Easy Aquarium Plants for Beginners (and How to Feed Them)
Ten hard-to-kill plants that look great, suit shrimp and fish, and grow with a simple daily feed.
The best first planted tank isn’t the one with the rarest plants. It’s the one with plants that forgive mistakes. Every plant on this list grows in modest light, without CO₂, in ordinary UK tap water. Feed them a little every day and they’ll fill your tank.
The beginner shortlist
| Plant | Where it goes | Light | How it feeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java fern | Tied to wood or rock | Low | Water (liquid food) |
| Anubias nana | Tied to wood or rock | Low | Water (liquid food) |
| Java moss / Christmas moss | On wood, rock or mesh | Low | Water (liquid food) |
| Cryptocoryne wendtii | In the substrate | Low–medium | Roots (root tabs + liquid) |
| Amazon sword | Substrate, background | Medium | Roots (root tabs + liquid) |
| Vallisneria | Substrate, background | Low–medium | Roots + water |
| Hygrophila polysperma | Substrate, stem plant | Low–medium | Water (liquid food) |
| Ludwigia repens | Substrate, stem plant | Medium | Water (liquid food) |
| Frogbit | Floating | Any | Water (liquid food) |
| Bucephalandra | Tied to wood or rock | Low | Water (liquid food) |
Plants that live on wood and rock
Java fern, anubias, Bucephalandra and mosses grow from a rhizome or attach themselves to surfaces. Never bury the rhizome; it will rot. Tie or glue them to wood or rock. Because they have no roots in the substrate, they rely entirely on liquid plant food in the water. They grow slowly, so they need only a small daily dose.
Plants that root in the substrate
Crypts, swords and vallisneria are heavy root feeders. In aquasoil they’re happy for the first few months. In plain gravel or sand, push a root tab in beside each one every couple of months, alongside your normal liquid dose. See root tabs vs liquid plant food for more.
Stem plants and floaters
Hygrophila and ludwigia are the fastest growers on the list, and they’re your best defence against algae because they use nutrients and light quickly. Trim the tops and replant them to thicken the bunch. Floating frogbit is a brilliant algae buster too, and shrimp love grazing its roots.
Most beginner tanks are low to medium light. Start at 0.5ml of macro and 0.5ml of micro per 10L daily, and move up to the full 1ml if plants look pale or slow after a few weeks.
How to feed them
Low light, mostly epiphytes
0.5ml macro + 0.5ml micro per 10L daily. Root tabs not needed.
Mixed tank with crypts and swords
0.5–1ml of each per 10L daily, plus root tabs under the root feeders.
Plenty of stems and floaters
1ml of each per 10L daily. These use food quickly.
Shrimp tank
0.5ml of each per 10L daily, copper-free only. Build up slowly.
Where to buy healthy plants
Buy from a seller who keeps plants in water and quarantines them. Look for firm green leaves, white healthy roots and no snails or algae. Expect some leaves to melt as the plant settles; it’s normal. Read why aquarium plants melt so you know what to expect.
Quick answers
What is the easiest aquarium plant?
Java fern and anubias are almost impossible to kill. They need low light, no CO₂ and very little food, and they grow on wood or rock.
Do beginner aquarium plants need plant food?
Yes, a little. Even slow plants run out of nutrients over time. A small daily dose keeps them green and healthy.
What plants are best for shrimp?
Mosses, Bucephalandra, anubias, java fern and floating plants such as frogbit. All grow at low doses of copper-free plant food.
Do I need CO₂ for beginner plants?
No. Every plant on this list grows well without added CO₂.
Products mentioned in this guide
Everything to start dosing on day one: pre-measured macro and micro compounds, two 500ml bottles, two dosing syringes and a full dosing guide.
Already mixedMacro and micro solutions already dissolved and ready to dose. No preparation at all.
Shrimp safeThe copper-free trace element blend for your micro bottle. Safe for shrimp, snails and other invertebrates.
Copper-free aquarium plant food.
Dose on day one.
Pre-measured compounds, bottles, syringes and a full dosing guide. Shrimp safe, made in the UK, free UK delivery on every order.
Everything you need to get the most from your planted aquarium.
