# How To Grow Carpeting Plants



## they call me bruce (Feb 13, 2011)

lots of light and co2 + ferts


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## Doc7 (Apr 7, 2011)

HC: Low light for me, plus CO2 + Ferts. Planted in tiny clumps, probably in emersed form from store, flooded tank right away.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

Thanks for the pic! HC is looking great in your tank; it has a sense of depth.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

Biggest problem: algae. And it's not like you can just cut leaves off when they get bad. Once it's in there, it takes some work. Currently trying (for the first time) an H2O2 whole-tank treatment at 1mL/g in a 20L. It's been a few days since the 90-minute treatment followed by 75% water change, and I'm waiting to see how bad it turns out for tank plants. BBA went purple pretty quick, and hair algae is starting to brown and clump. We'll see. I have some UG in a tiny emersed setup as an experiment, but it's definitely not quick.

Growing process - plant in tiny clumps (single strands is better, but often not terribly realistic), dose ferts and CO2, and hope for the best.

Source: always here.

Shipping: Never tried to ship plants in the dead of winter (not that we've really had "winter" here in NC this year). Lost most of a couple RAOK's of random stuff when I sent them over the summer, and the culprit was likely 2-3 hours in a car with the windows down (don't underestimate heat). Wrapped in damp paper towel, ziploc'd, surrounded by newspaper. I'll try just dropping them in an inflated baggie next time, but there are experienced shippers who could answer better.

Switching between emersed and submerged: usually ugly, despite what anybody tells you. Certain plants switch well, most take a while and is a messy experience. Still, it's usually successful, given decent parameters.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

Great post, Kevmo911! 
I love to hear people's personal experiences, it gives a unique perspective on the whole process.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

Dwarf hairgrass doesn't want to grow in my 10 gallon. 
I have it under Led lighting and I dose liquid fertilizer weekly. 
It has root tablets and it's in sand. I plan on dosing Excel if I can find it.
In addition to this I'm considering a diy co2 system, though at this point I wonder if all of these together will be beneficial.


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## lostraindrop (Jan 16, 2012)

Doc7 said:


> HC: Low light for me, plus CO2 + Ferts. Planted in tiny clumps, probably in emersed form from store, flooded tank right away.


I have HC dosing frets and CO2, 2 x 20Watt light on 10 gallon. Mine is not spreading at all. Have had them since Sept 2011. no luck. Do you trim them? If so how often?


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

I heard that we should wait 3 months before trimming plants, but if they aren't growing it may not be necessary...


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## ElBoltonero (Jan 18, 2012)

Lee04 said:


> I have it under Led lighting and I dose liquid fertilizer weekly.


What liquid fertilizer(s) are you using? They may not be getting all they need. And you're better off dosing small amounts more often than a bigger dose weekly...


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

?

Disregard that, for sure.

If you allowed Glosso or HC to grow for three months, you'd have a tank that looked like a disaster zone.



Lee04 said:


> I heard that we should wait 3 months before trimming plants, but if they aren't growing it may not be necessary...


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## Doc7 (Apr 7, 2011)

Watts aren't a valuable description of light. What type of lighting do you have? I have T5NO lighting one inch above tank rim with poor reflectors. Watts only describe the length and/or number of bulbs and how much power they draw. I could have a 150W Metal Halide light suspended 6 feet above my tank or a 39 watt T5HO directly on rim and watts wouldn't appropriately tell anyone what my lighting was.

I trim my HC every 3-4 weeks as it starts piling up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9650 using Tapatalk


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

How on earth do you get the HC to stay down in the substrate? I broke mine up into small bits and I can't get it to stay down without putting a plant weight on it. 

I'd LIKE to break it up into a few single strands each but I can't imagine getting it to stay in the substrate.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I have yet to find a carpet plant that needs high light and co2. Can it help greatly, yes. Some will grow much faster (HC) but don't really have trouble without it. Some will grow great without high light and CO2, though slower, still quite fast IMO (Glosso, HM). Others will live, show very little growth, and won't carpet for years if you don't have enough (almost every type of hairgrass I have tried).


Planting any type of grass is pretty easy, just break it up to where you have a few blades and push in enough. 

