# Low Tech Carpet Plants



## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

As the title says, are their any low tech carpeting plants? Or grass-lilke plants as my wife likes those? I'd prefer not to have a moss carpet. Thanks.


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## connordude27 (Jun 14, 2008)

glossostigma elatanoids AKA glosso i have had great success with this plant in low light w/ no ferts


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks man, I guess I'll start looking for some.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

marsilea quadrifolia or Marsilea Minuetta are great low light carpet plants. It does take time for them to establish to submersed state, but it is a great plant.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Shameless plug... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0pOL1QdNts

Look at my tank video above. How about Dwarf Baby Tears, since you don't want a moss carpet? I'm considered low tech right, I have no fancy equipments.


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## MKNL (Jun 27, 2009)

Your tank is beautiful! Can you share the specifics of how you make it work?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Eden Marel said:


> Shameless plug... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0pOL1QdNts
> 
> Look at my tank video above. How about Dwarf Baby Tears, since you don't want a moss carpet? I'm considered low tech right, I have no fancy equipments.


Very nice! I think I shall cut my Baby tears down.


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## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

I've found that Echinodorus tenellum, a grassy-type, grows pretty well under low-tech conditions. It absolutely takes off in a high-tech situation though.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks, thrak. What is considered high-tech? Co2 and stuff?


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## thrak76 (Aug 3, 2009)

Yes, exactly... CO2 and stuff


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Then my big tank is low and my smaller tank is high-tech. Maybe just grow it out in my small and then move it to the big. Thanks again.


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## red fish blue fish (Jul 19, 2010)

I'm considering a partial carpet as well, so this is a helpful thread. 



Eden Marel said:


> Shameless plug... [link]
> Look at my tank video above. How about Dwarf Baby Tears, since you don't want a moss carpet? I'm considered low tech right, I have no fancy equipments.


that baby tears carpet is lovely! 
what substrate did you use? how long did it take to get that much coverage?

Also, can you tell me what the tall grassy-type plant is on the right side? It's beautiful and I've been looking for something like that. (sorry, I'm new and can't recognize plants by sight yet)


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## J.farrand (Jul 12, 2010)

I was going to say micro sword or pygmy chain sword. One of those is echinodorus tenellus. I run around 2 watts per gallon with a flourite rock mix and it is doing very well. Tons of runners. I have populated two other tanks with the species. I have baby tears and without good lighting and fertilzers it will grow up towards the surface. Mine is just floating around now in a big bush which the fish seem to enjoy. I had planted it but if you don't prune it grows up and below dies. Easy maintence is better in my opinion. Go with the pygmy chain.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

J. Farrand, thanks. It's nice to have a comparison of the two. I'm starting to like the swords. Maybe try glosso in my 10g and do the sword in my 20. Eventually will be in my 150 though.


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## J.farrand (Jul 12, 2010)

If you did a DIY co2 system and a decent light in a ten gallon you may have good results with baby tears. Amano says you have to keep it trimmed to make it work well. A note on swords. Some get big real big. I have some amazonicus plants and they were taking over. I do like the broad leaf swords because they come out of the water and look nice. I'm talking over a foot out of my tank. They don't take up much tank space for what they are. I am converging into more low maintence plants now.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks again. When I said swords, I meant micro sword or pygmy chain sword, sorry.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

MKNL said:


> Your tank is beautiful! Can you share the specifics of how you make it work?





Hilde said:


> Very nice! I think I shall cut my Baby tears down.





red fish said:


> I'm considering a partial carpet as well, so this is a helpful thread.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


___________________________________________________________

Thanks for your compliments! Well if you look at my thread you can see how it began and the growth: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/106495-aquatic-tahitian-moon-garden.html 

The first time I tried to make a DBT carpet was actually in my 10g, but that failed so I tried in my 5g. I am going to let the 5g get overrrun, and not trim it too often. The only thing I've trimmed from it was the Rotala indica.

The substrate is Eco-Complete Black, it took about 3-4 months for the carpet to become a carpet, the tall grassy like plant is Narrow Leaf Chainsword (_Echinodorus tenellus_). If you look at my thread you can see it began as a little thing and grew tall. All my _E. tenellus_ is like this. The ones in my 10g are very tall.

I began with a 15w GE Daylight 6500k spiral florecent, but just recently the algae got out of control so I added another bottle of DIY CO2 and supplemented with Excel and switched the bulb to a 10w version.


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## red fish blue fish (Jul 19, 2010)

*Eden Marel,*
thanks for the info. and thanks for the link. I totally missed your sig links somehow.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

I'm trying to decide between glosso and dwarf chain sword. Do I need to buy any Flourish or substrate to help or would just light and DIY Co2 be enough?


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Yes you'll need fertilizers maybe even some root tabs to keep them happy and healthy. The chainswords will appreciate it, I use Flourish Root Tabs in my 10g under the chainswords ever since I got them and 1 chainsword turned into many. But I don't use any root tabs at all in my 5g, so the one in there just recently started making a runner and its been in there for months.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I've found that carpeting plants fill in much more quickly when kept in substrates with at least some nutrient content.

The plants that do the best for me in low light are E. tenellus, Dwarf Sag, Marselia minuta, Lilaeopsis mauritiana, and HM. I have all of those in my own tanks (links in my sig).


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## connordude27 (Jun 14, 2008)

I use aquasoil in my tank but you can use root tabs


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks again, guys. The main problem is in my big tank, I have just sand. Would I be able to just mix some plant substrate in w/ the sand?


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## connordude27 (Jun 14, 2008)

ive done it

In my higher tech ten i have sand capped with aquasoil


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks again, Connor.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Buy some root tabs to supplement, and yes you can mix some plant substrate with your sand. It may help prevent the substrate from going anaerabic quick.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks, Eden. I'm probably gonna head out to PetSmart in a little bit. You ever seen THESE before?


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

No, but Petsmart carry one or both of these:

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlourishTabs.html
or
http://aquariumpharm.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=217

I use the Flourish Root Tabs.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

I'll probably grab the Flourish tabs also. Get this done then I'm ordering my yellow shrimp.


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Just note that not all Petsmart carry the Flourish line, some do and it might be under or near where they keep the plants in tubes. Or somewhere in the asile where all those bottles of water conditioners are, the might be on the bottom shelf of the shelf where the fish medications are.

However, all the Petsmarts I've been to carry the API one.


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## connordude27 (Jun 14, 2008)

I thought the API stuff was a little pricey for the amount you got vs time it lasts

Have you considered Root Medic? $12 for 25 capsules shipped and they last 6 months each
http://rootmedic.net/products-page/nutrients/rootmedic%20complete-original/

pfertz also has some but i have no idea how expensive they are shipped
http://www.pfertz.com/rootferts.html


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks, connor. Luckily I haven't gone to PetSmart yet. Decisions decisions...


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