best plants for low light spaces

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beccykit
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:51 pm

best plants for low light spaces

Post by beccykit »

I'm struggling to find a suitable plant for a low-light area in my tank. It's a corner spot that needs something around 25-30cm tall. The issue is, it's heavily shaded by my frogbit.

I'm looking for a low-tech option, if possible. My water parameters are 4 degree KH and 8 degree GH. I don't use ferts or CO2, and I've got standard stock fluorescent tubes on an 8-hour cycle.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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beccykit
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:51 pm

Re: best plants for low light spaces

Post by beccykit »

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it. I'll definitely keep an eye out for some at a good price. Water wisteria does seem like a good option - I've looked for it before, but ended up with some water fern instead, which is doing great in my tank. I know I really need to add some water ferts, but I just don't know where to start.

I know this might sound crazy, but I use RO water with a scoop of 'mineflakes' - I have no idea what's in it, just that the LFS recommended it and my plants seem okay with it. The only ones that really thrive, though, are the water fern and my amazon frogbit.
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beccykit
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:51 pm

Re: best plants for low light spaces

Post by beccykit »

Thanks for the advice, both of you.

I'm pretty sure my fern is doing well because it's near the filter outlet and doesn't have much plant cover, so it gets a good amount of light. It's actually tripled in size over the past month and a half, which is great.

I use RO water because my tap water is so hard - I mean, it's crazy. After a week, my kettle is already clogging up with limescale, it's that bad.

I'm thinking of trying out Seachem Flourish Comprehensive - it's had good reviews and isn't too expensive, £10.99 for what looks like a decent amount. My tank is only 20 US Gal, so it should last me a while.

As for the plant colour, I'm not too fussed, to be honest. The lit half of my tank is all bright green (from plants, not algae!), and the half covered in frogbit is more gloomy, but it kind of works. A less vibrant plant could actually look pretty cool in that area.
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