Highfalutin' (and Lowfalutin') Plants - Say What Now?

Cheryl Clifton
Jun 4, 2022
6 min read

Some aquarists seem to look down on "easy" cheap and plentiful aquarium plants. Where does such plant snobbery come from? If some funky ball of I-don't-know-what-type-of-moss-it-is-but-I-got-it-at-my-LFS (local fish store) makes your fry or shrimp happy - well, what do you care, as long as it isn't an illegal plant in your country or state?

Easy, non-pretentious, lowfalutin' plants are a beginner's best friend. A small ball of this or a floating bit of that can cost you very little (or NOTHING), will comfort your fish and help provide food and shelter. It will also improve your water quality and give you something to research! So what are these lowfalutin' plants, and how does a beginner get their paws on them? It's very easy, actually. Go to your LFS (or where ever you bought most of your supplies and equipment. If you see growing/floating plants in the tank, ask if you can have a sample of of a couple, to test in your tank or help cycle your tank. Often, your LFS is happy to give you samples for free (a sprig of this or that). Don't be greedy about it, and don't be put out if they say no. Just go to another LFS, and ask again. If that doesn't work, check with your local aquarium club, ask a friend who keeps a planted tank, or ask someone who is selling you a fish or shrimp if they can help you out with a sprig or two.

What are you looking for, exactly, in a lowfalutin' plant? You are looking for some of the most easy-care, common plants in the hobby:

Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana): This is an aquatic moss that looks like a loosely ball-shaped copper pot scrubber made of dark green plastic. It can be free-floating or or attached to a rock or coconut shell (attached mosses usually are not free). If the LFS is fully of this stuff, they may give you a tiny golf ball-sized amount to try. It will grow with standard aquarium light however. Soon, you will have a bigger ball, and a bigger ball, and then you can split it and give some away yourself - or put some in another tank, to do the same thing. Shrimp and fry love this stuff because they can harvest all sort of critters (infusoria) and plant materials from it. There are similar aquatic mosses that do the same sort of thing; they're all good.
Guppy Grass (Najas guadalupensis): Okay, guess who loves this plant! Like java moss, this plant can be free-floating or not, and will grow and spread. High light will create a denser plant; low light makes them long and leggy. This will grow and spread just like java moss, and you can plant it too. If it floats up, let it float or plant the stem more deeply and give it time to root.
Hornwort (Ceratophylum demersum): This a cool-looking plant, with its radial leaves placed along its stems. Similar to Guppy grass and Java Moss. Does not root, but you can keep shoving it into the substrate and pretend it will, if you like that look. Grows loooooooooong.
Water Wisteria (Hygrophila Difformis): A versatile plant, which grows from a center point. Water Wisteria grows differently depending on if it is floating, planted or growing above water, and the amount of light it receives. As a floating plant, it requires low flow. It will get humongous - the size of a dinner plate - very quickly, growing an inch a day in high light situations. Just trim it a little if it seems over-ambitious. Water Wisteria will drop roots that are long and jungle-like, which your fish, snails, shrimp will love. If some of the Water Wisteria can grow out of your tank and has a bright light source above it, it will do an even better job cleaning your tank's water, because plants that grow above the water are more efficient in drawing the bad stuff out of it.
Water Sprite: Delicate, "carrot greens-looking" stem plant that can be floated in a low flow tank or planted. Get a little leggier in low light but will grow and spread nicely. Handle with care though - stems break easily.

Highfalutin' plants, by contrast, aren't given away for free (usually - you might get lucky though). If you've reached intermediate level as an aquarist beginner and have the money to experiment, you can give them a try - but do your research first! Highfalutin' plants can have high light demands and/or require extra or direct root fertilization. Now don't get me wrong. Sometimes a shot of fertilizer in a new tank of new plants really helps growth along. But in a tank that's full of mulm, some of the plants require still require specific nutrients to do their best, or high does of CO2. Some are fussy AND weird! Still, highfalutin' plants have their uses, especially in aquascaping, to achieve a certain look, color or function.

Amazon Swords (various types): Medium to tall broad leaves, basic ones are a healthy green, need root tabs to get all their trace minerals. They will melt; they will grow slowly without CO2. But when they eventually fill in, they look GOOD.
Micro Crypt (Cryptocoryne petchii): fore-to-mid ground plant which gets leafy in low light without CO2. Tolerates a cooler tropical tank.
Anubias Barteri: The taller of the two anubii (?) anubiases (?) I have grown. Gets to about 4" - 6". Doesn't look like it is doing much. Grows slowly, but doesn't tend to melt.
Anubias Nana: The shorter of the two anubii (?) anubiases (?) I have grown. Gets to about 2" - 4". Doesn't look like it is doing much. Grows slowly, but doesn't tend to melt.
Java Fern (various types): Green leaves tolerates low light; good mid-ground plant. Can be attached to decor. Grows quickly, doesn't tend to melt. What more do you want from a highfalutin' plants?
Monte Carlo (Micranthemum): A very low growing carpeting plant which I personally had very high hopes for. Has roots not unlike a bean sprout you'd put on your salad. I think I might have two very tiny patches left. If I had used CO2 while cycling my tank for about 6 months without fish, I think it would have done better. That way it is well established before the little critters get in the tank and start wreaking havoc.
Dwarf Hair Grass (tissue culture): Can get knock of substrate easily until deep roots are formed. Once that happens though, it is hairy-looking fun. Give the lawn a trim, or let it go crazy. My bladder snails seem to like to clean it, one tiny thin blade at at time.
Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea zenkeri): Colorful (reds and greens) and beautiful, not only will this plant grow under less than ideal circumstances, it will eventually produce water lilies. It grows from a bulb. You have to place the bulb right side up, not too deep or not to shallow. Fish may uproots it while looking for food. I actually had Julli catfish rip the leaves off of one, leaf by leaf by leaf. I got rid of the Julli catfish. Now I have a plant with leaves again.

Weird stuff can happen with your highfalutin' plants that would never happen with the lowfalutin' plants, besides you fish hatin' on them. Many highfalutin' plants experience MELT. This is because you have removed them from where they were happy, and put them someplace new that they hate (they don't like the water; they don't like the substrate, etc). Expensive plants have no way to voice their displeasure, so they appear to curl up and die. This is called "melting". If the plant has a good root system, it can recover, grow new leaves that can stand their new home, and settle in. Sometimes, no matter what you do and where you bought them from, they're gonna curl up and die, for reals. That's life in the big aquarium, boys and girls. Research the plant, and try again with another supplier. If it dies again, it might be time to try something else!

Enjoy your high and lowfalutin' plants - there are 1000's more to explore! Have fun.

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