# marsilea as foreground



## gibbus (Sep 16, 2006)

*marsilea as foreground?*

Hi I'm planning to use marsilea sp.(hirsuta I think) for my 75gal's foreground. I noticed however that most people here posts describe HC or hairgrass or glosso for foreground. Can anyone share me tips or experiences with masrsilea?  Thanks.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I have seen Marsilea Minuta as foreground and it's really nice! looks similar to glosso. 

I google hirsuta and it's the four leaf clover looking plant and I think in a 75g it would look nice as foreground, maybe put a good amount of lighting on it to keep it lower to the ground but from the looks of it just plant it like anything else and wait for it to fill in.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

I've got Marsilea crenata in my cube and 3ft fairly low-tech tanks and, when submersed, it grows single leaves that look like glosso.

It is very slow growing for me though. It's slowly spreading, but really taking it's time. I might take a while to completely carpet your tank. It seems to do well in lower light and is doing well where E.tenellus struggled.

On the whole I like it and am thinking of trying it in my high tech to see if I can improve the growth rate. Or I might try it emersed this summer in the greenhouse to build up my stock more quickly.


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

I've had marsilea as a carpet foreground in a 75 gallon. It takes a while to adapt, but once it does it can grown pretty lushly and look as good (imo) as glosso as a carpet, without the fuss of maintenence like glosso. Leaves do blacken with marsilea, you can leave it in or easily pull them off by hand (it pulls off easily without uprooting the other healthy leaves). It's also less light-dependent compared to other carpet plants.

I think I have either hirsuta or quadrifolius in my tank. When it gets shaded or grows under the stem plants it starts growing taller with multiple leaves (2,3, or 4). Gives it a cool effect imo.


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## gibbus (Sep 16, 2006)

does it grow really slow even with CO2 injection or is excel enough to get it going?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Aquatic clover is a great little foreground plant, very low maintenance. I have my planted under 3 wpg with C02 injection and it spreads fast under those conditions.


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## apistaeasy (Jul 16, 2004)

My understanding is that Marsilea sp. can only be grown submerged for a short period. Anyone have experience with this???


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

I've seen it in a tank for over a year now without any signs of letting up....I doubt that's true.


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## gibbus (Sep 16, 2006)

Whats the best way to encourage faster growth? CO2 addition or is excel enough to get it going? mine is barely spreading.


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

CO2 will help, but imo it actually takes patience  Once it gets settled it starts spreading alot faster.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

apistaeasy said:


> My understanding is that Marsilea sp. can only be grown submerged for a short period. Anyone have experience with this???


It can be grown emerged or submerged and as far as I know is a true aquatic plant.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

gibbus said:


> Whats the best way to encourage faster growth? CO2 addition or is excel enough to get it going? mine is barely spreading.


C02 will always encourage faster growth, Excel is only a carbon source.

Give it time to spread, mine took a little while to do so even with the addition of C02.


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

I have had mine in my 55 gal for about 3 weeks or so now i think, and i'm just noticing some of the first runners poking through the substrate. Iif i would have known better i would have planted them in groups of 3-5 and about 2-3" apart all around the area i wanted covered, instead i put them in groups of 10-15 semi close but it'll work fine.


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