Trimming aquarium plants

[Zemerys]

Hi guys!

So i have three plants i want to know how to deal with in terms of trimming.

-Ludwigia repens
-cabomba
-anacharis



Thats my amateur 20g planted tank with dirt-sand substrate. It doesnt look much and no symmetry or proper landscaping whatsoever.

I want to know how can i trim those three plants that i have in my tank. I just dont know what to do with them.... My tank looks overly planted and a part of me wants to keep it that way cz i want at least a few molly babies to survive.

Can i propagate my cabomba? They grow uber fast I seriously dont knkw what to do with them anymore. Same with anacharis.

My Ludwigia seems like its growing slowly. But its grown now and I don't know if can propagate that as well. I dont have a strong light too...(budget issues) so i dont want the java/xmas moss to die off.

Any advice would be much appreciated


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[Fresh2o]

I usually trim those to the desired height (just above where leaves branch out from the main stem) and replant the tops in front of the same species. Or you could remove the "bottoms" and replant the tops in their place. I find that the tops offer better growth potential. After a while the leaves fall off of the bottoms and it becomes an algae trap. In that case, I pull the spent bottom stems and replant with the more vigorously growing tops.
This is regular maintenance. If you don't keep up with it, it may cause unwanted shading in the lower sections of the tank.


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