Seeking a green carpet

[Nøjo]

I'm quite happy with my tank, yet after browsing through some pictures of other fish tanks I came across a plant that covered the bottom of the tank like rich green carpet.

"Oooh", I said to myself. "That's **** fine".

Needless to say, I am on a mission to get that in my tank. I think it was a type of riccia, and my local fish stores doesn't have them in stock. Anyone have any idea how I can find out more about it (ideal conditions, fish you can and can not keep with it, etc) and how I go about getting my hands on some? I trying to find a store online that will deliver but no luck so far.

Any and all help greatly appreciated.[/list]

[Tiffi]

For most if not at all carpeting foreground plants you need more light than 0.7wpg. I think if it was really some sort of riccia it might be kind of impossible to grow a nice, low lawn. Even with the low light plant javamoss that might be difficult if not impossible.

[ringfinger]

Riccia is more of floating plant from what I have heard. It also requires a lot more light than you have at the moment. Most of the really lush groundcover is going to require high light levels and Co2 to do really well and stay low to the ground.

www.aquariumplants.com is a decent source to buy plants. Someone around here might be willing to mail you some plants as well.

[Nøjo]

I don't know that much about it, but I think there are several types of riccia. The nice, low lawn is exactly what I'm aiming for.

I'm glad you mentioned the lighting, as I had replacing it on my mind anyway. What is the ideal lighting for a planted tank? Can you get away with [acronym:a43fa59673="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:a43fa59673] or should you be aiming for [acronym:a43fa59673="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:a43fa59673]? My "came cheap with the tank" set up has done alright for me so far, but I know the plants I do lose are from a lack of light and as I am somewhat serious about the hobby I think it's time for an upgrade.

Is the liquid carbon additive a viable alternative to pressurizing [acronym:a43fa59673="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:a43fa59673]? I've only just begun adding it and haven't noticed a difference yet, but am hoping I don't have to splurge on an expensive carbon source.

Thanks for the help guys. As always, it's appreciated.

[czcz]

You can get away with [acronym:4ae374b83d="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:4ae374b83d]. If you are really serious a lot of us envy [acronym:4ae374b83d="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:4ae374b83d] Excel in a tank of your volume with high light is not necessarily cost effective. Pressurized [acronym:4ae374b83d="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:4ae374b83d] and >2.5wpg will let you grow many types of lawns. Check out the stickies|HowTos in this forum. Good luck.

[azn_fishy55]

i personally love glosso am hemiacanthus callithordes or something like that but AI forgot the correct name [acronym:dec94abcac="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:dec94abcac]

[Simpte]

Riccia is extremely hard to plant as it doesn't develop roots. I would stick to some of the others untill you get a better feel for planted aaquaria. Riccia is not fun.

That being said, there are many type of carpeting foregrounds to choose from, though you will need over 2wpg for the easieat of them. Even if you could get dwarf sag to grow (the easiest [acronym:f852986547="In My Experience"]IME[/acronym:f852986547]) it would grow taller dues to inadequate lighting. Here are some options in order of easiest to hardest

1. Dwarf sag (Sagittaria subulata)
2. Aquatic clover (Marsilea crenata, minuta and augustifolia)
3. Dwarf hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis)
4. HC (Hemianthus callitrichoides) One of the smaller plants and a PITA to plant
5. Narrow leaf chain sag (Echinodorus tenellus) * My favorite *
6. Pygmy chain sword (Echinodorus tenellus v. 'Tenellus')
7. Glosso (Glossostigma elatinoides) Also a PITA to plant
8. Riccia *what can I say, its too much work for me*
I have only grown 4 of the above mentioned (riccia floated, glosso ran wild, dwarf sag was too tall, clover was cute and now both tenellus varities) so I can't be sure what works for me will work for you. Just my 2 cents

[Tiffi]

With the low light you got right now [acronym:4872563b93="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:4872563b93] supplementing is a waste of money. You need at least medium light (over 1.5wpg) to have enough light so the plants can photosyntize and grow more and use [acronym:4872563b93="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:4872563b93].

Riccia needs to be tied to grid mats and frequently retied and pruned, since it doesn't develop roots and grows upward. It gets loose then and starts floating. Consequently, it's a lot of work.

I have under 2wpg and you can check my gallery for pictures of my tank. I'd like to get some Hemianthus callitrichoides since it's ok with medium light, but it's difficult to get.

[TankGirl]

I'd vote for 2-2.5wpg and a Marsilea sp. (clover) as it looks very similar to glosso and will cover your substrate. Glosso would work as well, for that matter. You could stick to 2wpg and do the clover without necessarily worrying about [acronym:ddfeb8bd59="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:ddfeb8bd59], but above that and you'd probably ought to take the plunge for satisfactory growth without an algae swamp.

[czcz]

It is still rare in the US and mostly traded among hobbyists, but Elatine Triandra is a great carpet. Great color, easy to plant, stays low, creeps fast, not too demanding. Great.