Alright everyone, I was going to wait another 6 months or so to introduce live plants. I wanted to upgrade the tank, build some rock furniture, and generally make it cool. However, I feel the tank and Cosetta could benefit from some live plants. I just increased the water depth to see if she likes it, but the tank just isn’t replicating her environment like I would like.
So, what plants? There are several questions you should ask yourself about getting live plants and make sure you do your research!!!
- Is this plant safe for my turtle?
- Can this plant grow in my tank conditions?
- Do I like the look of this plant?
Mini Amazon Frogbit
- Is this plant safe for my turtle? Yes!
- Can this plant grow in my tank conditions? Yes!
- Do I like the look of this plant?
- Yes! I like this better than duckweed and water lettuce
- Origin: South America
- Height: – (floating)
- Light Needs: Moderate to High
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Preferred Temperatures: 78-86℉
This is a great choice for tanks because it shades out algae and sucks up ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates!
It is fast growing and Turtles like to eat it, so keep an eye on it to make sure your turtle doesn’t eat it all. I plan to keep a separate little cultivation at first, just in case. I also read that you can take out handfuls of this plant if you don’t want the top of the tank completely covered.
This plant, however, doesn’t like a strong current! Submerging the plants repeatedly can kill it.
Anubias Nana
- Is this plant safe for my turtle? Yes!
- Can this plant grow in my tank conditions? Yes!
- Do I like the look of this plant?
- Yes! I prefer broad leaves to feathery-frond type plants.
- Origin: West & Central Africa
- Height: 1-12 inches
- Light Needs: Low
- Growth Rate: Very Slow
- Preferred Conditions: 72-82°F, pH 6-7.5, 3-8 KH
This is a great choice for tanks as it will help to control nitrate levels, remove pollutants, and oxygenate the water.
This is a shade loving plant, so the frogbit covering the top won’t hinder it too much!
It is slow growing, but it is quite bitter, so she shouldn’t eat it very much!
They do prefer soft substrate (which I don’t have). In their native habitat, they grow in soft mud I believe. However, you can attach it to driftwood with fishing line or cotton twine, which is what I will be doing.
***********************
I have ordered the driftwood, which needs some attention before I can attach the anubias nana to it. I want to do that first, so stay tuned for a post about getting the driftwood ready!