Extreme low light/hard to kill carpet plants?

[Modius]

I have two tanks that I have made driftwood bonsai trees using weeping moss. They are doing really well but the unfortunate side effect of the great looking tree canopy is a shadowy area under the trees. I have some marsilea minuta and a little of a similar plant that I am in the "waiting to spread and grow stage". What of the marsilea minuta bunches that is in the lit area is doing well and has had new sprouts several times, but the parts in the shadowy area just seem to be not dying and that's about it.

I have looked up low light plants several times but most are better when attached to driftwood or would grow too tall to be under the trees. I have some java moss in my third tank and it seems to collect all the junk in the aquarium and looks dirty all the time so I do not want to use that. So I hoped someone else has ran into this problem and could suggest some plants to use.

Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions.

Oh, I have a DIY CO2 system that I am not using again till I get more plants in the aquariums. Right now I only have the weeping moss trees and the marsilea minuta, once I get the carpet plant issue sorted, I plan to add some swords to the background and maybe a small anubias cluster.


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[fish wrangler]

Anubias nana petite might be a good choice. Not sure if this was one you thought would look better on DW though.

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[Modius]

Thank you. I didn't know about that variety of anubias. Most would end up half or as big as the trees. So that would be perfect in size as well as the care guides I looked up said it can do well in substrate, as long as you do not bury the rhizome.

It was only partly a matter of look for different low light plants I looked up, it was what was best suggested in their care guides. A lot of small plants/mosses do better when anchored down. When I was wanting something that can freely spread in the substrate to carpet. So smooth carpet look vs. clumps. That anubias might not be as smooth looking but, from the pics I have seen, it fills in very nicely.

 

[fish wrangler]

Check out post #444 on this link http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/pittbullys-planted-tank-journey-312537-65.html The tank has one of if not the most smooth looking and lush anubias nana patch I have seen.

 

[Fishperson]

Bucephelandra species would do very well there also.

If you find some nice rocks or sand you could just have that.

Can we see pictures of the tree?

 

[Brookster123]

Bucephelandra species would do very well there also.

If you find some nice rocks or sand you could just have that.

Can we see pictures of the tree?

Yah but they're easy to kill?? Anubias nana or star repens would be my vote.

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[Fishperson]

Yah but they're easy to kill?? Anubias nana or star repens would be my vote.

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Easy to kill?

I thought they were as bulletproof as anubias

And does staur do well in low light?


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[Brookster123]

Easy to kill?

I thought they were as bulletproof as anubias

And does staur do well in low light?


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Pretty easy to kill ime, they do come back though. Slow slow growers..

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[Modius]

Yes, I searched for anubias nana petite soon as you suggested it and found some very nice looking patches of it. That will look so much better that having to bind everything down to bits of driftwood or rocks.

I had actually thought thought about star repens too, always liked how the look, but wondered how they did in very low light as well.


This is my main tank I am trying to get sorted now. The tree was trimmed a little while ago so it's not as bushy at the moment. All the little green bits in the substrate are little clusters of marsilea. As I said I want to add some swords to the back and a medium anubias on the right.

This is my second tank that basically went to hell. The DHG I had all died and so did the micro swords. So there are no bottom plants at the moment. This has a much nicer tree but I am letting it grow wild at to have plenty to redo it and give some weeping moss to a friend, to make a tree of their own. Once I get the other tank sorted I want to redo this. It used to look so nice.

 

[fish wrangler]

Depending on your light the staurs might be an option. I know mine didn't last under a t8, but if your using a lower power LED you might be able to get away with it

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