Planting stems (HC, HM) is a bit more challenging. I usually let my pots grow a bit if they are short when I buy them. I plant either with 1-3 stems (I add more as I get more tired lol). With HC, I try to plant about 1 in apart, closer if I have enough. With HM, I don't mind going as far as 4-5 in away, it carpets much more easily.

If you are planting in water, I suggest you lower the water level as much as you reasonably can. You will almost always have some pieces floating up and the less water, the easier it is to replant. Plant as deeply as possible, with just the top poking out. If it pulls up a bit, don't worry. If some comes up over the first few days, well, that usually just happens. Remember, plants grow so if you have some float up, you don't need to replant each one, unless you want to. 

Also, if you find you didn't buy enough HC, glosso or HM, in particular, I recommend you just plant one part of the tank. Let it grow, trim, replant the trimmings (lower the water level again before you trim). It isn't that big of a deal but you get the joy of it carpeting more quickly (in a smaller area), but it's also easier to trim and replant in a new section, rather than having a sparse amount all over the tank.



Dry start makes it way easier to plant. In fact, you don't even need to actually plant them, you can just cut trimmings and let them root in. I normally plant but if it is coming from another tank and my trimmings are short, I just drop them in. Just make sure they have strong roots before you fill.

There are a few issues with dry start. First, you may get some browning or die off at first. If you just bought the plant, it probably was grown emmersed and probably won't do this. There is nothing wrong with this, it just is something to be aware of. Don't try to "fix" it, it just happens. It does similar when you refill, it will brown or melt. Again, don't be concerned or try to fix it, it just happens. 

Dry start can also be problematic with large slopes. You have to make sure you spray more often and keep the humidity higher. Long term, high humidity can cause emmersed algae. It isn't inevitable, it can happen. 

The last problem with dry start (other than you need to have patience) is that you have to be ultra careful when you fill the tank. You do not want to waste all your patience you used waiting to fill, only to pull it all up dumping water. Some people cover everything with a few layers of newspaper. I personally try to get the inch filled with a spray bottle. Then I siphon water through an airline tube with a little airline flow adapter going really slowly. Once I get some water in, I open up the line. Then I move to a bigger tube that goes faster, or a pitch and a plate. It's not hard, just use common sense.


The only other thing about dry start is make sure you do it long enough. Most important, the plants have to be rooted before you fill. The other thing is they will start growing in slowly (due to transitioning to emmersed) and then after some time (a few weeks to a few months sometimes) it will really start growing considerably more quickly, like 4-5 times as quickly. It's not a problem but it can be frustrating. You don't have to wait for it to really start growing but I recommend it. You can be certain it is well rooted. If you are impatient, just pull a piece up and see if the piece has roots that are at least about 1 cm long or so. Then you can fill but are not reaping the benefits of dry start growth, just the ease of planting.

I know that this is long but I will say my last piece. I like doing DSM for planting reasons, 100x easier and you can just stop when you are bored, come back the next day and finish up. You do benefit from faster growth in many plants, after the initial slow period but I find it negligible, if you are using CO2. I often fill early on CO2 equipped tanks, let it fill out on my low tech tanks.


I know that was long, just sharing my experiences. Carpet plants are not hard, IMO, unless you don't have enough light. They can be slow to fill in, especially without CO2 but if they are growing, it will fill in. I honestly don't think I have found a carpet plant I consider "hard to grow", though some fill in much more quickly. The more quickly they grow, the more you have to trim though, which can be a pain, not so much in the act of trimming, but gathering up your trimmings when you are done.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I just put in some HC in a teeny tiny "tank" (it's really just a very small glass bowl, less than 1cup in volume). I filled it all the way up though. The substrate is crushed gravel I have been using in some other non-fish projects of mine, mixed with MGOCPS. Should I drain most of the water and lay some plastic wrap over the opening to keep in the moisture? I've never done a dry-start before so I'm not sure if I'd be doing it right and as I have very little HC I don't want to lose too much of it. I've actually got it sitting in the sun (My window only gets about 2 hrs of direct lighting, the rest is indirect.) though I plan to buy a proper lamp soon as I planted 5 more containers the same way and want to grow them all together. 

