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Re: Planting suggestions
Jason,
There are three ways to get plants...from other aquarists (best), mail
order (middling) and from pet stores (worst).
From aquarists in your neighbourhood you are likely to get cheap (free?)
plants that like the local tap water sufficiently well to be multiplying.
Sometimes pet store owners are happy to swap plants as well. Whatever, it
is well worth finding out plants that adapt to your water *and* your
budget.
Mail order is the next best. While the selection is wide and the prices
usually keen, the minus is that your plants may get mangled 'en route'.
Plants like Echinodorus, Vallis and Elodea with stiff but brittle leaves do
badly. Others, like Crypts which are softer do fine. Also, extremes of
climate can be bad.
Pet stores need be approached with caution. So long as you *know* what you
are after, and can recognise it, then no problems. But browsing usually
winds up with a bunch of pretty plants that turn out to be ill suited (e.g.
amphibious, terrestrial plants, need soft water, etc...).
In my experience, hardy first-time plants include Anubias nana, Echinodorus
bleheri, Microsorium, giant Vallis, Cryptocoryne affinis, Hygrophila
polysperma, Hygrophila stricta and many of the floaters like Riccia. These
all adapt well to regular levels of lighting and have minimal needs for CO2
or minerals, and thrive in hard water.
All the best,
Neale.
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From Neale Monks' Macintosh PowerBook, at...
Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD
Internet: N.Monks at nhm_ac.uk, Telephone: 0171-938-9007
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