Planted tank troubleshooting and honest aquarium advice

Quick answer The best plants for a closed terrarium are humidity lovers: fittonia, mosses, ferns, peperomia, baby tears and small tropical foliage plants. The best plants for an open terrarium are the opposite: succulents, cacti, air plants and anything that wants dry air and good airflow. Getting this the wrong way round is the single most common reason terrariums fail, and it is the mistake terrarium kits sold in shops actively encourage by pairing succulents Read more

Quick answer: Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri) is one of the easiest stem plants you can grow. It has upright stems lined with small, bright green rounded leaves, it does not need CO2, and it grows in almost any tank with basic lighting. It sits best in the middle or background and reaches about 12 inches tall, sometimes more. The one thing most listings leave out: moneywort is usually grown above water before it is sold, so Read more

Quick answer Java moss is one of the easiest aquarium plants there is. It grows in low light, needs no CO2 and no substrate, tolerates roughly 15 to 30°C (59 to 86°F) and a wide pH range, and attaches itself to wood and rock with rhizoids rather than roots. You tie or glue it in place and leave it. The one thing nobody warns you about is trimming. Left alone, it grows into a thick Read more

Quick answer The best low light aquarium plants are Anubias, Java fern, Bucephalandra, Java moss, Cryptocoryne, Amazon sword, Vallisneria, hornwort, Anacharis, water wisteria, guppy grass and floating plants like frogbit. None of them need CO2 injection. They grow more slowly than high tech plants, which is the trade off, and in return they tolerate basic lighting, imperfect maintenance and beginner mistakes. The most common reason these plants still die is not lighting, it is being Read more