I grow Anacharis (Elodea densa) with no problems both rooted in the ground and free-floating. Also grown in my 55G planted tank are Cryptocoryne wendtii, x willisii and balanase; Java fern (regular variety and Windelov); Echinodorus Red Flame; Anubias barteri var. nana and barteri; and another sort of fern that is unidentified. The trick to Crypts and Echinodorus is to have a rich rooting media for the growing plants. You can even use a pot if it has suffient holes for circulation.

pH is around 8
KH is about 15
Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonia are negligible

This is an established tank with plenty of fish for nutrient supply, but regular water changes and a twice monthly addition of Iron fertilizer keep the plants in continuous growth.

hello. where i used to live i had extremely hard water, and i kid you not- you could smell salt....and it wasn't a well. no matter what i did, i couldn't keep plants alive.

now, i am in a diff. area with hard, but low hard water...gh is 9, kh 7, pH ?. my amazon sword has regenerated nicely despite less than optimum plant care and normal lighting. the baby swords on it are also about 9 inches tall. nitrite 0, ammonia 0, nitrate @5. i am not positive on what type of echinidorus it is.

Anacharis, dwarf hair grass, alteranthera (pink and purple), african fern, java fern, amazon sword, micro sword, red & green tiger lotus, 7 different aponogetons, hornwort, cabomba green, watersprite, moneywort, rotala rotundifolia. And some other crap I cant think of at this time. Trace elements are more important then ferts. As long as you dose correctly your betta will not mind. CO2 injection is a big help. A product like flourish excel will help greatly also, to put it simply it is a source of organic carbon that can be used instead of CO2 injection or along with it. I like and trust flourish products. Lighting is also important, correct color temp., or Kelvin rating, helps. Between 5800K and 8000K is ideal, lab studies showed that 6700K is optimum for freshwater aquatic plants. Intensity is important also, 2 watts per gallon fluorescent lighting of correct color temp. for low and some moderate light needing plants. 3-4 wpg for some moderate and high light required plants. Tricky part is after 2 to 2 1/2 wpg you should have some sort of carbon source or CO2 injection or your asking for troubles (algae, pH flucs and so on). Substrate should be "micro gravel" for most plants, at least 50% "florite" will really help root feeders. Try the link below for some good info.

here it is if you want some others I can reccomend a few.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chuck's Planted

Anacharis floating at the top (been growing for several months) and java fern (about 2 years) attached to wood and rocks on the bottom. I've been looking (not too hard) for java moss as well. I have two large moores so my plant choices are limited. My tank doesn't have much light, a 15" flourescent bulb over 35 gallon hex. Water params are "normal" and tank is "bare bottom". Oh yeah, I'm also growing a dark green furry algae on a large silk hygrophila with red and green leaves. It almost looks like a real plant ;-)

ah-ha, woeisme! i had been wondering if thta plant in the gallery is a tiger lotus. i hear they require quite soft water. what is your experience?

"Oh yeah, I'm also growing a dark green furry algae on a large silk hygrophila with red and green leaves. It almost looks like a real plant" ---melle sacto, now there is a positive attitude! :)