Brand new to plants, few questions and unknown plant id.

[Forester]

About 2 weeks ago I set up my first planted tank. Because I really wasn't sure what plants to go with, I bought a 10 gallon plant package from freshwater aquarium plants.com. Anyway, the plants are doing quite well and all are vigorously growing. My substrate is fluorite (thoroughly rinsed and really no cloudiness), and I have been dosing weekly with flourish. I also have flourish excel, but haven't added any of that yet. Lighting is fluorescent bulbs at 2 wpg.

Question 1) Do you know what this plant is? It seems to be growing and was a hitch hiker. Should I grow it, or is it bad? It was just floating at the top and getting larger.

Question 2) I would like to put some kind of thick tall fluffy type plant to fill in the corner behind the java fern. What would you recommend?

Attached is a picture of the planted tank. I currently have threadfin rainbows in the tank, but would also like to add a gudgeon if i could find one.

[pleco_breeder]

Hello,

Depending on the amount of magnification, could be pelia or riccia. My guess would be pelia, and either way it's definitely worth saving. I just started working with plants again after several years of keeping only barebottom breeder tanks, and these are my #1 and #2 favorites. Pelia only seems to float when it's got excessive lighting and even then it's the pearling that makes it float. It's normally laying on the bottom.

Larry Vires

[Forester]

The actual plant is about 3/4" long. That is pretty cool! It will look very nice when it becomes a substantial size. Just looking in the tank again, there is another piece about the same size floating. Will it eventually grow roots when it gets big enough?

I did get other hitch hikers, in the form of snails... Good thing is that when they get big I am just throwing them in my other tank as a treat for the yoyo loach.

[pleco_breeder]

No roots. It can be anc****************d fairly easily with light fishing line, or as in my case, just let it drift around the tank as it sees fit

Larry Vires

[Damon]

That could be one of about 40 different plants. Let it grow floating and check back in a cpl of weeks.

[Forester]

Ok, so I am going to keep on growing that not completely identified plant yet.

What kind of plant would you suggest that I can get to put in the back corner of my tank. One that is thick, kind of "fluffy," and will do fine at 2 wpg, and will fill the space from the gravel to the top of the water? Would some kind of hornwort or coontail be ok?

[mousey]

I see you have vals! In about a year or less you are going to be tossing it out if it likes your tank.
I have to strip some out every 3-4 months. i am at the stage where it goes on the compost heap. I have gotten all my friends switched over to jungle vals now and they are starting to throw it out now because it is growing so well.

[Damon]

Get some frill for the back corner. Nice bushy looking plant. Pretty easy to grow.

[pleco_breeder]

Hello,

I'm not familiar with frill, but was going to suggest a nice java moss stuck to a reasonably sized rock or driftwood. Just my opinion I know, but that makes an amazing background decoration for any tank.

Larry Vires

[Damon]

Not a bad idea either Larry.

As for frill........
http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=171

[MyraVan]

Sorry Damon, Plantgeek gives me some sort of error message when I try to use it. Could you give me the Latin name of frill, in case it doesn't come back online?

[MyraVan]

Ah, never mind, PlantGeek is up again. It's common milfoil, Myriophyllum simulans.