Good ground cover ?

[mklowkey]

I have a well planted 85G tank with 2 96w coral life (for plants) I have a DIY Co2 system that seems a bit boom or bust - but the plants love it and I don't have the $ for a pro setup. Anyway I am looking for a grass or ground cover plant that is a relatively good spreader. I currently have some grass along the bottom but it is really scragly and not spreading at all.

Any suggestions?

Thanx

 

[180gz71]

Well, Im kind of bias. Glossostigma is excellent ground cover, and once it gets established it just takes off.

 

[Kyohti]

I've also seen a really nifty looking hygro cultivar that is a low-growing ground-cover type plant... and I can tell you my regular hygro grows as obnoxiously as dandelions!! I've seen mine spread new growth of an inch a week... and I don't even use CO2!!

Depends on if it's the look you're wanting for the aquarium, though... if nothing else, it'd provide an awesome contrast to the usual lawn-like ground covers.

Link: http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?liveplantsb&1179124198

 

[Aries]

CLOVER, FOUR LEAF (Marsilea quadrifolia) is good, I have it and once it tranforms to the submersed version, it is good.

I had Glossostigma, but for some odd reason it did not lilke my water. it all died off.

Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis) is a good grassy plant - again it didnt like my water so I gave to a friend with a different water source and it is grwoing like wildfire.

Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae) grew in one of my tanks, but not too well. I liked it though.

Good Luck

Aries

 

[phanmc]

Glosso - will need a better CO2 system than DIY
Marsilea - looks similar to a darker glosso, will do well in your tank but is slow growing
Dwarf hairgrass - should be ok in your tank, pressurized CO2 would be better
microsword (Lilaeopsis) - same as hairgrass
pygmy chainsword (e. tenellus) - should do well in your tank
New dwarf hygro - not grasslike, it has small spear shaped leaves but will form a low bush, will do well in your tank

 

[Robert H]

New dwarf hygro - not grasslike, it has small spear shaped leaves but will form a low bush, will do well in your tank

I never heard of such a thing. I think you are confused!

HEMIANTHUS CALLITRICHOIDES

looks like this:

 

[phanmc]

I never heard of such a thing. I think you are confused!

HEMIANTHUS CALLITRICHOIDES

Regarding the dwarf hygros, I meant these:

http://www.barrreport.com/aquatic-plant-month/3061-new-dwarf-hygro-froeground-plant.html

Perhaps spear-shapred and bushy isn't exactly the best description but they are easy to maintain.

HC is a real nice carpeting plant, but is a real pain to work with in an already established tank. Plus, it also likes alot of CO2.

 

[Robert H]

That looks pretty much like what this guy Kine is selling on Aqua bid, (10 bucks for three 2 inch long stems!). Kine and Barr are both members of the same plant club. Doesn't seem like a foreground plant to me, but to each their own.

 

[phanmc]

It's not a carpeting plant but it will stay low, lower than all other hygros. suitable in most tanks as a foreground plant for some contrast to the lawn type.

10 bucks for a few stems is expensive, probably because it's new. Maybe I should mass produce some...

 

[loaches r cool]

How tough is that stuff and does it root well? I'm looking for some shorter foreground plants that will fill in good for the new tank I'll be setting up with my clowns. I havent had any problems with plants with them yet but many say they like to bulldoze around and pull up plants and such. They havent bothered my dwarf sag yet and they root pretty strong but it seems that often they doent stay dwarf according to ther folks, mine all have but I'd rather try something else, or in addition to them, I've got a lot of landscape to fill.