Background aquarium plants

Background plants grow tall enough to hide equipment and frame the tank. Most are stem plants that appreciate regular trimming. Profiles list light and CO2 needs and how fast each one grows, and most give a final height.

Height: 7.9–59.1 in; 7.9 in (20 cm) to 59.1 in (150 cm); half the list stays at 19.7 in (50 cm) or under
Temperature: 68–82°F; 20–28°C, most of the list
Light: 18 low light; 74 medium light · 47 high light
CO₂: 39 no CO₂ needed; 76 CO₂ beneficial · 24 CO₂ required
Growth: 21 slow growing; 36 medium growth · 82 fast growing
Difficulty: 76 easy; 39 medium · 24 difficult

111 plants and 31 varieties

Start here

The plants for the back of the tank

The vallisneria spiralis is a grass marked beginner for medium light that reaches 19.7 inches (50 cm) and spreads by runners along the back. The water wisteria is a fast stem marked beginner at 19.7 inches (50 cm) in medium light. The hygrophila corymbosa is the same rating, a broad-leaved stem for low light. The amazon sword is the rooted centerpiece at 19.7 inches (50 cm), marked easy. The rotala rotundifolia is a fast stem marked easy that turns pink at the tips under more light. The jungle val reaches 39.4 inches (100 cm) and is the background for a tall tank.

The rule

What a background plant is for

A background plant hides the glass and the equipment and gives the fish something to swim past, so it is chosen by height first: the profile's height against the tank's, less the substrate. Stems get there fast and need trimming, and the tops go back in the substrate to thicken the stand. Rosettes and bulbs, the vals, swords, crypts and aponogetons, are planted once rather than cut and replanted. Most vals and several aponogetons are marked fast, and the vals spread by runners. And the back is where the tall plants go so the front stays open, which is the whole point of the layout.

01
Height first
The profile's height against the tank's
02
Stems need trimming
Replant the tops to thicken the stand
03
Rosettes go in once
Vals, swords, crypts and bulbs need no replanting
04
Keep the front open
Tall plants at the back, low ones in front

Stems

Stems for the back

The ludwigia repens is marked easy in medium light at 19.7 inches (50 cm). Its leaf undersides flush red while the upper surface stays greener. The Limnophila heterophylla is a feathery stem marked easy at the same height. The Myriophyllum Guyana is a fine, soft milfoil for medium light. The Pogostemon quadrifolius is a fast stem with whorled leaves at 15.7 inches (40 cm). The willow hygro grows long narrow leaves to 23.6 inches (60 cm), marked easy. The green cabomba is the feathery classic at 23.6 inches (60 cm), marked medium, and it wants high light.

Rosettes

Vals, swords and tall crypts

The giant vallisneria reaches 59.1 inches (150 cm), marked beginner, and lies along the surface of any tank it outgrows. The dwarf vallisneria stays at 15.7 inches (40 cm), marked easy with no CO2. The cryptocoryne balansae and the cryptocoryne crispatula send up long crinkled leaves to 19.7 and 23.6 inches (50 and 60 cm), marked easy. The ruffled sword is a broad sword at 23.6 inches (60 cm), and the Uruguay sword a narrow-leaved one at 21.7 inches (55 cm). All of them feed through the roots and want a root tab.

Bulbs

Bulbs and giants

The aponogeton crispus is a bulb marked easy that sends up wavy leaves to 19.7 inches (50 cm) in weeks. The aponogeton ulvaceus grows the same way with translucent, twisted leaves, marked medium. The Crinum calamistratum is marked easy for low light, a bulb with crinkled strap leaves to 39.4 inches (100 cm). The water onion is a related Crinum at the same height. The Echinodorus palifolius is a sword marked easy with no CO2, a rosette of 11.8 to 15.7 inches (30 to 40 cm) underwater. It pushes aerial leaves toward 39.4 inches (100 cm), so it suits an open-topped tank. The Madagascar lace is the collector's bulb at 23.6 inches (60 cm), marked difficult for its cool water at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C).

Reds

Reds for the back

The Rotala H'ra is marked medium, a red rotala at 11.8 inches (30 cm) that colors under high light. The ammannia gracilis is a fast stem marked medium that goes orange-red at 19.7 inches (50 cm). The ludwigia palustris is a fast stem marked easy in medium light. It grows without CO2 but stays greenish and leggy, and it needs strong light, CO2 and iron to turn deep red. The rotala macrandra is marked difficult, 19.7 inches (50 cm) of scarlet that needs high light, steady CO2 and soft water. The Ludwigia Pantanal is one of the most demanding stems, marked difficult with the softest water range of these reds. The Nesaea pedicellata Golden is marked difficult too and grows yellow-gold leaves on red stems under bright light.

By the numbers

Smallest

Tallest

Easiest to grow

No CO₂ needed

Low light

Fast growers

FAQ

Common questions

What is the easiest background plant?

The vallisneria spiralis, water wisteria, hygrophila corymbosa and jungle val are among the plants marked beginner. The water sprite, giant bacopa, moneywort and corkscrew val are marked beginner too. Plant them once along the back and trim the stems when they reach the surface.

How tall should a background plant be?

As tall as the tank less the substrate, or taller, since a plant that reaches the surface can be trimmed and one that never does looks lost. Most stems here list 15.7 to 23.6 inches (40 to 60 cm).

Do background plants need CO2?

Many list no CO2, including the vals, the Crinum bulbs, the Echinodorus palifolius, the background anubias and the water sprite. Stems such as the moneywort, Mexican oak leaf and Senegal tea plant list none too. Most of the stems list it as beneficial, including reds like the Rotala H'ra, ammannia gracilis and ludwigia palustris. The demanding reds, the rotala macrandra, Ludwigia Pantanal and Nesaea pedicellata Golden, list it as required.

How do I keep stems bushy at the back?

Trim the tops when they reach the surface and replant them in front of the parent stems. A stem that is never trimmed goes bare at the base.

Which background plants grow without a root tab?

Most stems grow without one, since they take much of their food from the water column. Several still want a rich substrate or root tabs, such as the Myriophyllum Guyana, the ammannia gracilis and the red ludwigias. The vals, swords, crypts and bulbs feed through their roots and want one.

Can a background plant go in the middle of a small tank?

Yes. In a tank under 12 inches (30 cm) tall, the plants marked midground on this site are the background, and the dwarf vallisneria or a crypt does the job.

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