(Sorry about the title--I was planning on asking about floating plants and non-floating separately but I thought maybe the answers will be more cohesive if it's all together.)

 

Okay, so first a word on the sorority - you're going to want a HUGE amount of plants for that. I'm talking NO line of sight - if you look in one side of the tank, you shouldn't be able to see the other. This is the only way your sorority will be successful and you will avoid undue stress on your girls.

Some plant recommendations -
Anubias nana - low/medium light, planted/tied to rocks or driftwood
Water sprite - low/medium/high light, planted/floated
Water wisteria - low/medium/high light, planted/floated
Java/Christmas/Spiky moss - low/medium light, floated/rooted to rocks or driftwood
Java fern - low/medium light, floated/planted/tied to rocks or driftwood
Marimo moss balls - low/medium light, they just sit on the substrate and are cute

None of these plants need soil substrate, as they all send out "roots" that are purely for anchoring them to things and then absorb nutrients straight out of the water. Anacharis won't work well in a low-light heated setup. It can grow in cold water in low light, but it needs a lot of light to keep it from melting in warm water.

 

Other options... (All these will grow in gravel under regular aquarium lights.)

Anubias - mix it up!
A. afzelii (medium)
A. barteri var. augustifolia
A. barteri var coffeefolia (turns brown)
A. hastifolia (large)
A. minima (medium)
Moderately rare cultivars like "Golden", "Golden Heart", "Round leaf", "Eyes"
Extremely rare cultivars like "Pinto", "Viper", "Marble", "Stardust", "Snow Queen"

Bucephalandra - grows just like anubias, various leaf sizes
thousands of varieties based on collection locale

Lagenandra - grows just like anubias, but gets LARGE (slowly)
L. meeboldii "Red", "Pink", or "Purple"
L. thwaitesii

Java fern - go for the fancy cultivars
"Windelov", "Narrow", "Needle", "Thread", "Trident", "Thor's Hammer", "Roostertail", "Tropica", "Red"

Cryptocorynes - the Sri Lankan crypts prefer hard water, the Borneo/blackwater crypts prefer soft. (There's a good amount of crossover; crypts are hardy)
C. wendtii cultivars: "Florida Sunset", "Tropica", "Green Gecko", "Red", etc.
C. bullosa (large)
C. lutea
C. parva (small)
C. striolata
C. nurii "Pahang mutated"
C. affinis "Metallic Red"

Chain swords - FYI, they'll send runners everywhere
Helanthium bolivianum 'Vesuvius'
Helanthium tenellum

Stems/rhizomes - if you can buy submersed grown, I find the following very easy
Ludwigia repens (mid/back)
Rotala rotundifolia (mid/back)
Hemianthus micranthemoides (front/mid/float)
Hydrocotyle tripartita "Japan" (front)
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides (front)

 

Great-thank you!

Now, where do I buy the plants?
And where do I buy driftwood?
Which fertilizer/chemicals do I start with?

My LPSs are all awful.

 

None of these plants need fertilizer or additional chemicals.

The crypt and the chain swords might prefer a little fertilizer at their roots, especially in a brand new tank. If you have fertilizer spikes for houseplants or osmocote, you can add small pieces (size of a pencil eraser) underneath the base of the plant. Otherwise, the anubias, the buces, and the lagenandra are all slow growers and will get what they need from the fish waste. Since you want low light, low maintenance, no CO2, there's no need to get overly complicated unless the plants start to show a nutrient deficiency (pinhole in leaves, yellowing). If there is a deficiency, it'll most likely be iron or potassium, which is literally what API Leaf Zone targets for.

There will probably be some melting as the plants recover from shipping and adjust to your tank conditions. That's different from a nutrient deficiency.

The more common anubias can be found at your LPS; alternatively, I'd snag the Anubias Lovers package at http://shop.plantedaquariumscentral.com/Anubias-Species-_c_26.html and PM RussellTheShihTzu for a 10% off promo code. Then, break out the credit card and hit up http://www.hanaquatics.com for the rare anubias and buces. It may seem more expensive at first, but if you want buces, I'd suggest going the set-it-and-forget-it route and buy the larger clusters of buces which sell for $20-$50 rather than buy a single rhizome with 5 leaves for $5. It will take an ice age and a half to grow in low tech conditions. Lagenandra are relatively rare; I don't know of anyone selling them right now. Your best bet would be to join an aquatic plant forum. For java ferns, I'd go to http://liquidcreations.net/product-category/aquarium-plants/fernsfloaters/ although, again the rarer varieties are only sold on plant forums. I'd shop around for the crypts and the rest, sometimes you can get a good deal on EvilBay. Otherwise, IME both PAC and LiqCreations (^listed above) have competitively priced, high quality plants.

Just be sure to whoever you buy from specifically states that the plants are grown submersed (as in underwater in a tank).

 

I love anubias species. I have all anubia nana, but the coffefolia is gorgeous! Too bad the closest store that sells it in my area is an hour away! Might have to make a trip. Online ordering is a godsend! If my jungle val don't make it, I'm filling my tanks with all anubia! Look great and super easy to care for

 

Thank you very much for these informative posts. My requirements are basically the same as shock's. I was close to going with silk to avoid any headaches, but this information gives me more confidence.

 

If you get anubias and java fern in the plastic tubes, they won't have snails. Two of the easiest plants, IMO.

 

Banana Lily! nice and simple!

 

If I can piggyback with a couple of questions about these low-maintenance plants in a 5.5 gallon betta tank:

Gravel

I like the simplicity of plants with exposed rhizomes that draw nutrients from the water. I'll probably go mostly with those, but I'd also like to try one easy, fully rooted plant like cryptocoryne parva. What size range of gravel would be best for these plants?

I'll order gravel online if I have to, but I hope something from Petco or Petsmart will do the job.

Lighting

Will an Aqueon full-spectrum T8 (14W, 8000K) be okay for this tank? I ask because one of the lighting articles at Planted Aquariums Central says not to go over 2W per gallon (limiting my tank to 11W). I just bought a hood that came with the Aqueon Full Spectrum, and I don't see any other 15" T8s. I'll probably eventually replace the T8 fixture in this hood with the T2 12.6" 8W 6400K from American Aquarium Products, but am hoping that I don't have to do that right away.

Thanks again!

 

Since parva is one of the smallest crypts, I'd suggest a 1-3mm pea gravel or even a coarse sand. It's also one of the slowest growing crypts, which are already slow growing plants. Be careful when planting crypts, you want to keep the crown (where all the leaves emerge) above the gravel (slightly trickier with the small size of parva). Crypt lutea and willisi/nevelli will also stay fairly compact (4-6 inch range) though not as small as parva.

Re: Light
Slow growing plants are prone to algae attacks under medium to high light because they grow so slow. I have an Aqueon T8 full spectrum (15w) on a 10 gallon, but there's about 3" thick mat of floating pearlgrass that is shading the entire tank. I'd guess the crypts are getting <3 PAR at max if not 0 PAR. It is downright DIM in the tank; they really do not need much light. (In comparison, my high light tank gets 60-100 PAR depending on how close to the light I plant.) I'd suggest getting some floaters (frogbit, water lettuce, red root floaters) to help cut down on the light. Or put a piece of wax paper/parchment paper between the light and the hood. Alternatively, you can shorten the amount of light that the plants get by putting your light on a timer, give the tank 3 h of light in the morning and 3 h of light in the evening when you're home. Increase or decrease this depending on plant versus algae growth.