Live Aquarium Plants for Sale — Beginner Freshwater Plants

Beginner-proof plants, no CO2 required

We picked these four plants because they are hard to kill. They grow under low to moderate light, need no pressurized CO2, and forgive the mistakes every new planted tank makes. They are a strong first set for a community tank, a shrimp tank, or a fry-grow-out tank, and we keep them all in our own racks before they ship.

Know the three planting types

Most plant failures come from planting a plant the wrong way, so it helps to know which type you are holding.

Rhizome plants attach to hardscape and must never be buried. The Java Fern and Anubias Nana both grow from a thick horizontal stem called a rhizome. Tie or glue that rhizome to driftwood or rock and leave it exposed. Bury it in substrate and it rots. Both are slow, tough, low-light plants that ask almost nothing once attached.

Root feeders draw nutrients from the substrate. The Amazon Sword plants into the substrate with its roots and feeds heavily, so give it a root tab and room to grow. It rewards you with broad green blades and works as a background centerpiece.

Floating and stem plants need no substrate at all. Guppy Grass grows fast whether you float it or tuck it loosely into the tank, it shelters fry and shrimp, and it soaks up excess nutrients, which helps starve out algae.

Pick the plant for the job

For fry and shrimp cover plus natural nitrate control, start with Guppy Grass. For low-light greenery on wood or rock that you never have to replant, use Java Fern and Anubias Nana. For height and a planted background, the Amazon Sword fills the back of the tank. Each plant has a full care guide in our Knowledge Base covering light, placement, and propagation.

Plants do real work in a tank

Live plants are not only decoration. They add oxygen, pull in the nutrients that would otherwise feed algae, and give fish, shrimp, and fry places to shelter. A planted tank is a more stable tank, which is part of why we point shrimp keepers toward plants. Pairing these plants with our Blue Dream Shrimp gives shrimplets the cover they need to survive.

How plants ship

Plants travel well, but they may arrive with some older leaves melting back as they adjust to your water. That is normal transition, not a dead plant. Give them light and time, trim any leaves that fully melt, and new growth follows. See our shipping and acclimation guide.