Most undemanding plant that will form a carpet??

N

nilocg

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May 25, 2010
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Right now I am going for a medium level lighting setup with no Co2. I really like the look of a carpeted tank. So my question is what is the easiest plant to use to accomplish this??

Thanks
 
I heard java moss was relatively easy.
 
Dwarf sword (IMO) is good at that. E. Tenellus
 
I know it's not the received wisdom, but I find that Glosso grows like a weed.
 
It depends on a lot of things (lighting, substrate, ferts ...) but I would say that most mosses make a VERY easy carpet. They don't require a lot of light, no need for fancy substrates & have little fert/co2 demands, plus I really love the fact that you can take the moss out of the tank to trim it (less mess!). Taiwan moss is very pretty & easy to find, just tied it to some small slate pieces or sandwich it between some mesh (mesh that sinks of course). If you are not interested in moss as a foreground let us know your tank specs so we can make appropriate suggestions.

BTW Welcome to AC!! :headbang2:
 
My tank is 72" wide by 24" deep by 18" front to back. The substrate is pool filter sand so nothing special. The light is a 48" wide(which I will center and have the carpet in the middle) t5 Ho light. It produces 216 watts of 6700k light. I would prefer a grass type carpet as opposed to the moss if at all possible. Let me know what you guys think.
 
If the fixture is resting right on top of the tank that's a lot of light, I assume it is 4-54watt bulbs. According to THIS chart that would put you well into high light. Are you dosing any water column ferts & how long has the tank been setup? I think you may run into some algae issues with that much light & no CO2.

But to answer your question as to what foreground plant would suit your current setup I'd say moss because of the pool sand. Dwarf sags are nice low demand grassy foreground but in high light they tend to grow tall (they stay shorter in low light). Hair grass & pygmy chain swords would like your light but need a fairly rich substrate although people have had success with them without it but they are usually dosing water column ferts at least. Adding root tabs may be enough for them though. Blyxa japonica would look awesome in your tall tank but requires decent substrate and CO2 in most cases.
 
myswtsins said:
If the fixture is resting right on top of the tank that's a lot of light, I assume it is 4-54watt bulbs. According to THIS chart that would put you well into high light. Are you dosing any water column ferts & how long has the tank been setup? I think you may run into some algae issues with that much light & no CO2.

But to answer your question as to what foreground plant would suit your current setup I'd say moss because of the pool sand. Dwarf sags are nice low demand grassy foreground but in high light they tend to grow tall (they stay shorter in low light). Hair grass & pygmy chain swords would like your light but need a fairly rich substrate although people have had success with them without it but they are usually dosing water column ferts at least. Adding root tabs may be enough for them though. Blyxa japonica would look awesome in your tall tank but requires decent substrate and CO2 in most cases.
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Thanks. If it ends up being too much light then I figure I can pull out one bulb which would bring it down to 162 watts. I havent though about adding ferts I suppose I need to look into it. The tank has been set up for about a month now.

What is involved in adding CO2? I actually have a co2 tank that I am not using, roughly how much would it cost for everything else needed to hook it up?
 
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