# low light plants that don't need substrate



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

I got an aquarium full of Anubias. Im looking to get some additional plants that are okay with low light and also don't need substrate.


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## qumaquarist (Aug 21, 2015)

The member lilnaugrim, who's a part of the reference team on here, is a plant guru and very helpful. I'd definitely seek her advice if I were you.

Some plants that were recommended to me are:

Water Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis)
Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides)
Anacharis (Elodea)
Giant Temple (Hygrophila corymbosa 'compacta')
Green Crypts (Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green' or 'bronze') 
Amazon Sword (Echinodorus amazonicus 'tropica' is a dwarf variety)

I'm not sure which (if any) of these would be okay without light or substrate, however, I was told that they are all hardy and easy to care for.


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## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

qumaquarist said:


> I'm not sure which (if any) of these would be okay without light or substrate, however, I was told that they are all hardy and easy to care for.


Being low light is as important to me as no substrate.


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## AquaPlayz (Aug 14, 2015)

Here's some low lights that don't need substrate, also why don't you have a substrate?
Java moss, Java fern, anubias, hornwort, anacharis, aponogeton, other mosses, dwarf and regular water lettuce, salvania, duckweed, water wisteria, and pennywort.
These are just what I could think of off the top of my head but there's definitely more.


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## qumaquarist (Aug 21, 2015)

I personally really like the look of marimo moss balls as well. They don't require substrate and should do fine in minimal light. Marimos naturally live at the bottoms of bodies of water, so they generally don't get exposure to direct sunlight.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

What is your lighting?


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## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> What is your lighting?


My aquarium faces window which gets lots of light and there is another window close by so I get natural light most of the year. My tank consists 12 annubias so I try to keep the light to minimum with blinds in one window mostly closed. This of course to prevent algae growth. I keep can my tank with pure annubias, but I thought I would introduce another specie, maybe one that out-competes algae for nutrients.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Marimo are used by a lot of people to help keep algae down. I don't know what you want to spend but this is where I buy mine and have never been disappointed.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marimo-Moss...Tank-In-USA-/171661700099?hash=item27f7d5ac03


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## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

hmm I found this interesting article. I will definitely get some moss balls.

http://mariekbloch.hubpages.com/hub/Benefits-of-the-Marimo-Moss-Ball


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I can highly recommend that seller. I just realized he sells them BOGO which is cheaper by $1.00 for this size. Even Buy 2 Get 3 Free. He has smaller sizes, too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marimo-Moss...Tank-In-USA-/181653472483?hash=item2a4b6404e3

I'm sure you know this but for those reading who don't: These are a form of algae; not moss.


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## sutharsany (Aug 26, 2015)

This is an Indian Aqua plants site. You can filter plants according to your needs 
You can get perfect plant names.

This will help 

http://aquabynature-shop.com/59-aquatic-plants


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## qumaquarist (Aug 21, 2015)

That's a really nice website! It gave me a better idea of what plants I could add to my tank. Thanks for sharing.


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## Mousie (Feb 16, 2015)

sutharsany said:


> This is an Indian Aqua plants site. You can filter plants according to your needs
> You can get perfect plant names.
> 
> This will help
> ...


Oooo I had not found that one yet.. thank you for sharing!


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## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

sutharsany said:


> This is an Indian Aqua plants site. You can filter plants according to your needs
> You can get perfect plant names.
> 
> This will help
> ...


It's in Inda. I doubt they will ship to US and if they do, I don't think the plants will survive.


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## qumaquarist (Aug 21, 2015)

It's still a useful tool that can be used to figure out what plants may or may not work for you. The high-quality photos are an added bonus.


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## sutharsany (Aug 26, 2015)

qumaquarist said:


> It's still a useful tool that can be used to figure out what plants may or may not work for you. The high-quality photos are an added bonus.


I called them and asked better suggestions for my Betta 14G tank. They suggested few plants. I don't like driftwood/rock plants :lol:

I think only my boy is least expensive on my tank (But he is the most precious on tank ;-) ) . It's around $1 . His food is higher than $1 :lol:


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## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

Still this website does not specify which plants don't need substrate which I stated by me previously is equally important to low lights.


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## qumaquarist (Aug 21, 2015)

mattdocs12345 said:


> Still this website does not specify which plants don't need substrate which I stated by me previously is equally important to low lights.


I believe AquaPlayz listed about a dozen that do fine with minimal lighting and no substrate. Did you see his post?


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## AquaPlayz (Aug 14, 2015)

Most sites don't list if they need substrate, give me a sec I know a good plant site to look at plants to get a idea of what you want and there lighting and substrate needs as well as some reviews of people having them in there tank.


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## AquaPlayz (Aug 14, 2015)

Here we go.
Aquarium Plants Photos & Profiles at the Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish
It has alot of plants and says if they need a substrate and what type they need.


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## sutharsany (Aug 26, 2015)

What Aquashop staff told me is, Plants will low fertilizer can okey with no substrate But won't survive for long.

Tie them with small stones and put into tank.


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