# Low Light Plants??



## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

Will you guys help me make a full list of every low light plant?

I know a few, but I think it would be a good idea to create a list, and organizing them from background, front, and middle of where they should be placed in the tank!  It would help people stock their tanks 

Background:
Jungle Val
Corkscrew Val

Middle:
-

Ground:
Dwarf Sag

Floating:
Frogbit
Duckweed


Just copy and paste the list and lets continue making this list!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Background:
Jungle Val
Corkscrew Val
Water Sprite (rooted)
Water Wisteria
Anacharis
Moneywort

Middle:
Ludwigia
Rotala
Java Fern
Anubias
Crytocorynes

Ground:
Dwarf Sag
Java Moss

Floating:
Frogbit
Duckweed
Dwarf Water Lettuce
Water Sprite (floating)
Hornwort


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

i made a whole list of easy care plants ^_^ It's not done yet, but hopefully it will be posted up soon...
keep in mind that most stem plants can be middle or backgroud plants depending on how you keep it trimmed 

Background:
Jungle Val
Corkscrew Val
Water Sprite (rooted)
Water Wisteria
Anacharis
Moneywort (bacopa)
Brazillian pennywort
Hydrocotyle sp Japan
Cardamine lyrata
Limnophilla sessilifolia
Hygrophillia Polysperma
guppy grass
Cabomba
myriophyllum mattogrossense
elodea/anacharis


Middle:
Ludwigia
Rotala
Java Fern (trident, needleleaf, windelov)
Anubias
Crytocorynes (common ones work well, other rarer sp. can get fussy)
Buces


foreGround:
Dwarf Sag
microsword
marsilea minuta
marsilea quadrifolia
Java Moss
Susswassertang


Floating:
Frogbit
Duckweed
Dwarf Water Lettuce
Water Sprite (floating)
Hornwort
salvinia
hygroryza aristata


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## ReginaldColeman (Jun 9, 2013)

Kalari32 said:


> Will you guys help me make a full list of every low light plant?
> 
> I know a few, but I think it would be a good idea to create a list, and organizing them from background, front, and middle of where they should be placed in the tank!  It would help people stock their tanks
> 
> ...


Nice. Thanks for starting the thread even I was searching for the list


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

Background:
Jungle Val
Corkscrew Val
Water Sprite (rooted)
Water Wisteria
Anacharis
Moneywort (bacopa)
Brazillian pennywort
Hydrocotyle sp Japan
Cardamine lyrata
Limnophilla sessilifolia
Hygrophillia Polysperma
guppy grass
Cabomba
myriophyllum mattogrossense
elodea/anacharis


Middle:
Ludwigia
Rotala
Java Fern (trident, needleleaf, windelov)
Anubias
Crytocorynes (common ones work well, other rarer sp. can get fussy)
Buces


foreGround:
Dwarf Sag
microsword
marsilea minuta
marsilea quadrifolia
Java Moss
Susswassertang


Floating:
Frogbit
Duckweed
Dwarf Water Lettuce
Water Sprite (floating)
Hornwort
salvinia
hygroryza aristata
Green Myrio (AKA Frill Plant at Petsmart) (can also be planted in substrate)


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I do want to point out that not all of these are "low light" plants but can survive in low lights. For example, Cabomda will not show it's full colors unless under medium-high lighting but can still survive in low lights and will just be very dark green. Same with red plants like Bronze Wendtii (a Crypto), Red Rotala, Ludwigia Repens and so on. They will grow green under low lights but in medium-high lights they will get their red colors.

Also plants like Anacharis, Hornwort and Myrio are considered cold water plants, however you can acclimate them to hotter waters like 80 degree's and they will do great. However Hornwort and Myrio both will shed their needles quicker in hotter waters so...ye be warned! lol


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

yep ^_^ and we all have a different definition of low light


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

lilnaugrim said:


> Also plants like Anacharis, Hornwort and Myrio are considered cold water plants, however you can acclimate them to hotter waters like 80 degree's and they will do great. However Hornwort and Myrio both will shed their needles quicker in hotter waters so...ye be warned! lol


Oh, maybe that's why my myrio always explodes after a couple months. The good thing is that it grows so fast that I just prune it and replant the top that still has needles.


