Foreground plants

[TKOS]

I am looking for some names of species that make good ground cover in planted tanks and espeically work well in the foreground.

Thanks

[Leopardess]

glossostigma elatinoides
eleocharis parvulus or accicularis
marsilea hirsuta
Cryptocoryne parva
Micranthemum umbrosum
Monosolenium tenerum aka Pellia
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Anubias nana var petite
Anubias nana
Dwarf sagittaria
Echinodorus tenellus
riccia fluitans
Dwarf riccia
xmass moss
java moss

[TKOS]

Thanks !!!

[Leopardess]

Those are mostly carpet plants, though some you can use in the foreground as well.

If you are also looking for foreground plants that aren't necessarily carpet/ground cover plants, there are others, too. eg, more grass species, windelov, some of the crypts, stargrass, various stem plants, etc.

[Gunnie]

This link is also helpful:

Plantguide (http://http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php)

[biogirl361]

i have a few chunks of a grass looking plant that i recently came to believe is "dwarf hairgrass". does anyone know anything about this plant, there doesnt seem to be much info online.

[Indigo]

Gunnie, that is an awesome site, thanks for posting it :)

[djlen]

TKOS - Your tank info. makes no reference to lighting. How many watts are you providing?
Star Grass makes a really nice foreground plant. It will get really bushy when pruned back under good light.

Len

[Cruise Control]

My apologies for interupting the thread... but DJLen, do you have a link to see your tanks? I've been dying to see your tanks and I did a search but couldn't find anything. I've been taking your advice for months and am really curious about your tanks.

(And now back to your regular program...)

[TKOS]

Sorry Len. It isn't for my tank right now but for my brothers 29 gallon tank with DIY CO2 and I assume 3-4 wpg of screw in 5000K bulbs (homemade hood). He has a gravel flourite mix I believe for a substrate.

As for me swords and java fern are my plants of choice. But I will add that to my tank info. Thanks.

[djlen]

The reason I asked is that Star Grass requires, in my experience and at that depth, a minimum of 3 watts/gal. 4 watts/gal. would be better.
It is the only stem plant that I have grown that requires little re-planting to grow well and responds well to heavy pruning, getting thick and bushy. IMO, an excellent foreground or mid ground plant. I love the stuff.

I have no resource, at this time to take pictures. Maybe down the road I will get a digital camera. My daughter-in-law has one I think. Maybe I can ask her to take a picture.

Len

[RTR]

Being a low-light type, I'm strictly Anubias nana for foregrounds. I do admit to propagating A. 'petite nana' as fast as I can (which is not very).

[Leopardess]

I have stargrass in the 55g in a fairly shaded spot. That tank has slightly under 3 wpg (though, no reflectors, NO light, and is a foot and a half above the water) and it grows very well. I do think, however, that in most applications it will grow too fast to be a large base ground cover.

[Torf]

i have a few chunks of a grass looking plant that i recently came to believe is "dwarf hairgrass". does anyone know anything about this plant, there doesnt seem to be much info online.

Check out Tropica.com http://www.tropica.com/default.asp and look under Elocharis Acicularis.

[Leopardess]

The "more common" form (ie the slightly taller one) is the eleocharis parvulus. It is on most plantguides, I think.

[biogirl361]

if you cut a little pice of moss off of a moss ball, would it form its own new ball, if left to float? i was wondering because last time i was at my lfs, i saw the moss balls and thought they were cool, but being quite expensive, i didnt get one. there was however some attractive dark green algae growing on plants and wood and stuff in the same tank as the moss balls, and i got the lfs person to give me a little piece of that because it was really nice looking algae and i thought i could decorate my rocks and things with it or perhaps even use it as a carpet. it seems to have grown some while in my tank, but seems rather slow growing and does not attach to rocks quickly. this algae was not in any of the other tanks besides the 4 on the same filter system as algae balls. so i was thinking maybe this is the same stuff only not big enough to form balls?

[Leopardess]

Some people do try this..not sure how well it attaches when it doesn't want to however.

The algae you like is called cladophora.

[biogirl361]

cladophora, thanks, i will look it up! i hope that the few small fragments i have will form balls eventually. they seem to be living just fine in my tank, just not growing that fast, which is suppose to be normal for them.

[Leopardess]

Here, I had these fairly handy:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/cladophora.html

http://www.mbari.org/staff/conn/botany/greens/angie/INDEX.HTM

http://people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/tharrison/emigration/cladophora.htm

[biogirl361]

leopardess, is profile more like sand or more like gravel?

[Leopardess]

Gravel, for sure.