Ground cover

[myBrainHurts]

I have a bunch of back-ground and mid-ground plants and I'm looking for some low growing plants and/or ground cover plans like grass or miss. Any suggestions?

 

[Mebbid]

What lights do you have and what size tank do you have? What ferts do you use? What carbon source are you using? What are the names of the other plants you bought?

 

[myBrainHurts]

What lights do you have and what size tank do you have? What ferts do you use? What carbon source are you using? What are the names of the other plants you bought?

I have 20watts of aqueon compact fluorescent 50/50 daylight bulbs, on a 10 gallon tank. I use seachem flourish liquids fert along with root tabs for the Heavily rooted plants. I have a DIY co2 system and according to fluvals test I have it at the correct level with or fluctuations. All other levels are ideal as well. I have three swords, Anubias nana, two bunches of lugwigia(two different types), 4 hygrophila plants, and I have a redish plant but I cannot remember what it is called. All of these are in the tank with 4 platies and 2 gouramis. I have a couple ghosts shrimp and a mystery snail. I know it is slightly overstocked but everyone is happy and have plenty of places to hide.

 

[Mebbid]

I have 20watts of aqueon compact fluorescent 50/50 daylight bulbs, on a 10 gallon tank. I use seachem flourish liquids fert along with root tabs for the Heavily rooted plants. I have a DIY co2 system and according to fluvals test I have it at the correct level with or fluctuations. All other levels are ideal as well. I have three swords, Anubias nana, two bunches of lugwigia(two different types), 4 hygrophila plants, and I have a redish plant but I cannot remember what it is called. All of these are in the tank with 4 platies and 2 gouramis. I have a couple ghosts shrimp and a mystery snail. I know it is slightly overstocked but everyone is happy and have plenty of places to hide.

Don't know why you think you're overstocked.. that sounds just fine to me. Those 2 gourami will very likely start fighting... viciously once they get a little older though. It's usually just 1 gourami per tank because they hate each other soo much.


That most likely puts you in the medium light range. That would open up some plants for you. I would say star repens would be your best bet for ground covering plants. Most grassy type plants really need high light to grow them as a ground cover plant. Crypts would also be a good short plant for your tank although they aren't good for ground cover.

 

[F.Sam]

Hi there, as mebbid already mentioned, staurogyne repens is an excellent plant to try.
I would also like to suggest sagittaria subulata (dwarf sag.), I planted it in my low-tech tank a month ago, and it is just thriving. A couple of roottabs and some gluts and you are good to go on this one


Sent per three-eyed raven..

 

[myBrainHurts]

I think I will try the dwarf sag

 

[myBrainHurts]

I got some put in today and I will post pictures when my tank clears up some more.

 

[Coursair]

You may want to swap the 50/50 light eventually. The actinic part of the 50/50 bulb is unusable by plants AFAIK. 50/50 are more for SW.


Smoke signals from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[myBrainHurts]

Oh I forgot to mention that. I got the aqueon dual t5 light. I'm at about 3.8wpg and my co2 is still perfect. Also upgraded from white sand(at first I didn't think I wanted a planted tank but they just looked so nice). So now I have caribasea fluorite and it looks nice. Here's a picture along with it but it still looks a little cloudy.

 

[Coursair]

Looking good.


Smoke signals from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[F.Sam]

For your information: your foreground plant is called dwarf hairgrass. This is not the same as the dwarf saggitaria I hinted you about.

Since you have high light and co2, you should have no problem growing this plant either! Good luck!

Can you post an update-pic soonish?


Sent per three-eyed raven..

 

[myBrainHurts]

I know the dwarf hair grass was easier to obtain and it will look nice. I will post an update pic soon.

 

[myBrainHurts]

Here is an update pic. My swords are showing amazing growth and are growing many new leafs. And everything else is just blooming.
Here it is right after I upgraded everything:

 

[F.Sam]

Looking good! ? I love your gourami btw, that's a very nice color!
You know what I'm thinking about your tank? I think it would showcase itself waaaay better if you removed the blue blackground and added a backcover with plants etc. In my opinion the blue provides too big a contrast with the plants.
But hey if you like it, who am I to tell you otherwise? De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum! ?


Sent per three-eyed raven..

 

[myBrainHurts]

Here's an update because it's been awhile. I moved everything to the right corner in an attempt to aquascape. The dwarf hair grass kept coming up and was awful so I finally got some Dwarf sag, just put in today, and think it will work better. I also have a few new plants here and there but nothing major. I have also added two dwarf crayfish. And I have a bunch of baby platies. My LFS is allowing me to trade them in once they are big enough in exchange for plants and anything else as long as they still make a profit. Actually really nice because it can fund my tank. And my fish is prego again well here is a couple pics of the tank.