# Best foreground plant



## SearunSimpson (Jun 5, 2007)

I really love E. Tennelus. It spreads quickly and looks lush.


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## mgamer20o0 (Mar 8, 2007)

havent had good luck with hc. e tennelus is really nice i am a big fan of sags... clovers are also neat. hair grass is cool but a pain to plant like e tennelus...


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

Can i get the full names so i can do a google image search. Thnx


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

_Echinodorus tenellus_ - E. tenellus
_Sagittaria subulata_ - Dwarf Sagittaria
_Eleocharis parvula_ - Dwarf Hairgrass
_Hemianthus callitrichoides_ 'Cuba' - HC
_Glossostigma elatinoides_ - Glosso
_Marsilea quadrifolia_ - Clover

As for your lighting, you can pretty much grow anything.

I've found Riccia a little hard to maintain, but it is made a lot easier if you find some needlepoint plastic canvas and make a Riccia "sandwich." That way, whenever it needs pruning, you take out the "sandwich", prune, rinse, and place it back into the tank.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

yeh the riccia looks nice and all in established tanks, but i just dont like the issue it has...im really thinking about glosso...it looks nice and dosent seem to be much maintanace...i geuss it depends on what i find forsale


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## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

HC looks great, but I got rid of it because it became a headache with pruning. If you don't stay on top of it, it will grow too long and uproot itself and start lifting your carpet out of the substrate, then when you fix it the roots aren't fully rooted in the substrate so the next time it uproots is sooner...


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Hemianthus micranthemoides


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

HC isnt that like a dwarf baby tears....cause if it is i dont think im gonna get it...i had baby tears in my tank...thoes were a mess....i always had little leaves floating around....ok so does anyone have any info on glosso...

Hemianthus micranthemoides...ehh idk if i like it...i googled it but it seems like it tends to grow up instead of out....


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

is there any type of online plant store where most plants are avalible...see i dont want to sit around waiting for people to post stuff for sale...i wana be able to look at pictures and read plant info and be able to buy them...anyone know of a site....thnx


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

drumbee23 said:


> is there any type of online plant store where most plants are avalible...see i dont want to sit around waiting for people to post stuff for sale...i wana be able to look at pictures and read plant info and be able to buy them...anyone know of a site....thnx


Just post a WTB in swap and shop and ask what you want. Soon enough someone is going to sell the foreground you want.( and you can ask for pictures and all that other stuff) But as for a foreground i recommend,marsilea quad or minuta, maybe different type of mosses(flame moss, christmas, or java), hc, dwarf sag, and alot more. Just google search it!:smile:


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## lbsfarms (Jan 30, 2003)

I'll second the marselia. I have a marselia, though not sure which one in my 75g. It spread quickly and makes a nice foreground plant. I'm going to have to thin it out if you would like some to try let me know.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

kool i will have to look at it some and see if i like it...how is it as far as careing for it...

hey i just was looking at that, and it looks just like glosso so it would be fine with me...let me know wen u get rid of some....thnx


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## blair (Feb 8, 2009)

Glossostigma is fantastic. It is easy to grow and seems to spread very fast. I'm working on a mixed carpet with HC, but the HC just doesn't grow at the same rate. I should have planted less glosso as it has almost doubled its size in about 1.5 weeks. The plants leaves from a trim if left soaking will actually send out roots, meaning you can eventually replant clippings too. By trimming it down it will grow more dense.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

U should sell me some of ur glosso so that ur hc can catch up


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## Vladdy (May 6, 2008)

Micro sword is a nice plant.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

I think i might go with some glosso and merclia or watever it is called. Anyone with some for sale let me kno. 

