How much room do plants need at the base?

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

red devil

AC Members
Jan 7, 2003
796
3
18
Shenzhen, China
Visit site
I have an 8 gallon tank and I think I have finally gotten reasonable about what to do with it. I have gathered a lot of neat ideas about complicated stuff - that will go into the big one that I set up after I move in July.

I have titled my aquarium "The Outpost", referring to military outposts that were created in the days of yesteryear to help protect the people, and were often placed next to walls that formed borders of the country. I have a ceramic granite looking castle in it on the back left hand corner. I want to find some material to make a wall and paint it with the Krylon (supposedly aquarium safe paint) granite look paint, and run the wall all along the back of the aquarium, about 20". The wall will be about 4" tall in an aquarium that is 14" tall. I want to leave about 1" between the wall and the glass in the rear of the aquarium and plant a row of tall, thin medium green plants, to grow to the top of the tank. I want to create an illusion that it is a forest. Will that 1" be enough? The lighting is strong indirect lighting. I have a bulb in the tank but it is place in the hood very close to the front of the tank. If the lighting is enough I am thinking about getting an led strip and attaching it to the top back of the tank.

Is the 1" gap going to be enough? I know that maintenance will be a little tricky. I have about 2" of a special (expensive) black aquarium soil that is supposed to be one of the best things for plants (the name escapes me at the moment). Also, do you have any suggestions for the plant? I don't want something that is going to go hog wild and need to be trimmed every couple of days to keep it from controlling the world, but trimming once every week or two is fine. I have seen tall, thin medium greens that vaguely resembled pine trees but I can't think of the name. They were really awesome looking.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store