Eelgrass
Vallisneria spiralis
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Low-tech planted aquarium
No CO₂, low effort
Slow, shade-tolerant plants, moderate light, no CO₂ bottle. Stable, few algae, little trimming.
☀️LightModerate LED, 6–8 h
💧Humidity—
🌡️Temperature22–26 °C
🪴Water & substrate20–30% weekly water change, root tabs
Build
Step by step
Water and plants
Rocks, wood
Gravel / sand cap
Nutrient base
- 1
2–3 cm nutrient base, capped with 3–4 cm of washed gravel or sand.
- 2
Soak driftwood beforehand so it doesn’t float.
- 3
Half-fill, plant the rooted plants, tie on epiphytes.
- 4
Fill up, start the filter and cycle 4–6 weeks without fish.
Plant list
What to plant
Background
Amazon sword
Echinodorus grisebachii
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Midground
Wendt’s cryptocoryne
Cryptocoryne wendtii
May “melt” after planting but regrows.
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Epiphyte (on wood, rock)
Anubias
Anubias barteri
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Java fern
Microsorum pteropus
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Java moss
Taxiphyllum barbieri
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Bucephalandra
Bucephalandra
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Floating plant
Hornwort
Ceratophyllum demersum
🐟Aquarium fish safe
Amazon frogbit
Limnobium laevigatum
🐟Aquarium fish safe
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Too strong or long lighting without CO₂ → algae.
- Burying anubias/java fern rhizomes → rot.
- Overfeeding.
Member setups
From the community: Low-tech planted aquarium
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