I don't mind them growing fast and having to trim often, I want as muuuuch as possible to grow from the 2 pots I bought (only about 1.5" square of it) to live and thrive. I tried planting my 5g with HC and microsword as a grow-only tank with c02 and little water.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Bunfoo said:


> I just put in some HC in a teeny tiny "tank" (it's really just a very small glass bowl, less than 1cup in volume). I filled it all the way up though. The substrate is crushed gravel I have been using in some other non-fish projects of mine, mixed with MGOCPS. Should I drain most of the water and lay some plastic wrap over the opening to keep in the moisture? I've never done a dry-start before so I'm not sure if I'd be doing it right and as I have very little HC I don't want to lose too much of it. I've actually got it sitting in the sun (My window only gets about 2 hrs of direct lighting, the rest is indirect.) though I plan to buy a proper lamp soon as I planted 5 more containers the same way and want to grow them all together.
> 
> I don't mind them growing fast and having to trim often, I want as muuuuch as possible to grow from the 2 pots I bought (only about 1.5" square of it) to live and thrive. I tried planting my 5g with HC and microsword as a grow-only tank with c02 and little water.


Just put some plastic wrap on top. You actually want some holes for gas exchange. You don't need the humidity to be crazy high either. Many people go as far as putting humidifiers in their tank. I have found high humidity to slow the process. May have been successful without even covering their tank. Some plastic wrap with some holes, mist every few days with a spray bottle, you will be fine.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Okay.  I'll give it a shot and see how it goes! 

How high does the water level need to be? Just covering the roots, just covering the leaves or just right at the root level?


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Right below the substrate, as best you can if not perfectly flat. You should have no "puddles" visible.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Okay, thanks!

EDIT:

I think I'll try to convert my grow-out tank into emersed also. Might as well, my HC wasn't doing all that great submersed anyways. 

I only used dirt for it though, no cap, is that okay? I plan to pull it out and move it to other tanks anyways. Will it grow directly in the dirt? 

Also, will microsword grow emersed? I planted it, but it kind of just flops over. Should I just give up and move it into a filled tank, or will it be okay like that?

I don't need to add c02 in an emersed setup, right? Would it hurt anything if I did anyways?


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## k3xx (Dec 27, 2011)

Could anyone explain what HM and HC mean? Thanks so much!


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

HM

Hemianthus micranthemoides aka baby tears or pearl grass. Here is my photo I found on this guys web site!











HC

Hemianthus callitrichoides, aka dwarf baby tears










HM can grow as a bush with the stems growing straight up, or trained to grow horizonatal as a ground cover










HC has tiny stems that grow less than a half an inch tall and is a true carpet plant. HC is EXACTLY the same above water or below water and does not change in leaf structure or size, so it really doesn't matter if its emersed or submersed grown. It generally needs bright light and C02 but it depends on how shallow your tank is. In deep tanks it is much more critical. HC is the smallest known aquatic stem plant. HM has a faster growth rate and is easier to grow horizontal if you have bright light and C02



> Dwarf hairgrass doesn't want to grow in my 10 gallon.


Most likely a light issue, particularly without C02. Bright light it grows like a weed

My next weeks radio show is actually on this very subject.


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## Kworker (Oct 28, 2011)

I have microword growing steadily in my 2 gal cylinder. No heat or filter. It has topsoil and sand cap and I don't dose fert plus no co2.. have a table lamp over it. I found out microsword grows amazingly quicker floating at the surface. So with that you could prob buy a small amount let it float and grow quick than cut apart and plant in a larger tank


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## k3xx (Dec 27, 2011)

Thank you so much! All of those are SO PRETTY! :#3


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## Hcancino (Jun 18, 2011)

What I've learned from my carpet plant is that as long as you supply it with enough CO2 then it will grow low and carpet. It took me all but a handful of the glosso in my 60 gallon to learn this. I'm not saying light and nutrients aren't important but I am saying CO2 is a big factor


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

My corys dig up my HC which drives me bugchit. I wish I could figure out a way to anchor it better in my Black Diamond grit. Any ideas? I'm always replanting floaters. It seems healthy, just mobile... 

