# What are some good plants for a 6 gal Fluval Edge



## Tazzy_toon

I just got fluval edge given to me, it was horribly neglected and had alot of snails and the lighting housing burnt out, but the 2 live plants have a tiny bit of life in them and i'm hoping to add some more. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for some small plants that will thrive in that enviroment. I still have a few horned snails and am using a lamp to light the tank for now. I am going to be eventually putting a few guppies in there. 

Thanks for your time.


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## CGY_Betta_Guy

I have grown swords, crypts, vals, pennywort, windelov java fern, marimo moss balls and some other moss in it. My substrate is about an inch of fluorite and I swapped out the stock halogens with MR16 and I also have LEDs sitting out on top of my glass for additional lighting. Even though everything was growing fine I started pressurized CO2 and things really took off in terms of growth. 

Hopefully you can get yours growing well too.

Edit: Anubias would probably do quite well in there too but I never tried it.


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## tang daddy

+2 for cgy betta guy!

All those plants he mentioned would do well, it shouldn't be a big deal to change the light on the edge and you can probally find a replacement light at home depot.


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## CGY_Betta_Guy

Here is a pic of my tank from last year... apparently i also gave anacharis a try in the back corner too. I remember I got tired of trying to trim it every week in such a shallow tank and took it out. Hope this gives you some inspiration.


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## Tazzy_toon

Thank you both for the encouragement  Cgy Betta Guy, that is indeed encouraging. That looks wonderful. I did add a lil crypt plant and I have 2 plants that barely survived my sons care.
But it looks horribly bare compared to yours. I put the crypt behind the white rock. I'm thinking of switching over to sand tho, but haven't decided yet. I guess i better figure it out before it gets too planted.


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## CGY_Betta_Guy

I would say that if you are using the stock hang on back filter choosing sand might be a tough call since the water fall would make a hole in the sand eventually. You could either position the large rock or a stategically placed plant in that spot to be a water break. I am not sure since I have never used the standard HOB filter.


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## CRS Fan

The tank looks like its off to a good start ! It looks like an anubias species in the background (but maybe my eyes are old and tired ). If so..... make sure you don't bury the rhizome . The crypt and anubias will be fine with the lower light levels. I do suggest putting the light on a timer with an 8 - 10 hour photoperiod (if you haven't already done so).

Best Regards,

Stuart


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## Tazzy_toon

CGY_Betta_Guy said:


> I would say that if you are using the stock hang on back filter choosing sand might be a tough call since the water fall would make a hole in the sand eventually. You could either position the large rock or a stategically placed plant in that spot to be a water break. I am not sure since I have never used the standard HOB filter.


Oh gosh, never even thought of that! I did figure i'd need something over the intake, maybe i'll have to re evaluate the sand. Thanks for bringing that up.


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## Tazzy_toon

CRS Fan said:


> The tank looks like its off to a good start ! It looks like an anubias species in the background (but maybe my eyes are old and tired ). If so..... make sure you don't bury the rhizome . The crypt and anubias will be fine with the lower light levels. I do suggest putting the light on a timer with an 8 - 10 hour photoperiod (if you haven't already done so).
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> Stuart


Thanks, I looked at some pics and it does look quite simular, but it's in rough shape so it's hard to say. I'm not doing anything special with the light at this time, just a lamp during the day close to the glass that i move higher up in the evening and turn off at bed time. I've kept and care for many plants but never in an aquarium. I'm quite uneducated on it atm, but look forward to learning more about it.


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## CGY_Betta_Guy

I would also suggest that if you are trying to get your crypt to recover, a better position would be to put it nearer to the center of the tank where the light shines into the water rather than hiding it behind the white rock. My crypts and swords always seemed to grow the best about 1-2 cm inside the square that makes up the opening. The more light it can get will help it to recover and grow stronger. 

Also since its a root feeder you might consider a root fertilizer to give it nutrients to draw from. 

What substrate do you have in there right now? It looks like fluorite black gravel which is what I have in my edge tank. 

The crypt in my picture eventually out grew the tank and was quite impressive.... I wish I had take a pic of it when I pulled it. Because the gravel was only about 3/4 of an inch deep the root system of the crypt had extended to almost all 4 corners of the tank and the leaves were easily twice as long as those in the picture. I had pulled it because it was shading everything else in the tank.


