Low-light aquarium plants

Low-light plants grow under standard tank lighting, which makes them the easiest place to start a planted tank. Each profile lists placement, growth rate and whether the plant benefits from CO2.

Height: 0.4–59.1 in; 0.4 in (1 cm) to 59.1 in (150 cm); half the list stays at 5.9 in (15 cm) or under
Temperature: 72–82°F; 22–28°C, most of the list
CO₂: 66 no CO₂ needed; 68 CO₂ beneficial
Growth: 101 slow growing; 20 medium growth · 13 fast growing
Difficulty: 122 easy; 8 medium · 4 difficult

99 plants and 35 varieties

Start here

The plants that grow under a basic light

The java fern is marked beginner for low light with no CO2, tied to wood or rock, 11.8 inches (30 cm) tall. The anubias nana is the same rating at 4.7 inches (12 cm), a plant whose leaves last for years. The java moss grows on anything in any light. The cryptocoryne wendtii is the rooted plant for a dim tank, marked beginner at 9.8 inches (25 cm), and it melts when moved and grows back. The vallisneria spiralis is a grass that spreads by runners to 19.7 inches (50 cm) under low light with no CO2. The hornwort floats or plants, grows fast and soaks up the nutrients that would otherwise feed algae.

The rule

What low light means

Low light means a basic LED over the tank for six to eight hours a day, the light a fish-only tank already has. Every plant here lists it, and most list CO2 as unnecessary or merely beneficial. The trade-off is speed: the anubias, ferns and crypts add a leaf a month, which suits a tank nobody wants to trim and gives algae a slow-growing leaf to settle on. Keep the light hours short, put one fast grower in the tank to use the nutrients, and wipe the old leaves now and then.

01
A basic LED
Six to eight hours a day, no plant fixture needed
02
No CO2
Most profiles here list none or beneficial
03
Slow growers
Anubias, ferns and crypts add a leaf a month
04
Algae on old leaves
Short light hours and one fast grower keep it off

Rhizomes

Anubias and bucephalandra

The anubias barteri is the big anubias, marked beginner at 13.8 inches (35 cm), and the anubias coffeefolia has ribbed leaves at 9.8 inches (25 cm). The anubias petite is 2 inches (5 cm) for the front of a nano tank. The bucephalandra kedagang is marked easy at 4.7 inches (12 cm), a slow Bornean plant with leaves that shimmer blue, and the bucephalandra motleyana and Velvet are the same care at 3.9 inches (10 cm). All of them are tied to wood or rock with the rhizome in the water, never buried, and all of them list low light.

Rooted

Crypts and swords for a dim tank

The cryptocoryne beckettii and the cryptocoryne undulata are midground crypts marked easy for low light at 7.9 inches (20 cm), and the cryptocoryne usteriana is the tall one at 19.7 inches (50 cm) for the back. The Reni sword is the sword that takes low light, marked easy at 15.7 inches (40 cm). The quadricostatus chain sword spreads by runners at 5.9 inches (15 cm), and the dwarf sagittaria is marked beginner, a grass for the front that carpets slowly under low light. All of them feed through the roots and want a root tab pushed under them.

Mosses

The Christmas moss grows in flat triangular fronds, marked easy for low light, 2 inches (5 cm) tall. The flame moss grows straight up in twisted strands at 3.1 inches (8 cm). The peacock moss and the weeping moss are finer and drape; the weeping moss hangs off wood. The Süsswassertang is a liverwort that grows in loose green sheets with no attachment at all. The willow moss is the cool-water one, marked easy with no CO2. All of them are tied to wood or rock with thread until they grip, and all of them trap mulm that a turkey baster clears.

Fast growers

Fast growers for low light

The Canadian waterweed, the anacharis of the shops, is marked beginner for low light with no CO2 and reaches 23.6 inches (60 cm). The hygrophila polysperma is the same rating at 17.7 inches (45 cm) and needs cutting back every week. The ambulia is a feathery stem marked easy at 15.7 inches (40 cm). The guppy grass floats or plants and shelters fry. The Crinum calamistratum is a bulb with long, crinkled leaves to 23.6 inches (60 cm), marked easy for low light, and the water onion is its bigger relative at 39.4 inches (100 cm). The stems use the nutrients that would otherwise grow algae on the slow plants.

By the numbers

Smallest

Tallest

No CO₂ needed

Fast growers

FAQ

Common questions

What is the best low-light aquarium plant?

The java fern, anubias nana and java moss are marked beginner for low light with no CO2 and grow tied to wood or rock. The cryptocoryne wendtii is the rooted plant to add.

Do low-light plants need CO2?

No. Every plant here lists CO2 as unnecessary or beneficial. Injected CO2 speeds them up but nothing on this page requires it.

Why do my low-light plants get algae on them?

Slow leaves stay in place for months, and algae settles on anything that does not grow. Keep the light to six to eight hours, add a fast grower like hornwort to use the nutrients, and wipe the leaves.

How much light is low light?

A basic LED that came with the tank, or any fixture at the lower end of its range. If plants that list medium light stretch and pale in your tank, the tank is low light.

Which low-light plants grow fast?

The hornwort, Canadian waterweed, hygrophila polysperma, ambulia and guppy grass. They are the ones to trim, and the ones that keep the water clean.

Can I grow a carpet in low light?

Only a slow one. The dwarf sagittaria spreads by runners under low light, and the dwarf water clover is a low carpet marked easy with no CO2. Hairgrass and Monte Carlo want medium light.

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