ground cover for low light aquarium

Emg

Emg

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Jan 16, 2005
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Northeast Connecticut
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I'm trying to find a nice ground cover plant for an aquarium with 2 watts per gallon. I don't want to put any higher lighting in there as I don't want to have to go the O2 route.....I'm not really good at gadgets and stuff, the less I have to monkey with and jimmy around with the better off I am...lol....and so are the fish !

So, does anyone have any ideas or know of any particular plants that make a very nice ground cover for this type of setup. I have a 5 gallon which has peat underneat Echo-Complete.....a smaller 2 gallon hex....and am planning on fixing up a 10 gallon which I have divided up for 3-4 betta that I want to do the same thing with.

I have heard of something called aquarium clover...but I don't know it's requirements....I do know that micro sword needs higher lighting than what I have....does dwarf hairgrass do well in lower lighting ? Or, is there some type of moss that I could use ?

Any ideas or suggestions are greatly apprecieated ! Thanks ! :)
 
Marsilea minuta or marsilea quadrifolia might work. They are slow growers, though.

Java moss will work but can be messy and troublesome. Dwarf hairgrass, Eleocharis parvulus or accicularis, requires higher light and co2.
 
Hiya EMG. For real ground cover it will be sort of tough. There are some plants that put out leaves that stay rather low to the substrate, though. I have Cryptocoryne wendtii doing well in a front corner of my tank and it is starting to put out more growth and filling in the spaces. Anubias nana and petite nana can look nice as well.
 
Thanks Leopard and Harlock,

I figured all the nice plants are the ones that like the higher lighting and O2 systems...lol...ain't it always the way....

I do have a couple of cryp plants that seem to be doing well with the minimum lighting that I have...perhaps I'll get some more of those. I was hoping there would be something that grows low to cover the surface of the substrate...guess I'll have to give that idea up...or...(horrors!)...start doing some research into O2 systems and retrofittings for compact flourescents...(ouch, my brain hurts just thinking about it.. :thud: )
 
Ergo....those look interesting..how tall do they get ? I have one 10W compact flourescent in that 5 gallon tank...(one of those that screw into an incandescent fixture)....is that enough light for them ?

Moss balls....does anyone have any of those and how well do they cover a surface if you don't "roll" them to keep that round shape ?
 
Emg - The marsileas are what are frequently referred to as ground clover. They actually stay quite low to the ground and resemble glosso. In a little more light, many species do grow very flat and are very, very close to glossostigma. In less light, they simply grow a little slower and a little taller. I think you're light level will be pushing it a little bit though; it may not work.

To give you an idea of what M. quadrifolia grows like in 2.9wpg (but its actually less than that) in a 55g, I just took a pic. Please forgive its quality; I turned on the tank lights and shot really quick to not freak the fish out!

As far as the moss balls, those are a cladophora algae, and from what I've gathered, some kinds tend to stay flat better than others. I have seen tanks that successfully keep it flattened across rocks as a ground cover. They may have used hair nets.

The crypt that is best suited towards foreground planting is probably cryptocoryne parva; it is the smallest of them. I believe it requires more than you can give it in terms of light and ferts though.

Here is a picture of a nano tank that has the moss ball foreground:

http://aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=2828&highlight=cladophora

marsileacrop.JPG
 
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I have some now that are about 2 to three inches high. They are pretty hardy and a nice green color. Not stunning but nice and reliable.
They are growing in a ten gallon with two little screw in lights on the sunrise side of a north facing window ie not in the light. Try and use the light you get from the sun. It can be difficult but with little tanks you can easily move them.
 
Depends on what you want? I was able to find my M. quadrifolia locally so I just picked some up:)
 
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