Smaller grass like plants

[CaptnIgnit]

So I intially got some dwarf sag but they didn't look right and were getting a little too large for the foreground. Next I tried out some Pygmy chainsword but they are getting too large for my foreground as well.

Are there any other smaller grass like plants that stay small that I can use? I haven't yet tried Micro Sword, but that is the next plant on the list to give a go with. Anyone have any experience with how large it gets?

I'm looking to keep the blades around 3 inches if that is possible.

 

[Zezmo]

There are lots of choices for grasslike/lawnlike plants that stay under 3 inches.

Echinodorus tennelus:

Ranalisma rostratum:

Echinodorus tennelus "Red"

Blyxa japonica

Cryptocoryne parva

Eriocaulon sp "Guang Zhou"

Dwarf hairgrass

 

[An t-iasg]

Awesome pics!

 

[Vmax911]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what are the lighting requirements for the above plants?

 

[JustOneMore20]

Captn, how much light do you have? Some foreground plants and grasses need a fairly high amount of light.

 

[hashbaz]

I really like dwarf hairgrass. Mine never gets above 2in.

 

[WaterPond]

Blyxa japonica can suposedly live in lower light levels.
Cryptocoryne parva can live in low light levels aswell(1.5-2wpg)

I did some research and the rest need higher light(2.5-6wpg)

 

[Zezmo]

I would say that while C Parva will survice at under 3wpg, it will not grow much. Where I am growing it is over 5wpg CF, and less than 10" deep. At that it is a slow grower.

Under lower light the E tennelus (green) will grow. B Japonica I am growing some in a tank that is 1x 15w standard fluorescent, the standard kind that comes with a 10 gallon. On a 10 gallon. In that tank the growth is slow, but noticable.

Dwarf Hairgrass will grow under medium light, if not too deep.

E Tennelus Red, Ranlisma, and E Guang Zhou, all need high light. Pretty much having a nice lawn is a highlight proposition.

 

[Vmax911]

Thank you for the lighting info, nice plants!

 

[CaptnIgnit]

yea sorry, I should have posted that at the start. 65w PC over 20 gallon, injecting CO2 and doing EI dosing.

I currently have Echinodorus tennelus (pygmy chainsword) and most of the blades have grown well over 6 inches. looks more like a mid ground plant than foreground.

I should also say, I'm looking for more of a carpeting grassy plant.

Zezmo: I like the look of Ranalisma rostratum, where did you get that? I can't seem to find it online anywhere.

 

[Zezmo]

Ranalisma rostratum was a plant that took me a while to find. First I tried to import it from Greenchapter, but it turned out to be unavailable. I was given Hygrophila sp. "Foreground" as a replacement, so certainly no loss there. Finally, I found another member of SFBAAPS who was keeping it. He gave it to me saying that he was "passing the torche" on this plant, and that he wasn't going to keep it anymore.
There is no doubt it is a nice plant. It forms a bright dense lawn about 1" tall. Like many foreground plants, it does not tolerate shade very well.

 

[CaptnIgnit]

sounds like it fits what I'm trying to do. Do you know what it's light requirements are like?

I swear, every plant I like turns out to be some rare specialty plant! GAH!