Seeing as there are quite a few people on this forum who are very into plants, I thought I'd toss this question out there for a couple of reasons. One, for fun. Two, to maybe expose people who don't keep plants yet to a couple varieties.
So the question is as per the topic - what is/are your favourite aquarium plant(s)? If you could list the scientific name, a common name if there is one, a little bit on the care you provide for it personally or the setup it's in and how it's doing, and possibly even a picture (original or borrowed, just to show what the plant is) that'd be great!
Cheers! ;D
I like Hygrophila polysperma because its fairly colourful and also relatively easy to keep. I also like crypts, small but very beautiful plants.
Because I just wanted to see what I could grow when I first set up my aquarium, I have about one or two of everything ;)
One of the coolest plants is my Banana lily, Nymphoides aquatica. Here's a pic of what one of mine looked like shortly after I bought it:
http://thesmiths.atspace.com/images/aquarium/banana1_l.jpg
At the beginning, it had only four leaves. When a new leaf grew (every 2 days), an old one would die. Once it began to establish itself a little better, it put out an amazing number of roots to anchor itself into the substrate. Here's another shot from a couple of months ago:
http://thesmiths.atspace.com/images/aquarium/banana3_l.jpg
I don't have a current picture of just the plant, but now it's HUGE! It has about 10 leaves, each about half the size of my hand. It also sent out a huge shoot (grew about 2 inches per day!) and a lily pad is now floating on the surface of the water. Here's my most recent shot of my tank, you can see the lily in it:
http://thesmiths.atspace.com/aquarium/april06.html
Seeing that I'm very new to planted tanks (having just set up my first fully planted tank two days ago) I would have to say that out of the 8 or so plants I've started with Riccia (Thanks Toss) is by far my favorite. It looks great as a carpeting plant over a nice piece of Mopani and I love the look of it when it gets covered in tiny little bubbles.
im a big fan of the easy swords like the e.parviflorus . its small for a sword (12") but really looks good.when i bought it it was growing green but now its growing red with black veins. really cool.
I realy like my Ech. cordifolius. i like its big leaves, that grow out and create a nice place for fish. i also like glosso, but whn i got it had a hard time growing it because a fish kept on eating it >:( >:(. also anubias, because it looks realy good when there is no algea, and when it is on a nice peice of drift wood.
I recently got some plants from jetstream, and i like them alot, but i forget the name of them :(. they looked realy good in his tank as a ground cover and i hope i can get mine to grow like that.
I have a high light tank, with CO2 injection, and i fertilise about 3 times a week.
My vote is for crypts. :) Nice and easy!
Crypts really rock. i have more success with some and less with others. my favs so far are wendtii mi oya and wendtii broad leaves. i have the petchii but it ssems to get covered in algea no matter what.one of my next crypts is the affinis. its supposed to multiply fast and make gorgeous stands
L. repens, 'cos it's my first and I haven't killed it yet.
:)
In addition to Crypts, I have to say my all-time fave is Java Fern Windelov, the Lace Java Fern.
Gorgeous. Easy. Robust. oh and did I mention Gorgeous!
Riccia is up there, too. Reminds me I have to do another CO2 batch ;)
I would say Vallisneria is may favorite plant. I like it because it is so incredibly hardy and useful. It gives my tanks a natural look to them as well as provides a vertical accent I need in the taller tanks I use. It does very well in hard water and even survives in my brackish tank.
I have the thinner leaved variety that does not grow overly tall. My fish do all the maintained for me, I never have to prune the stuff, just thin out the daughter plants from time to time :)