# Best Plants for a Beginner



## VetTechGirl (Jan 4, 2019)

Hello folks!

I'm almost ready to get back into keeping bettas again, but I want to do it right this time and cycle my tank before getting a fish.

I've never had success with the plants I chose (way back in college when I first kept bettas), so I'm wondering what plants are the best to start with for a beginner that will help me cycle my tank pre-fish?

Thanks very much!:grin2:


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Welcome to the Forum!

Lighting is important because various plants require differing amounts. So look into lights. I think low-light plants are easiest. I like Finnex Stingray for my low and medium light plants. I contacted Finnex and that is what they recommended for the plants I grow. They even talked me out of the more expensive Planted+ I really, really wanted saying it was too much for my plants in my 12" high tanks. I found the lowest prices at Welcome to AquaVibrant - which is Finnex.

Check your water's hardness. I say this because I could give you a list of so-called beginner plants like regular Hornwort and Cabomba that I cannot grow for beans because my water is on the hard side.

Also know at what temperature you want to keep your tank. Some plants do not do well in temperatures above 78. I keep my tanks 77-78 and have had better luck with a wider variety of plants than when I kept my tanks higher.

If you get rooted plants, make sure you use fertilizer tabs in the substrate. General and Iron are good if you have Swords.

The above is my experience. Others may have different experiences.

IMO, about the only true "beginner plant" is Anubias. But...in my hard-ish water I can grow:

Anubias, Cryptocoryne, Dwarf Sagittaria Subulata, Tiger Lotus, Dwarf Water Lily, Ludwigia (but only certain kinds as some need morel light and softer water), Rotala, Swords, Eleocharis, Dwarf Hair Grass, Narrow Leaf Anacharis and Ceratophyllum submersum/Soft Hornwort.

Hope this was not TMI or confusing.

Almost forgot this aside: If you use SeaChem Prime you can safely do fish-cycling. This is the Forum's tutorial should you see a Betta you cannot live without. ;-)

https://www.bettafish.com/30-betta-fish-care/507585-cycling-two-sentence-tutorial.html


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## VetTechGirl (Jan 4, 2019)

Thanks for the great info!! Is LED lighting OK for the plants?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Yes, LED is fine. The Stingrays are LED.


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## bluesamphire (Nov 20, 2018)

Plant lighting is _*complicated*_, but if you choose the right LEDs, they work v well indeed.
The depth of tank makes a difference. 
This link is very informative.
https://www.advancedplantedtank.com
Took me ages to learn the same things @RussellTheShihTzu just told you.
My water is v hard, so i get the same problems.

My advice would be to get the best light you can afford, and then decide whether you want a low or high tech tank (high tech basically means high demand plants where you add extra CO2). It is more phaff than I am willing to make, but I will do it one day, when I get my dream tank. You know, the one the size of an olympic swimming pool. I use a ‘complete aquarium soil’ and then use a liquid fertiliser in the water. Once the nutrients in the soil are depleted (takes a good long while), i can then add fertiliser tablets.

Once you know your tank size, and depth, you can do your research on the plants.
I guarantee that if you wander into a fish store and buy the first things you see, then you will lose half of them, so it pays to plan a bit.

I’m afraid I can only point you at UK plant suppliers, but this one gives excellent info on shape, size, light and CO2 demands, and grades them by ‘difficulty’. So you can research them online even if you buy locally.
https://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk

@RussellTheShihTzu
I’m going to look up dwarf water lily now...


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I love Dwarf Water Lilies! They come in red or green and make a nice focal point. You keep them compact by cutting the as soon as they are the height you want. The more you trim the more compact they become. Or, you can let the stems grow until they float like regular lily pads.

I buy all of my plants from www.aquariumplantsfactory.com. Send a PM and I can give you the discount code for Betta Fish.


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## OrchidxBetta (Mar 18, 2016)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> If you get rooted plants, make sure you use fertilizer tabs in the substrate. General and Iron are good if you have Swords.
> 
> The above is my experience. Others may have different experiences.
> 
> ...



This! I like Java Fern as a good beginner plant as well.


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## Brutalcookies (Jan 6, 2019)

I would start with Java moss or Elodea


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