So is there an online store that sells exotic plants. My work just dosent have someof the stuff i want, they just carry the basics, like differnt variations of stuf but nothin i like.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Check the swap n shop. It's the best place for plants anywhere IME


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

ok so i got my marcelia planted and it just dosent seem to be doing the best...this is after i planted them on 6-3-09. i planted each individual plantlet.














































ok and i just took these today 6-17-09




























i expected to see some new leaves by now...i have a DIY co2 3 wpg and i am kinda doseing ferts...i have been experienceing some algae so i cut back on the phosphates. why arent they growing...why arent any of my plants in that tank doing really good...my shrimp tank is doing awsome...i take algae coverd plants out of the 20 and put them in the shrimp tank and withing a few days they are good and green and they are sprouting new leaves...even the marcelia i put in the shrimp tank seems to be doing better...and that tank has just regular stones for substrate and i put some flourish products in every now and them...

so did i do somthing worng with the marcelia...like i have pulled one or 2 plantlets out and the roots are all brown and same with were the runners come out...am i doing somthing wrong with the doseing...i just dont understand whats wrong...someone plz help me...thnx


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## rbarn (Mar 21, 2009)

As long as they are not dieing, I would give em some time.

Are you testing for all your ferts ? Nitrate levels ? ect. ect.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

my levels are:
nitrate-.5ppm
phosphate-5ppm(depends on how many times i use phosphates per week...if i does once a week its like around one or two)

and thats all before a 50% waterchange weekly....if i does the recomended levels each week my phosphates and nitrates are so high...and then i get algae...i also cut back to 8 hrs of light


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Marselia spp. grows extremely slowly, so I would just give it more time.

Also, your nitrate to phosphate ratio seems to be way off. Try to keep your nitrates around 5 ppm (unless the decimal point was a mistake).


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

No thats about wat they tend to be if i dose it 3 times a week. Correct me if im wrong but wouldnt havin both at 5 cause massive algae growth. I know algae needs nitrates to thrive and not just phosphates, cause my one tank (plastic plants)has like over ten in phosphates and 0 nitrates and it is cystal clear and pertfect. So ikno why im geting my algae but what can i do to prevent it. I kno i need to get my shrimp in there but im worried About my fluxuating levels hurting them. 

Oh and as for how much i dose i use wat rex recomends for a 20-40 gal tank. Should i be doing more or less. I have also been putting in some florin iron as well just to see if it helps, can i have too much iron in my tank. Somone plz tell me what to do


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

drumbee23 said:


> Correct me if im wrong but wouldnt havin both at 5 cause massive algae growth.


It's the ratio between nitrates and phosphates that will promote algal growth. If you have an imbalance in nutrients, you will have a higher chance of growing algae.



drumbee23 said:


> I know algae needs nitrates to thrive and not just phosphates, cause my one tank (plastic plants)has like over ten in phosphates and 0 nitrates and it is cystal clear and pertfect.


You are lucky then; these conditions are prime for algae to take over, since you have a nitrate imbalance.

Plants need nitrate and phosphates in order to do well. By limiting one, you risk algal growth, since they will fair better at stripping the low amounts of nitrate out of the water column than plates. 



drumbee23 said:


> Oh and as for how much i dose i use wat rex recomends for a 20-40 gal tank. Should i be doing more or less.


I'm not sure what Rex recommends for a 20-40 gallon tank; are you talking about the EI dosing method (that Tom Barr made)? Or perhaps I am mistaken.



drumbee23 said:


> I have also been putting in some florin iron as well just to see if it helps, can i have too much iron in my tank.


Yes, it is possible to have too much iron, but you'd have to be dosing quite a lot. I wouldn't worry too much about overdosing on iron.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

so i geuss i should add some more nitrates to match the phosphates....i was told by a guy at my work that my phosphates are so high algea couldbt even grow...and i never have that light on so thats why its fine...but i kno if one little thing changes its gonna be a mess

the doesing im doing is what you call the EI method, rex gives you a card that says how much to add each time...can you tell me what i should be doseing...i need to find tom barrs page so i can read that again...

i did through some hornwort in there just to see how it would do, it is already halfway across the tank in about 3 days...i planted 4 little pieces there in the coner and they were about an inch from the top...that **** grows really fast...it basically took over my shrimp tank...


