Live plants and sand

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halfbloodprince

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So In my aquariums I have always ever just used fake plants but I like the look of live plants much better. I was wondering if there are any types that do well in sand substrate or if I would need to change out the sand with something else
 
I have used water wisteria in my axolotl tank, which doesn't have sand in it, but it did not live very long. It died and the it took over a month to clean the dead water wisteria from the tank. If you want to control the ammonia, moss balls are very good and my axolotls like to stand on them, but if you want to get live plants for shade and decoration, I wouldn't recommend water wisteria. After what happened with the water wisteria, I decided to just go with large marimo moss balls, but I plan to do some research and experimenting with other live plants, and tell you what I find out when I do find out.
 
Thanks, I heard awesome things about the moss balls and I plan to get one for ammonia. But I would like some live plants for shade and decor, I don't really like the look of plastic plants
 
I'm trying out ludwigia but it has a habit of floating to the top so I had to get some transparent fishing line and wrapped it around the stems then tied it to the hole inside the terra cotta pot and knotted the line until it formed a huge knot so it couldn't get out of the hole then buried half the terra cotta plant under the sand so Saskia can't find the fishing line.

Saskia loves to sit on top of the plant or under it and it looks good and provides good shade for when I have to have the tank light on during feeding or spot cleaning.
Here is a pic of how I've set it up in my tank.

First photo is how I had my plants covering some of the cave to make it more shady.
Second pic is of Saskia loving her plants.
Third is how I currently have my tank plants.

I like to redecorate each cleaning to keep Saskia entertained!
 

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Thanks for the tips, I like your set up. And the plants didn't have a problem rooting in the sand?
 
Roots and all seem fine so far since the two weeks I've had them.
 
Anubias barteri, or "Nana" is a hardy low light plant that thrives in sand. I might put larger rocks around the roots so that your axie doesn't rip them up though. It's kinda small, but there are other anubias that grow well in low lighting aquariums.
 
SkollSunChaser said:
Anubias barteri, or "Nana" is a hardy low light plant that thrives in sand. I might put larger rocks around the roots so that your axie doesn't rip them up though. It's kinda small, but there are other anubias that grow well in low lighting aquariums.
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+1

Anubias is an excellent choice for low light/cold water, and if you are prepared to spend a bit more you can get it already established on a lump of drift wood. I got 5 nice big lumps of wood with established anubias for my 6x2x2 and just sat them on top of the sand in the hope they'll grow into it. They look fantastic.

I also have the marimo moss balls, but that was just a lucky pick as I only heard about their ammonia reducing properties on this thread.

Other low light/cold water plants that are supposedly good are java fern and java moss, and apparently tying them to driftwood has its benefits.

I've got one piece of moss I put in, and it seems to be spreading.
 
Some recommend plants:
Anubias Nana - great plant, virtually indestructible, hardy and low maintenance.
Anubias Isabelle - very tough, taller than the Nana.
Anubias Barteri - just like the Nana, but a bit bigger and with rounder leaves.
Java Fern - one of the toughest aquatic plants you can get - grows anywhere!
Java Moss - grows anywhere as well, can be made into a sort-of "carpet"
Lilaeopsis - this is like grass, you can make a beautiful lawn in your tank with it.
Eleocharis (Hairgrass) - same as with Lilaeopsis tends to be a bit taller though.
Pongol - this is actually Mondo Grass, so it's not a true aquatic but survives (doesn't grow, just survives) for ages submerged, not really recommended.
Congensis - quite striking for a centrepiece plant.
Riccia - Riccia generally needs a lot of light to grow properly, thus only suitable for brighter tanks.
Narrow Chain Sword - another grassy-type thing. Looks pretty, grows happily.
 
As of now I have black sand with live plants. I have Anubias in my tank along with some Java Fern and Marimo Moss Balls. Most of these types of plants do not like having their roots buried. So your best bet is to tie them to driftwood and let them grow on that naturally. You can also put different types of moss like Java moss or Christmas Moss, but I avoid them just because they spread like crazy and are hard to get rid of sometimes. They are all low light plants that do not require much light, which your axolotls will appreciate.
 
This is an old photo, but i always have issues with my axies uprooting plants or plants uprooting themselves. So i just got a few glass jars, Filled them with gravel, a little layer of sand on top. I have had no issues yet :) And my axies just love to climb in the plants.
IMAG0699.jpg
 
This is my tank. I have been very lucky in that most of the plants I have put in have done well and the axolotls love hanging out in them. I have dwarf water lettuce, red root floater, water sprite floating plants) Amazon swords, camboma, giant vallis, regular vallis, lugwigia, java fern, weinhov fern and moss balls. Plus a few other plants whos names I don't know. I have the lights set on a timer on my tank so I have the minimin possible. If you are having trouble keeping them down you can buy little terracotta pot rings to use as a weight. They are really good. I will see if I can find the seller I bought them from if you are interested. X
 

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Hornwort is what I have in my tank with sand. This plant thrives in low light and grows FAST. I have had to trim it back several times, if you let it it will take over.
 
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