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## ReginaldColeman (Jun 9, 2013)

ReginaldColeman said:


> Will you guys help me make a full list of every low led lighting plant?
> 
> I know a few, but I think it would be a good idea to create a list, and organizing them from background, front, and middle of where they should be placed in the tank!  It would help people stock their tanks
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing another list..


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks for this list! 

Now define low-light... Does it mean desk lamp, 6500k, +6700k, natural light?...


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

For me, low light is most bulbs that are 2 watts per gallon and under (although that myth is debunked) and anything under 6,500K. Although Kelvin rating is just what color it is, the cooler the color the less your plants will grow because plants don't utilize the blue color much but it does the red which is above 6,500K if I remember correctly.

But there's a whole thing about PAR's and what low light really is, I'd give the link to the page but it's on a different forum and I'd be breaking rules! If anyone does want to see the link though, you can PM me. (<----if that's breaking rules too mods, you can edit that part out lol)


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Haha thanks


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

Now I know why I constantly kill anacharis. I keep my tanks 82 degrees.

Low to low end of moderate light is what you will get with 2 10 watt CFL's in a 10 gallon tank or one t8 fluorescent tube on a 20-29 gallon tank IME.

Most of my local pet stores do not carry many low light plants. It's hit and miss at the LFS. 

So I guess we need a list of low light/warm water plants.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Why, what temp does anacharis like?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Anacharis is a cold water plant so 60-70 is a nice zone but it can be acclimated to higher temps just fine.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

because I just bought a piiiile of it ( plus the storekeeper gave me some free) and my 5g is 79F now (down from 83F!) and Osha's tank is a bit cooler.. Well actually I guess it's about 77-78F.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Generally it's fine, especially coming from a store because they usually already have their tanks up to about 80 degree's or so. So no acclimation really needed, it just might melt a little when you first put it in after a week or so


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Oh no, really? That's how I lost my hygrophilia and wisteria!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

No, no, melting is fine it will grow back in a week or so! It's when they wilt/leaves die, that's bad. Melting is just them acclimating to the new water chemistry and the leaves will turn really dark green and look almost translucent and then they will gain their color back after a while.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

I sure hope so o-o
My hygro died off and I have one stem in one of the tanks but it won't grow, won't die. And my wisteria I had SO much, it's now down to one tall stem. Rest died. Hornwort had a hard time too, I still manage to keep them alive though. My ambulia, ferns, marimo and salvinina are all thriving though. So I don't know what to be at.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Could be pH levels as well. plants tend to like the higher pH levels I find. In one tank it's at 7.4-7.6 and my plants are thriving and sending off babies every week then my other tank is at 6.5 and the plants are just kind of...meh. They're not dying but they aren't growing either.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Water hardness teds to afect plants more than PH. most plant prefer hard water. My java ferns certainly did not. 

I cant remember the threshold for low and med light but I remember hght being 50 PAR. my tank just hits that at the substrate level


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

oohhh. I was told I have hard tap water. Old copper pipes. I think they're copper. My shrimp are alive though. 

I don't have a test kit. Maybe I should invest in one.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

You can use driftwood to soften it as well. That might be why my plants are doing better in the 33 then, I've got 3 pieces of driftwood XD I'll have to find some small pieces to get into the 10 gallon then and all my other tanks!


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## carlos puron (Jun 9, 2013)

*a betta in my 55 gallon with my tetras is that possible?*

Hey y'all well I have my 55 gallon with 3 different schools of tetras black skirt black phantom and blood fin two Dalmatian mollies that I rescued 3 otos and two yoyo loaches I've read on different places that you can keep bettas with tetras with no problems as long as you have at least six of each kind of tetras but I want to know by your experience can this happen cause I really love bettas for their fins i actually have two on their own 5 gallon each one it is a shame that we cannot have more than one male in the same tank I want to add one to my 55 gal or start a female sorority if possible but before adopting I want to make sure there's the possibility that they can live together I may buy a 3 gallon or something in case that it doesn't go as I expected i posted a pic of my thank i still want to add some more plants before i start looking for male or females But for your own experience what do you guys recommend 

Thanks for reading


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## carlos puron (Jun 9, 2013)

Sorry I don't know what happened but that was supposed to be a new tread


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