# My first time trimming HC (and possibly last)



## Cheapskate (Mar 24, 2010)

That's a crap load of HC!


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

real nice carpet. How long did it take to fill in that thick after your first planting?


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## g33tar (Jan 8, 2010)

Mmmm. Lawntastic.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

Robert H said:


> real nice carpet. How long did it take to fill in that thick after your first planting?


I had it immersed for at least 3 months with CO2 and it spread pretty slowly. I then started dosing 1-2 pumps of Pfertz phosphorus daily in an attempt to fight algae on the glass and that is when the growth really took off. In about a month it doubled in size and started growing on top of itself.

I'm about to try going low tech though by changing the lights to T5NO 2x21 watts and cutting off the CO2 so we'll see what that does to the carpet.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

:eek5: Kinda makes me nervous since I'll be going for a HC carpet haha....hopefully mine will flourish like yours did though...

Also, what type of plant is that,the one mixed in with the driftwood....it looks spectacular. I tried to see if you had already mentioned it in a tank journal or something but I couldn't find anything...:thumbsup:


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## riverrat (Jul 14, 2005)

I always trimmed mine with a python in the tank sucking the clippings out.


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

when you were adding the pfertz was this after you fiilled the tank with water?


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## zavikan (Jan 5, 2009)

I purchased a Magnum HOT for this same problem. havent gotten to use it yet.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

TickleMyElmo said:


> :eek5: Kinda makes me nervous since I'll be going for a HC carpet haha....hopefully mine will flourish like yours did though...
> 
> Also, what type of plant is that,the one mixed in with the driftwood....it looks spectacular. I tried to see if you had already mentioned it in a tank journal or something but I couldn't find anything...:thumbsup:


What are your tank specs? I've grown HC pretty easily under high light with CO2 and high light with Excel.

I actually have a few plants. On the very far left I think is cryptocoryne lutea (I ordered a bunch of crypts and they weren't labelled). Then tied to the driftwood is narrow leaf java fern. I actually had narrow leaf and trident java fern tied to all the branches, but I contracted some staghorn algae and had to remove it all. Then around the driftwood are some crypt wendtii.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

riverrat said:


> I always trimmed mine with a python in the tank sucking the clippings out.


I wish I had that available to me. How big is the end of the python? Will it pick up shrimp and fish?


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## stpeteplanter (Dec 30, 2009)

That's an impressive carpet OP. I wish I had your problem, haha.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

Robert H said:


> when you were adding the pfertz was this after you fiilled the tank with water?


Yep. I never tried growing the HC emmersed. It was immersed as soon as I got it.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

stpeteplanter said:


> That's an impressive carpet OP. I wish I had your problem, haha.


Unfortunately my algae problem is much more impressive. Growing the HC carpet was easy, but so was growing the algae. I now have staghorn, brush, and green spot algae. :icon_cry:


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Jeez! Just looking at other people HC carpets makes me really jealous and depressed. I tried to do a dry start on my HC with topsoil... and they completely died in a week. I shouldn't have done that, it was like $6 for a 1x1 inch square. If only I could go back in time.... sigh.


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## TickleMyElmo (Aug 13, 2009)

volatile said:


> What are your tank specs? I've grown HC pretty easily under high light with CO2 and high light with Excel.
> 
> I actually have a few plants. On the very far left I think is cryptocoryne lutea (I ordered a bunch of crypts and they weren't labelled). Then tied to the driftwood is narrow leaf java fern. I actually had narrow leaf and trident java fern tied to all the branches, but I contracted some staghorn algae and had to remove it all. Then around the driftwood are some crypt wendtii.


40Breeder tank, and it'll have pressurized co2 with a 36" 2X39W T5HO Nova Extreme light...substrate is completely fluorite black sand ranging from 2 to 3 inches depending on location....from what I could gather I should be able to grow a carpet of HC pretty well 

And thanks for naming the plants. I was looking at the one in the center of the driftwood, which I believe is the narrow leaf java fern you mentioned....


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

I was thinking you meant emersed when you said immersed for some reason... guess I am used to reffering to it as "submersed"

So ferts made the difference for you. How much of an area was covered in the beginning, how far apart were the HC plants spaced?


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

TickleMyElmo said:


> 40Breeder tank, and it'll have pressurized co2 with a 36" 2X39W T5HO Nova Extreme light...substrate is completely fluorite black sand ranging from 2 to 3 inches depending on location....from what I could gather I should be able to grow a carpet of HC pretty well
> 
> And thanks for naming the plants. I was looking at the one in the center of the driftwood, which I believe is the narrow leaf java fern you mentioned....


That is the same exact light I have, and I use the aquaflora bulb, and the midday 6000k bulb. You're welcome. The plant to right of that and lower a bit is also the narrow leaf.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

Robert H said:


> So ferts made the difference for you. How much of an area was covered in the beginning, how far apart were the HC plants spaced?


When I first planted 11/4/2009:










I guess I planted them 1/4 inch apart? It took forever for them to spread with just the CO2 though (2-3 months) and it didn't even cover the aquasoil. I then started dosing the Pfertz in January (only phosphorus) and within a month it had more than doubled and was growing on top of itself.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

phoshporus is used for root development. these guys will grow much better with a lil more (P), just dont over do it bga love it to. looks very nice so far.


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## Madfish (Sep 9, 2007)

One thing that I found for cleaning up clipping and unwanted duck weed is a shop vac. Make sure that its the wet/dry one and set up for wet. Hold it about a 1/4 inch over the water and watch it suck it up. I have a cheap shopvac that I got for like $20 and that is all it is used for. 
On a side not that was some great that you got it to grow like that.


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

This just goes to show patience pays off!


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