this setup?

[SheriffBooth]

Originally Posted by James From Cali

Post pics when it is set up. That sounds like it would be definitely a nice tank. Especially how you described it. What are your methods of doing blackwater? Natural or Chemical? What plants will be in this setup?

The plan is a substrate of light peat, laterite and several inches of red turface. I've got a pile of manzanita driftwood for decoration, and the plants will be corkscrew vals, a stargrass, a sword of some variety and maybe now a cabomba carolina - these are the 4 varietals that mongabay identified in an SA blackwater stream. I'm going to initially try Tetra's Blackwater Extract for color and some minor water additives, and see how that does.

Fish will be 2 bolivian rams, an angel, a school of tetras and 3 oto cats.

[James From Cali]

Hope the cichlids have enough space for territories

[James From Cali]

(New Plants Highlighted in Purple)
FERNS & MOSSES
Marimo Ball- Aegagropila linnaei
African Water Fern - Bolbitis heudelotii
Watersprite - Ceratopteris thalictroides
Pheonix Moss - Fissidens fontanus
Zipper Moss - Fissidens zippelianus
Willow Moss - Fontinalis antipyretica
Philippine Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine'
Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus
Red Java fern - Microsorum pteropus "red"
Windelov Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'
Narrow Leaf Java Fern - Microsorum pteropus v. 'narrow leaf'
Pellia - Monosolenium tenerum
Mini Pellia - Riccardia chamedryfolia
Riccia - Riccia fluitans
Round Pellia - Süßwassertang
Flame Moss - Taxiphyllum alternans
Java Moss - Taxiphyllum barbieri
Peacock Moss - Taxiphyllum sp. 'peacock'
Taiwan Moss - Taxiphyllum sp.
Singapore Moss - Vesicularia dubyana
Christmas Moss - Vesicularia montagnei
Erect Moss - Vesicularia reticulata
Water Clover - Mariselia minuta
Marsilea hirsuta
Four Leaf Clover - Mariselia quadrifolia

STEM PLANTS
Waterwheel Plant - Aldrovanda vesiculosa
Bacopa - Bacopa caroliniana
Moneywort - Bocapa monnieri
Hornwort - Ceratophylum demersum
Watersprite - Ceratopteris thalictroides
Anacharis - Egeria densa
American Waterweed- Elodea canadensis
HC- Hemianthus callitrichoides
Stargrass - Heteranthera zosterifolia
Brazilian Pennywort - Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Water Pennywort - Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
Ceylon Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Ceylon'
Giant Hygro - Hygrophila corymbosa
Water Wisteria - Hygrophila difformis
Green Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma
Sunset Hygro - Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
Dwarf Ambulia - Limnophila sessiliflora
Red Ludwigia- Ludwigia repens
Parrots Feather - Myriophyllum aquaticum
Guppy Grass - Najas guadalupensis
Downoi - Pogostemon helferi
Rotala Indica - Rotala indica
Rotala Rotundifolia - Rotala rotundifolia
Rotala Rotundifolia sp. Green - Rotala rotundifolia sp. 'Green'
Combomba - Combomba carolina

FLOATERS
Hornwort - Ceratophylum demersum
Watersprite - Ceratopteris thalictroides
Anacharis - Egeria densa
Brazilian Pennywort - Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Water Pennywort- Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
Duckweed - Lemna minor
Parrots Feather - Myriophyllum aquaticum
Red Root Floater - Phyllanthus fluitans
Riccia - Riccia fluitans
Giant Slavinia - Salvinia molesta

CRYPTOCORYNE
Crypt Affinis - Cryptocoryne affinis
Crypt Aponogetifolia - Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia
Crypt Balansae - Cryptocoryne balansae
Crypt Becketii - Cryptcoryne becketii
Crypt Lutea - Cryptocoryne lutea
Micro Crypt - Cryptocoryne petchii
Pygmy Crypt - Cryptocoryne pygmaea
Crypt retrospiralis - Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
Crypt spiralis - Cryptocoryne spiralis
Crypt Walkeri - Cryptocoryne walkeri
Crypt Wendtii - Cryptocoryne wendtii
Crypt Willisi - Cryptocoryne willisi

