Help with ground cover

[Southpaw]

Hey guys, I am struggling to get ground cover to take. I run a dual t5 ho for 6 hours with DIY co2 and dose pps pro daily.I have been try dhg and it just won't take. Would I be better off to do dwarf baby tears? My lfs just got some in. Thanks!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I think HC is more demanding and harder to carpet than DHG. If you're DHG is struggling, I'm not sure the HC would do any better.

How long have you planted the DHG? Was it purchased grown submerged or emersed?

 

[Southpaw]

Really? Shoot. And some of its been up for 2 months and then about a month ago I added a planted many of it in the center of my checkerboard planting a of the dhg. It tends to get some algae on it if I ever let it get any height

 

[Southpaw]

And as far as I know the mat was grown submersed. The smaller checkerboard plantings were from petsmart, so that may be emersed?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Well the one from Petsmart is probably Eleocharis parvula. I bought mine from Petsmart too in that gel package and in my experience, it will go through a melt before it acclimated and bounces back. That was in one of my tanks (12g nano cube) and carpeting nice and very green after going through that ugly phase. Then i decided to transfer some to my newest build (26g bow front), i planted it about 2 months ago and its barely starting to show green and shoot runners. It seems to be finicky at first but once it sets in, it will grow in nicely. Both tanks i have it in are medium to high light with co2 injection and PPS-Pro dosing regimen.

 

[Southpaw]

Great, thank you for sharing your experience with it. I guess I have just been impatient, I can't wait for it to get a nice carpet. While I'm talking to you about ground cover, I just ordered that fluval flora kit. It has the mini fluval co2 system and the 13w light. Is this setup going to be enough for ground cover or will I need to by another one of the stock lights? Also do I have to dose ferts if I am injecting co2? This is going to be a shrimp tank so I am a little on the fence.