My HM however, grows like a weed.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

There are several products sold to keep plants down. I'm not sure which to use for HC, however.
Example: http://www.aquariumplants.com/Anchors_Planting_Aids_s/37.htm


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## eklu65 (Mar 3, 2011)

So, I decided to try emersed staurogyne porto velho in my new tank, and after reading through this thread, I realized I made a mistake already. I could definitely see a small puddle in the valley between slopes. The slopes aren't very steep, just wanted to create uneven terrain. Any way to correct this, or will it make a big deal in the long run?

Also, any pointers for porto velho? I heard it grows really fast emersed, which is the main reason I'm doing this. If it doesn't, oh well, still a learning experience.


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

Anyone have pointers for growing Crypt Parva as foreground?


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## maknwar (Aug 10, 2008)

eklikewhoa said:


> Anyone have pointers for growing Crypt Parva as foreground?


It likes a lot of light and takes a long time to grow.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

Eklu65-Probably let it dry out uncovered for a while. 
Based on what I've read, it's a slow grower.
Cuttings can be obtained fairly easily, so you can replant them.

-Information I found on this plant:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/m...sp_Porto_Velho_Staurogyne_sp_Porto_Velho.html
A user there describes it and their experience^

-Something interesting: "Under unobstructed light, subtle purplish accents highlight what are otherwise leaves of a uniform grayish green." 
From: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=253


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## zainey_04 (May 24, 2011)

Any of you guys know how to deal with the white fuzzy fungus that shows up when doing a DSM.


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## D3monic (Jan 29, 2012)

I am surprised that UG hasn't been mentioned in this thread. I am getting ready to DSM a 75 gal with UG as the ground cover and could use some pointers.


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

maknwar said:


> It likes a lot of light and takes a long time to grow.


LoL, thanks

Hoping to hear something different. :icon_frow


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I had an awesome carpet of HC. It's still growing looks good but is thining. Its growing too tall I guess. Maintance is key I think just like with a yard you have to keep up with maintance or your yard will not look as nice. 

My HC is growing tall so its getting up rooted by Cory cats and shrimp. You really need to keep I short or you have problems. I am thinking of pulling all my HC up and re plant it.

So it's not hard to grow just needs more up keep.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

zainey_04: According to another forum, the white fuzz may be caused by high humidity. It should go away in a few days, according to the source, if you dip a paintbrush in Isoporpyl Alcohol and lightly brush the mold. 

D3monic: Last paragraph in particular could be helpful. http://www.tropica.com/advising/plant-articles/utricularia-graminifolia.aspx
Abridged- UG should be separated and planted about 5 cm apart, high light requirements. At 6-8 wks plant fertilizer/co2 is recommended. Very sensitive to changes in environment!

eklikewhoa: Based on my reading, Crypt Parva doesn't like to be moved. Nutrient-rich substrate is recommended, containing minerals such as iron and potassium. The roots like warmth, so you may consider a heating cable, but this isn't required. A slow grower that doesn't like direct light, it may be suited at the base of tall plants.


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## zainey_04 (May 24, 2011)

Thanks. Do you know of the alcohol will harm the plants?


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## Mgiorgi1221 (Mar 23, 2011)

Lots of light co2 and ferts dwarf hair grass carpets very nicely taller than HC though


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## lostraindrop (Jan 16, 2012)

lots of light co2 and ferts and my HC is taking FOREVER to grow. It gets uprooted faster than it can grow. I might blame it on my substrate. Anyone use flora max as substrate and having problems keeping HC down? whats the best substrate for HC?


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

zainey_04: I don't know if it would. I'd try it on a small portion to start. You might want to isolate the pieces with the mold so that the mold wont spread. 
Some people say that dosing with excel works to get rid of it, too, if the tank is submersed. If the tank is emmersed, I'm thinking you could still dose some excel mixed with water in spray bottle.

lostraindrop- I think a fine grain substrate may work out, since HC has small roots. Sand with root tablets is probably what I'll use. Mgocpm is another option.