ANUBIAS
Anubias barteri - Anubias barteri
Anubias barteri 'marble' - Anubias barteri 'marble'
Coffee leaf anubias - Anubias barteri v. 'coffeefolia'
Anubias barteri v. 'glabra' - Anubias barteri v. 'glabra'
Golden nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana golden'
Anubias nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana'
Narrow leaf nana - Anubias barteri v. 'nana narrow leaf'
Petite nana - Anubias barteri v. nana 'petite'
Hastifolia - Anubias hastifolia
Barteri Round Leaf - Anubias barteri v. ‘Round Leaf’
Gigantea - Anubias gigantea
Congensis - Anubias congensis[/COLOR]
Lanceolota - Anubias lanceolota [/COLOR]
Gracilis - Anubias gracilis[/COLOR]
Anubias Barteri v Angustifolia - Anubias barteri v angustifolia
Caladiifolia -Anubias barteri v Caladiifolia
Anubias Afzelli - Anubias afzelli

SWORD PLANTS
Amazon Sword - Echinodorus amazonicus
Ruffle Sword - Echinodorus major
Melon Sword - Echinodorus osiris
Tropica Sword - Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Red Flame Sword - Echinodorus 'Red Special'
Pygmy Chain Sword - Echnodorus tennelus
Uruguay Amazon Sword - Echinodorus uruguayensis

LILY'S
Lotus- Nymphaea pubescens
Tiger Lotus - Nymphaea zenkeri

GRASSES
Water Celery- Vallisneria americana
Contortion Val - Vallisneria asiatica
Vallisneria natans
Valliseneria rubra
Corkscrew Val - Vallisneria tortifolia
Dwarf Sag- Sagittaria subulata
Crinum calimistratum
Onion Plant - Crinum thaianum
Micro Sword - Lilaeopsis braziliensis
Crinum aquatica

APONOGETONS
Aponogeton ulvaceous
Aponogeton bouvianus
Aponogeton crispus
Aponogeton elongatus
Aponogeton undulatus
Rigidifolius - Aponogeton rigidifolius

Added Combomba carolina. Added 'Clovers' List to 'FERNS & MOSSES' list.

[SheriffBooth]

Originally Posted by James From Cali

Hope the cichlids have enough space for territories

Yeah, that's the main reason I'm considering leaving the forground open or very lightly planted, and then putting the powerhead in the mid or high water. I tell you what, it doesn't take long to appreciate why folks prefer the flexibility of larger tanks. The 29g is just big enough to make you feel ambitious, but not quite large enough to accomodate everything you might want.

[James From Cali]

Temptation is going to be a big thing for you in this tank. IUt will look kinda empty asnd you would want to add more.

[myhui]

Can you talk a little more about your choice of substrate and reasons for it?

For my low-tech 50, I'm still undecided between using just Eco-Complete substrate or put it on top of a layer of potting soil or something else.

[SheriffBooth]

Originally Posted by myhui

Can you talk a little more about your choice of substrate and reasons for it?

For my low-tech 50, I'm still undecided between using just Eco-Complete substrate or put it on top of a layer of potting soil or something else.

If you're asking me, I'm going with the Turface for four reasons basically: it's almost completely inert, it's got a small grain size, it comes in the color I wanted, and it's cheap. I got my bag for $13 for 50lbs. Same amount of Flourite Red would have been over $50 and I can get the same or higher level of iron concentration in the substrate by using laterite on the bottom.

[James From Cali]

myhui-Just use Eco complete on its own. No need to add potting soil or anything to it.

SheriffBooth-Those are good reasons for wanting to use that over flourite. I may try some for a future tank.

[James From Cali]

I will be adding pics of some plants that may be lowlight that dont actually have a name yet as I do not have them identify them.

[stagius]

Is it true that under high light (3WPG) the java fern leaves will be burned out.
In my tank, the leaves turn completely into black. I don't know if this is a sign of over-ligh side effect, or the leaves are just old ( there are many new plantlet on this leave )

[James From Cali]

Im not sure of the cause to this myself. I have java fern that have healthy plantlets and are black. I had moved them under shade so I will see what happens.

[lauraleellbp]

Hey MODS- any chance we could get a sticky on this?

James- I was looking for this awesome list of yours yesterday and couldn't find it- I thought it already had a sticky and went through just about every forum looking for it! LOL

BTW this is awesome work- pics would just make it OTT incredible!