Aquarium plants
78 species and cultivars, grouped by where they go in the tank. Every entry says how to install it — which is what decides whether it survives the first month.
Foreground (12)
- Cryptocoryne parvaThe smallest cryptocoryne, used as a slow, undemanding foreground plant that needs no CO₂.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Dwarf baby tearsThe smallest common carpeting plant, and a genuinely demanding one — high light and CO₂ are effectively required.HighCO₂ effectively required
- Dwarf hairgrassA fine grass carpet spread by runners, needing good light and benefiting substantially from CO₂.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Dwarf hairgrass 'Mini'A shorter hairgrass than Eleocharis acicularis, staying under 5 cm and forming a denser lawn.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Dwarf sagittariaA robust grass-like runner plant that carpets in low tech tanks without CO₂ — the practical alternative to hairgrass.MediumCO₂ not required
- Japan hydrocotyleA fast creeping plant with small three-lobed leaves, used as a foreground carpet or allowed to climb hardscape.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Marsilea hirsutaA creeping aquatic fern that forms a low carpet of clover-like leaves, and the most forgiving carpet plant available without CO₂.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Micro swordA short grassy carpet plant that spreads slowly by runners and needs decent light to fill in.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Monte CarloA small round-leaved carpeting plant, easier and more forgiving than dwarf baby tears.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- PearlweedA fine, small-leaved stem plant that can be grown upright as a bush or trimmed flat into a loose carpet.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Pygmy chain swordA small grass-like runner plant used as an undemanding carpet in medium light.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Staurogyne repensA low, bushy, bright green plant used as a foreground or low midground bush; more forgiving than true carpet plants.MediumCO₂ beneficial
Midground (17)
- Alternanthera reineckiiA deep purple-red stem plant that keeps its colour better than most reds, given light, iron and CO₂.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Bacopa carolinianaA slow, sturdy, thick-leaved stem plant that tolerates low light and does not collapse if neglected.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Cryptocoryne beckettiiA compact Sri Lankan crypt with olive leaves and a purple-brown underside, tolerant of harder water than much of the genus.LowCO₂ not required
- Cryptocoryne luteaA compact, narrow-leaved cryptocoryne tolerant of harder water than most of the genus.LowCO₂ not required
- Cryptocoryne nuriiA slow Malaysian crypt with strongly patterned, wavy-edged leaves.LowCO₂ beneficial
- Cryptocoryne pontederiifoliaA large, broad-leaved crypt from Sumatra that grows faster than most of the genus and makes a substantial midground clump.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Cryptocoryne undulataA narrow-leaved, wavy-edged cryptocoryne that stays compact and works well as a midground plant.LowCO₂ not required
- Cryptocoryne wendtiiThe most forgiving cryptocoryne and one of the best midground plants for a low-tech tank — once it has finished melting.LowCO₂ not required
- DownoiA compact plant with tightly crinkled leaves forming a low rosette, popular as a midground accent and needing good conditions.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Echinodorus 'Red Flame'A compact red-leaved sword cultivar whose new growth emerges deep red and mottles with age.Medium to highCO₂ beneficial
- Helanthium 'Vesuvius'A corkscrew-leaved dwarf sword that spreads by runners into a compact midground stand.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Hygrophila pinnatifidaAn unusual hygrophila with deeply lobed bronze leaves that will attach itself to hardscape as well as root in substrate.MediumCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Lobelia cardinalis 'Mini'A compact bright green plant with rounded leaves and purple undersides, slow enough to hold its shape as a midground accent.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Ludwigia 'Super Red'A deep blood-red stem plant that keeps its colour under moderate light, which makes it one of the few reliable reds for a tank without CO₂.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Madagascar lace plantA skeletal, lattice-leaved bulb plant that is genuinely difficult — cool, clean water and a dormancy period are both required.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Taiwan lilyA rosette plant producing broad translucent leaves on long stalks.MediumCO₂ not required
- Tiger lotusA bulb plant producing broad red or green leaves and, if allowed, surface pads that shade everything below.MediumCO₂ beneficial
Background (20)
- African onion plantA bulb plant with long, narrow, crinkled leaves, tough enough to survive cichlid tanks that destroy most planting.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Amazon swordA large rosette background plant with a heavy root system that must be fed at the roots rather than in the water column.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- AmbuliaA feathery, very fast stem plant that works well as a nutrient sponge in a new tank.MediumCO₂ not required
- Aponogeton crispusA bulb plant from Sri Lanka producing tall, wavy translucent leaves and flowering readily above the surface.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Broad-leaf Amazon swordA large sword with broad, strap-shaped leaves, used as a single background specimen.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- CabombaA fine, fan-leaved stem plant that looks superb and is far less forgiving than it appears — it needs strong light and clean water.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansaeA tall crypt with strongly puckered, ribbon-like leaves, tolerant of harder water than most of the genus.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Cryptocoryne spiralisA tall, narrow, grass-like cryptocoryne from India used as a background plant in low-tech tanks.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Dwarf hygrophilaOne of the fastest and most forgiving stem plants, and a federally listed noxious weed in the United States.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Dwarf VallisneriaA narrow-leaved Vallisneria that stays under 40 cm, giving the grassy effect of the genus without filling the tank front to back.MediumCO₂ not required