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## zainey_04 (May 24, 2011)

Thanks for the help lee04


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

No problem, I hope things work out for you!


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## eklu65 (Mar 3, 2011)

Lee04 said:


> Eklu65-Probably let it dry out uncovered for a while.
> Based on what I've read, it's a slow grower.
> Cuttings can be obtained fairly easily, so you can replant them.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the help! Ok, so I tilted the tank, let the water pool, and sucked out all the excess with a turkey baster. There is now no pooling water anywhere in the tank, including the low points in the scape. I planted the porto velho sometime very soon after 2/19, and I'm getting nervous. Not sure if this is normal or not, just want to be sure I'm doing the right thing. Some plants look like they're melting, just wanted to check to see if they are converting to emersed, or if they are in serious trouble. Sorry for the low quality pictures, but you can see that some plants are super green, others are turning brown. Red circle indicates one plant that I'm most worried about.


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## Lee04 (Feb 11, 2012)

Eklu65- I've never grown this plant myself, so I can't be certain if it's normal. 
I do know that some plants can't convert between emersed and submersed. 
However, after doing some research I found that this particular plant reacts well. 

It's been exposed to a lot of water while being emersed, so perhaps it doesn't know which form to take. 
If you continue to dry out the soil a bit more, and if you keep the humidity consistant, the greener ones may do better. 
You may consider trying a different set up, too. Many people use planters on a windowsill with success:


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## C02 (Jan 28, 2013)

Most people talk about strong lighting and co2 to grow these carpet plants. What about water parameter (gh,kh,ph...)? I would like to know. Thanks


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## Twillz (Oct 13, 2012)

Just thought I'd share the strategy I came up with for my carpeting plants:

Since my display tank was already filled and running when I got my HC and DHG, I _really_ didn't want to deal with breaking them up into tiny clumps to plant them. Instead, I used that plastic craft grid (they use it for sewing projects, I think) and zip ties to create a whole bunch of little (about 1.5inchx1.5inch) planter boxes.

I already had an ugly grow-out tank in my basement for some fry, so using egg-crate, I made a little platform so that the planter boxes sat 1/2 way out of the water. Tossed up a couple clip-on lamps with CFL bulbs in them and let the things sit there for about 2 months.

End result: tons of little planter boxes stuffed to the brim with carpeting plants. Then I transferred the planter boxes to my display and have an instant carpet.

I discovered that an additional huge benefit for me is that I can rescape my carpet! Since this is the first planted tank I've ever had, I've found myself doing a lot of rescaping. Very thankful that I can shift my carpet around as I desire without tearing up millions of little floating HC clumps.


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## latchdan (Sep 7, 2007)

Like to share my experiences with grown cover plants... I've tried glosso and HC a couple times both didn't go so well. I've also tried ricca as a mat and it as well didn't work. My tank is 22inchs tall and I have 2X55 watt PC. Lights are about 20 inches from substrate. (around 80 PAR rating I was told.)

Either the plants didn't go at all or they turned a brown from either dying or getting algae. They never got the bright green I aways see.

Tank is pressurized co2 and dosed by EI method.

Here some pics of the various plants as they were dying. 

HC: appears to be pearling, but could be the algae ha










Ricca and glosso









Ricca grew really well as a floating plant, got very vibrant but never could grow it well as a mat. It grew pretty well on the filter intake as well.

I really like the look of carpeting plants and want to try them again in the future. Has anyone been able to get glosso/HC/HM to carpet on flourite? or is the granules to big?

(Ooops just realized this thread is a year old)


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## dtang21 (Jan 22, 2008)

C02 said:


> Most people talk about strong lighting and co2 to grow these carpet plants. What about water parameter (gh,kh,ph...)? I would like to know. Thanks


Great question. Hope my input helps... The PH in San Jose has been fairly consistent (7 range) so I won't really comment on that. GH and KH fluctuate very frequently because the San Jose water co is always changing water sources. I've grown most foregrounds (HC, glosso, DHG, Hydrocotyle Japan, limno vietnamn) successfully in a GH range of 5-8 and a KH of 4-8. The only foreground I've found to be particularly demanding is UG because it requires GH and KH in the lower ranges.


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