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

drumbee23 said:


> i was told by a guy at my work that my phosphates are so high algea couldbt even grow...and i never have that light on so thats why its fine


Having phosphates at a high level will not inhibit algae...



drumbee23 said:


> the doesing im doing is what you call the EI method, rex gives you a card that says how much to add each time...can you tell me what i should be doseing...i need to find tom barrs page so i can read that again...


Here is the link for Tom Barr's EI dosing. 

http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/2819-ei-light-those-less-techy-folks.html



drumbee23 said:


> i did through some hornwort in there just to see how it would do, it is already halfway across the tank in about 3 days..


Hornwort does grow quite quickly; it also acts as a great nutrient sponge. However, it will use up nutrients quite quickly (i.e. this may be why your nitrate level is so low).


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

Well i havent had the hornwort in ther very long, like 3 days and all these problems have been going on for some weeks. I also have anacharis in ther, now that has been in ther for awhile, does that do the same as hornwort. Thnx for the link


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

Whatever you do, do NOT take out that HM. It's a perfect carpet for that 'scape! You planted it perfectly as well.
It grows super-duper slow, but that kind of what you wanted, right? It will take quite a while -- a long while -- to cover your substrate, but be patient. It'll be so worth it when it fills in.
Eventually, as your experience grows, you may find stems that better match the overall "feel" of your tank, but I'd say, you're off to a fine start.
When I look at your tank, I think "forest" and ferns (which the HM is) and mosses are what this hardscape would showcase best.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Thus far, I have use HC, HM, and glosso as carpeting plants. I have tried both in a medium to medium high light 29 gallon (some people will still call it low light) and a low light 10. 

Though I never let the glosso carpet, it was very easy to deal with in both tanks. 

HC worked great in my 29 and spread pretty quickly. It did fairly well in my 10 to but stopped spreading after awhile. I am trying again in my 10 gallon with no other plants to start. I see spreading after a few days already, though much of it was what was already established. It tends to take awhile and then it takes off.

HM doesn't carpet in my 10 gallon well. It grows slow and upwards. Even when i tried to train it, it would carpet, then grow up. In my 29 gallon, it grows very well as a carpet but way too fast. I love the look but it has been alot of work. I haven't made a decision as to if it will stay but I get sick of it.


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

Ok so now i have a decsion to make. I found a 65 and 50 gallon tank for just over 100$. So this maselia hasnt grown in at all. And i wil be reuseing my substrate for the new tank. In your opinion which is better glosso or marselia. What can i do. I thought about just moving to glosso but i heard marcelia sends runners out under the gravel. Is his true, would that make it better then glosso


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## Planted Freak (Jan 11, 2009)

I havee to agree with Ugly Genius, your display is perfect for HC, and since your tank isn´t a monster, the HC will take time but not that long.
If you were to consider a faster plant, I would reccomend UG (utricularia graminifolia), since it´s fast, small and when you make it happy, gorgeous. I´m using it in mine tank( it´s a 230 gallons monster)
Hope this helps
Regards


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## drumbee23 (May 6, 2009)

Planted freak-thnx for the advice, could u spare some for me, maybe some tips on planting. Thnx


Ok so i added 15w of light to bump mr up to 90w and i also went pressurized co2. The marcelia seems to be better but is it true its gonna grow up cause of high light. I kinda wana try some glosso too. Anyone with anytype of carpeting plant for sale let me kno, im really looking for the perfect one. So i wana try what i can.....thnx


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## Planted Freak (Jan 11, 2009)

Feel free to come to my house and collect.
I live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.:hihi:
As for planting tips, the UG like high lights and a lot, I mean a lo of co2. Other than that, it´s a very simple plant to keep, in my experience.
Bye


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