- Elodea densaA fast-growing cool-water stem plant sold everywhere as pond oxygenator and aquarium filler.MediumCO₂ not required
- Guyana dwarf milfoilA bright green feathery stem plant, faster and easier than most milfoils.Medium to highCO₂ beneficial
- HornwortA rootless stem plant that grows extremely fast anywhere, floating or weighted, and strips nitrate out of the water while it does so.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Ludwigia repensA robust red stem plant that colours reasonably even without CO₂ — the most forgiving red plant in the hobby.MediumCO₂ beneficial
- Rotala 'H'ra'A cultivar of Rotala rotundifolia selected for an intense orange-red colour under strong light with lean nitrate.HighCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Rotala rotundifoliaThe standard beginner's colour stem plant: green in low light and pink to orange under strong light with CO₂ and lean nitrate.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Rotala wallichiiA fine, feathery pink-red rotala that is demanding — soft water, strong light and CO₂ are all effectively required.HighCO₂ effectively required
- Temple plantA large, fast, broad-leaved stem plant that reaches the surface quickly and works as a nutrient sponge in a new or overstocked tank.MediumCO₂ not required
- VallisneriaRibbon-leaved background grass that spreads aggressively by runners and thrives in hard alkaline water where many plants do not.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Water wisteriaA fast-growing stem plant whose leaf shape changes dramatically with light — finely divided in strong light, broad and simple in weak.MediumCO₂ not required
Epiphyte (10)
- African water fernA finely divided, dark green fern for shaded, flowing water, attached to wood or rock.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
- Anubias barteriA slow, tough, low-light rhizome plant attached to wood or rock.LowCO₂ not required
- Anubias coffeefoliaAn Anubias barteri cultivar with strongly corrugated leaves that emerge bronze-red before hardening to dark green.LowCO₂ not required
- Anubias nanaThe standard small Anubias: a compact rhizome epiphyte for the midground, as forgiving as its larger relative and killed the same way.LowCO₂ not required
- Anubias nana 'Petite'A miniature cultivar of Anubias nana with leaves under 2 cm, used as a foreground epiphyte on small hardscape.LowCO₂ not required
- BucephalandraA slow rhizome epiphyte from Borneo with iridescent leaves, kept like Anubias and equally intolerant of burial.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
- Bucephalandra 'Wavy Green'A widely available Bucephalandra cultivar with wavy-edged leaves, grown attached to hardscape and killed by burial like any rhizome plant.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
- Java fernThe other great beginner epiphyte: a tough, low-light fern attached to hardscape that reproduces by growing plantlets on its own leaves.LowCO₂ not required
- Java fern 'Trident'A narrow-leaved Java fern with deeply lobed fronds, faster-growing than the standard form and better suited to smaller tanks.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Java fern 'Windeløv'A Java fern cultivar whose leaf tips split into fine crested fingers.LowCO₂ not required
Floating (5)
- Amazon frogbitA floating rosette with long trailing roots that provides shade and cover and exports nutrients quickly.MediumCO₂ not required
- Common duckweedThe smallest and fastest floating plant, and effectively impossible to remove once introduced.LowCO₂ not required
- Red root floaterA small floating plant whose leaves and roots flush deep red under strong light — one of the few floaters kept for its appearance.Medium to highCO₂ not required
- SalviniaA floating fern with water-repellent hairs on the upper leaf surface, providing dense surface cover.MediumCO₂ not required
- Water lettuceA large floating rosette with substantial trailing roots, giving heavy shade and strong nutrient uptake.HighCO₂ not required
Attached to hardscape (7)
- Christmas mossA moss with a distinct triangular frond structure, slower and tidier than Java moss.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
- Coral mossA dense, branching liverwort with a coral-like texture, grown attached to hardscape.MediumCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Flame mossA moss that grows vertically in twisting flame-like columns rather than spreading flat, which makes it the only moss that reads as a structural plant.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
- Java mossThe default aquarium moss: undemanding, fast enough to be useful, and the standard refuge for shrimplets and fry.LowCO₂ not required
- Phoenix mossA dense, feathery moss that attaches itself firmly to hardscape rather than merely resting on it.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
- SüsswassertangA flat, branching green thallus — actually a fern gametophyte rather than a moss — used as shrimp cover on hardscape.LowCO₂ not required
- Weeping mossA moss whose fronds droop downward, used on the underside of branches and on the tops of rocks for a trailing effect.Low to mediumCO₂ beneficial
Flexible (7)
- Dracaena (sold as 'aquarium plant')Included as a warning rather than a recommendation: this and several other terrestrial species are routinely sold as aquarium plants and die slowly underwater, fouling the tank as they go.LowCO₂ not requirednot aquatic
- Guppy grassA fragile, extremely fast-growing loose stem plant used as fry cover and as an emergency nitrate sponge.Low to mediumCO₂ not required
- Marimo moss ballNot a moss and not a plant — a spherical growth form of a filamentous green alga, kept as a curiosity and a cool-water grazing surface.LowCO₂ not required
- RicciaA rootless floating liverwort that can be tied down to form a bright green pearling lawn — and that will float away the moment it is not.Medium to highCO₂ strongly beneficial
- Spider plant (sold as an 'aquarium plant')Included as a warning.LowCO₂ not requirednot aquatic
- Syngonium (sold as an 'aquarium plant')Another terrestrial houseplant found on aquarium shelves, usually in a pot of rockwool.LowCO₂ not requirednot aquatic
- Water spriteA fast, finely divided fern that grows either rooted or floating and produces plantlets on its own leaves.MediumCO₂ not required