Plants with JUST gravel?

[Shiyuu]

I'm wondering, is it possible for easy plants to root/survive in a gravel only tank?
As in regular gravel, no ferts, no co2...

Besides moss, java fern, anubias, what other choices do I have?
For the lighting, mine is probably on the low light, 40W AquaGlo for 48g tank.

Btw, I feel that AquaGlo doesn't show much of blue on Zebra Danios... Is LifeGlo or SunGlo or PowerGlow a better choice??

[InfraredDream]

I find it difficult to dose stuff in the tanks, so all of mine are planted with low demand/low light plants. There are some nice lists of low light plants online. In addition to yours I have sunset hydro, hornwort, moneywort, water sprite, vallisneria, some frog bite (I think is the name). I have a few more that I don;t know the names. Oh, I don;t have it, but lots of people have elodea in betta tanks with no light at all.

[BelieveInBlue]

I have cryptocoryne in a 20gallon unfertilized tank with about 1.5wpg and no CO2. It grows like mad and sends out new runners every 2-3 months or so. And of course, as mentioned before, java fern, java moss, anubias, valisneria, and water sprite will do fine. Also, amazon swords (Echinodorus) will probably do ok in lowish lighting, although they do require a little bit of ferts, mainly in the form of root tabs.

[Diztrbd1]

Here's a good list, dunno what is best with gravel but they are all low-light:Low Light Plants List

[Shiyuu]

Thanks for all the info~!

As for light, should I change my light?? I can't put 2 T8s, due to the Marina canopy I had...

[taureandragon76]

Check out this link PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide

[2wheelsx2]

I won't add much except to say that java fern and Anubias are epiphytes and don't even need substrate. But many plants can be grown in gravel or without substrate if you dose the water column. Having a good substrate just allows it to be easier and the plants to grow better. Any substrate where they can root properly can be used, as long as it doesn't pack down too much.

[Shell Dweller]

I only have gravel in my tanks and all my plants seem to do well. In fact I have one plant which sent out a single stem from the bottom, so i propped the lid up so it could continue to grow outside the tank. The stem has grown to about 18 inches long outside the tank, has several new leaves every 6 inches or so and is flowering and has been for a few weeks now. The name escapes me but it is the large plant in the center of my photo which I entered in the last aquarium photo contest ( #8 ). Maybe one of you plant experts could tell me, if i cut the stem and plant it, would I get new plants from each of the sections that have leaves? This tank BTW only gets filtered sunlight and I turn the lights on for maybe a couple of hours at night right now. I dose maybe once a month with equilibrium.

[teija]

I've tried gravel, EcoComplete and Aquasoil (underneath gravel). I have had the most luck with Aquasoil, and gravel is a close second. However, I've found that after awhile Java Ferns DO need some sort of fertilisers otherwise the leaves all go brown and die off. I've found that the plants I've had seem happier in gravel - perhaps because it doesn't compact the roots too much and it is easier for the roots to spread.

[2wheelsx2]

However, I've found that after awhile Java Ferns DO need some sort of fertilisers otherwise the leaves all go brown and die off..

That's likely due to increasing plant mass and reduced available nutrients because of that plant mass. In lower light, higher bioload\s setups, you'll not see that problem. Charles has a couple of nice examples in his tanks with lots of water changes and no dosing, using Anubias and Java Fern.