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## Luke78

Some helpful and knowledgeable responses.For a setup like yours, my thoughts and opinions would be to stick with plants that arent too demanding and easy to work with since your just starting off.Anubias and Java fern are plants that can attach to surfaces,mostly driftwood or rock/stones.Java moss could also be attached to anything or let alone to grow.Theres also a few cryptocorne species as well to add.I would forget stem plants, just more work to deal with and some have higher requirements to keep happy.With plants,comes extra duties as they need, light-ferts-a good substrate-and possible source of Co2.


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## teija

I have always had luck with "marimo" moss balls. They are a very undemanding plant, survive just about anything, need only minimal light... They don't grow very quickly though, and if you want a "natural" look, they don't really fall into that category - but they would look fantastic in the Edge IMO. The round shape would be set off nicely with the square shape of the Edge. 

I've also found java ferns and crypts to be quite good. I'd agree with the earlier post about keeping the plants towards the middle where the light is though.

Whatever you decide on, good luck!


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## Tazzy_toon

thanks, i've been thinking about those moss balls, they are very cool looking. 

I have one crypt that almost died completely after putting it in the tank, but now has new growth, a stem of java vern, a stem of anubias, java moss and a small sword. 

Because I don't have proper lighting, they are not growing very quickly, but aren't dying either. I have just a few leaves on each, but hoping they will fill in better when i get more light. 

Thanks everyone for your help


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## CGY_Betta_Guy

Crypts will experience melt initially as it adjusts to new water conditions. Not surprising that it looked to have almost died. I havent had any issues growing crypts or swords in my edge tank but they do end up getting a bit large. Here is a shot of a sword with an extensive root system I recently pulled from mine. A little bit of nutrient deficiency but overall very healthy.


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## Tazzy_toon

Oh wow, that's impressive. Perhaps it's not a sword I have after all. It's got smaller leaves and the roots are more like a runner. Almost like grass.


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## Tazzy_toon

found a pic of it. You can see the runner in this pic. I really like it and hoping that it will spread soon, have'nt seen much change in the plant at all tho. But it is also in an area with the least amount of light. I am trying to find a small canapy light to put over the glass to give the plants more light.


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## CGY_Betta_Guy

the one on the left looks like a younger java fern in that pic. New leaf growth comes out and uncurls itself as it gets bigger. Dont suppose you have a close up? its hard to tell from the size of the picture but the crypts I have dont generally show the runners above gravel and the leaves all come out of a single rosette. 

I have let a couple crypts grow even bigger than the sword pictured above and they were shading almost the entire footprint of the tank. Leaves were easily a foot long.


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## Tazzy_toon

Here are some pics, sorry for the crappy quality, i just have a cheapo point and click, but it does the job.

Here is a pic of the crypt...









Here is the other plant, sword or crypt?

















This is how it's looking so far, still needs lots of work.


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## Ebonbolt

The mystery plant looks like cryptocoryne lutea, or something similar to it. Also, if you're up for another trip to richmond, I have this miscellaneous plant that grows like crazy, and spreads like wildfire. It's a stem plant with two leaves every cm or so. I have to trim it almost weekly or it goes out of control, and I can snip off half and replant it and it'll grow roots in a few weeks.


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## Tazzy_toon

thanks, that's really nice of you, i don't usually head out that way much tho, but thanks anyways.

Not sure if it's a crypt tho, doesn't look like the other 2 I have, but I guess it could be a different variation. The root is almost like a grass runner, with no bunches, but it could just be young shoots, my son said the leaves never got bigger then that, but they may have just died before they could get bigger because the walls were thick with algae and only got from the window. I think we'll get a better idea as it grows a bit more. 



BelieveInBlue said:


> The mystery plant looks like cryptocoryne lutea, or something similar to it. Also, if you're up for another trip to richmond, I have this miscellaneous plant that grows like crazy, and spreads like wildfire. It's a stem plant with two leaves every cm or so. I have to trim it almost weekly or it goes out of control, and I can snip off half and replant it and it'll grow roots in a few weeks.


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