This is what many novice aquarists does. They invest lots of money in fancy equipment like CO2 injectors, expensive lights, etc., but they don’t have time (e.g., 3 hrs weekly) to maintain their tank. As a result, the tank turn brown because of algae growth.
The plants dies, and so on. That’s realy unnecessary. There’s no reason for your fish tank to become a laboratory.
Best Low Light Plants For Easy Aquascaping
Why Low-Maintenance Plants Are Better for Beginners
All you need are plant requiring minimal care. These are a category of plants for people who want less maintenance, less light requirement, and lower tech. They is hardier than most.
Slower growing. They are stubborn. They outcompetes algae.
Don’t require accurate water testing every week. Don’t require cutting back weekly. No need for carbon enrichment.
No need for high light. They are survivors. Plants such as these will change your approach to maintaining aquarium.
You move from active care to passive enjoyment. In this category, one of my favorites are Anubias. The plant doesn’t like to be buried.
How to Grow Anubias Without Killing It
This is the main way someone can hurts Anubias, because the rhizome attaches to rock or wood and shouldn’t be covered with soil. Beyond that, however, it’s hard to kill. It’ll tolerate poor water condition better then most plants, and it handles low light well too.
You can forget about feeding your fish for a week and Anubias will still survive. Because it forgives mistake, it’s a good plant to start out with. The same applies with Java Fern.
Attaching Java Fern to Hardscape
Its rhizome also must remain exposed. Glue it on rocks or tie it onto wood to keep the rhizome out of water. The advantage of being slow growing in low light conditions is that it does not attracts algae as fast growing plants tend to do.
Algae blooms are fueled by phosphate/nitrate compounds, which Java Fern help to remove by absorbing them. Because Java Fern absorbs both, it purifies the water. It is a good looking plant that does something useful.
Unlike most plants, Java Moss don’t have traditional roots. Instead, it’s a mat of tiny fronds that you can put just about anywhere. Tie it onto wood.
Versatile Placement Options for Java Moss
Put it inside of a sponge. Let it float around. It grows well in low light and typicaly prefers it.
Under high light, it grow out bushy. Under low light, it remains dense and easy to manage. It creates hiding spaces for baby fish and other shy fish.
So it add an element of interest to your tank. For the minimal care it require, it’s rewarding to watch tetras weave their way in and out of the moss. Wendtii (or C. Wendtii) is commonly called Wendtii for short because of its versatility.
Caring for Cryptocoryne Wendtii Varieties
There are red, yellow and green varieties of this species. Wendtii) is commonly called “the do-anything lily” for a reason. There are red, yellow and green varieties of this species.
The yellow form, which is usualy sold as Yellow Cuba, is one of the toughest cryptocorynes. When you initially plant them they’ll shed their existing leaves. That’s normal.
They’re discarding any leaf that don’t match your water so they can sprout ones that do. After it set up, it will grow tight clusters, making it an attractive choice for low-light areas. Very low light.
It does not need any CO2. Amazon Swords are bigger and impressive. Any tank would be proud to have one in it. But, these plants does use more nutrients compared to other plants.
Feeding Amazon Sword Plants with Root Tabs
Eventually, they’ll run out of nutrients if your tank has low light and low nutrients. They might drop some leaf and they’ll stop growing. Don’t worry (this isn’t the end).
It’s a sign that you need to provide a little more support. Feed the fish more (or add root tabs). Soon, they’ll get better.
Because Amazon Swords will tell you when there’s something wrong, they makes great plants for newbies. They’re straightforward plants. They’ll let you know what they want.
Benefits of Hardy Aquatic Plants
What all of these plants have in common is that they are resilient. They don’t look for perfect conditions; they look for conditions where they can survive. When you select species that will tolerate lower light levels and require less attention, you take away the expectation of expertise from yourself.
You free up your time to enjoy the view and watch the fish. Your tank should relax you, not require work from you. Select hardy plants.
Take a step back. Let the plants work for you.
