Looking for some info on plants

Howdy :happy:

I am new to this site... and also new to the world of amphibians.

I have 2 male paddletail newts...in seperate aquariums. They were in the same one to begin with, however the slightly larger of the 2 became very territorial and began snapping at the smaller one. I had sought advice about this and it was decided it would be best to seperate them completely...

Now they both have their own aquariums, I was wondering if anyone would have some helpful tips or hints in regards to plant life in them? Im not entirely sure what would be the best kind of plant to have in my aquariums and I dont want to get anything wrong.

Thank you so much for any help you can give

Inexpensive plants like hornwort or anacharis are great oxygenators that grow quickly and are hard to kill. Java ferns and Anubias sp, grow slowly, but are great with low light. Poke around PlantGeek.net - Your Aquatic Plant Resource and see what you like.

I'm a complete plant nut and over a long period of time trying out different types in my tank the ones that work the best in colder, low-light environments are:

1. Any type of Anubias
2. Java Fern
3. Lilaeopsis (doesn't grow much, but survives just fine)
4. Fontinalis (grows in virually any conditions)

For fertilisers, I've found that 'Flourish' and 'Flourish Excel' work wonders.

Substrates: Not critical as the plants in the above list do fine attched to stones, driftwood etc but the one that works the best for me is a layer of laterite covered with 1mm gravel. Laterite is full of nutrients that the plants love but is really muddy (like clay) so the 1mm gravel holds all of that down and doesn't pose any impaction risk for your critters.

Hope this helps!

I'd be afraid to use fertilizers with amphibians, and most of the plant species we've been mentioning should do fine without them.

For my axolotl tank, I've got a large driftwood centerpiece that's well-planted with willow moss, narrow leaf java ferns, and Anubias nana; they've been doing well with very mediocre lighting and no added ferts. I've also got free-floating anacharis. Stick with the easier species, to start with, and see how it goes. Frankly, no matter how much we try to clean our amphibians' tanks, they're making loads of fertilizers every day.

jclee said:

I'd be afraid to use fertilizers with amphibians

Click to expand...

Agreed, and I shared your well-founded hesitation initially, however I did a bunch of research prior to commencing use of the two I mentioned and found nothing in them that harms amphibians based on the information I could find. Time has also shown them to be harmless as I've been using them for around 3 years and my axolotls have come to no harm (several batches of around 200 babies healthily raised and sold is a testament).

jclee said:

clean our amphibians' tanks, they're making loads of fertilizers every day

Click to expand...

You're right, the axolotls do produce plenty of fertiliser - carbon, particularly - however the difference I've found (just personal experience, I'm no scientist) between using and not using is significant for plant health and growth.

That being said, I'd hold to the philosphy that if you're worried skip the ferts, they're totally not essential.

Here ya go:
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.

From Axolotl Sanctuary

This is all fantastic advice thank you so much! I am going to read further into them all after work today and then sort them out with some plants this week.

I have a piece of bogwood... its a substantial size... I have it soaking in a bucket and will be changing the water daily over the next week or so as I found that it bleeds a huge amount orangy dye into the aquariums... and from what I have read it does them no harm... I just dont like the water so dark orange. Hopefully this method will stop it from bleeding so much dye into my tanks in future.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Claire xxx

great topic, was looking for the very same information!

It's good to know that you've been having luck with Flourish, so far. If I broaden the types of plants I have in the axie tank, I might check it out. (Over the summer, I leave the lid most of the way off the tank, which limits the amout of light that reaches the plants, so I haven't even tried high-light-needing, high-fert-dosing plants in that tank, yet.)