# good foreground plant for me?



## DVS Moss (Jun 1, 2009)

im not sure what foreground plant is right for me..

heres my tanks specs.

15 gallons 24 X 12 X 12''

24'' 65 watt 6700K Coralife.

DIY Co2 and Excel everyday. air at night.

flourish 3 days a week.

Eco-complete substrate

here are pictures of the tank before i cleared the foreground. i cleared the foreground to make room for a nice foreground plant. what foreground plant do u suggest.


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## Wire Fox Terror (Apr 7, 2006)

Wow, that's a lot of light. The sky is pretty much the limit on your foreground with that lighting. The only factor to think about when choosing is the DIY CO2 but, you still have a lot of options. If you're looking for a "grassy" foreground, you could go try a dwarf hairgrass or even the japanese hairgrass, which is a little shorter than the dwarf. Otherwise, there's glosso which would probably end up spreading vertically with that much light and would eventually form a nice dense carpet.

Just out of curiosity, how long has the tank been set up? What plants do you have in there now?


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## DVS Moss (Jun 1, 2009)

Wire Fox Terror said:


> Wow, that's a lot of light. The sky is pretty much the limit on your foreground with that lighting. The only factor to think about when choosing is the DIY CO2 but, you still have a lot of options. If you're looking for a "grassy" foreground, you could go try a dwarf hairgrass or even the japanese hairgrass, which is a little shorter than the dwarf. Otherwise, there's glosso which would probably end up spreading vertically with that much light and would eventually form a nice dense carpet.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, how long has the tank been set up? What plants do you have in there now?


thanks for the reply!

the tank has been set up for about 4 months now. plants include:

- crypts

- java fern

- hygrophilia

- amazon sword

- duckweed

i was thinking about glosso or HC but i just don't know if im ready for that.. i hear they can be one of the most annoying and demanding plants.. is dwarf hair grass easy to grow and maintain. i don't want to alter my regime. u saw what it is?


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## Nerbaneth (Jun 30, 2009)

pearl grass is interesting. I am experimenting with it in my tank. With high light, it is pushed down like glosso. I think it would add an interesting texture to your tank without the high maintenance of the other foreground plants. I think with your routine, you could grow glosso just fine. Keep in mind that most foreground plants need to be thinned every once in a while to keep themselves from melting away.

-Danny


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## DVS Moss (Jun 1, 2009)

Nerbaneth said:


> pearl grass is interesting. I am experimenting with it in my tank. With high light, it is pushed down like glosso. I think it would add an interesting texture to your tank without the high maintenance of the other foreground plants. I think with your routine, you could grow glosso just fine. Keep in mind that most foreground plants need to be thinned every once in a while to keep themselves from melting away.
> 
> -Danny


i love glosso, Ive just never hand any experience with it, can u even plant it in eco comlete? its like a gravel type plant substrate.. whats the Latin name for pearl grass can that be planted successfully in eco complete?
also, how do u ''thin'' a fore ground plant?

thanks.


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## dewalltheway (Jun 27, 2008)

What would look really good with your setup and colors would be some Elatine Triandra. View my 90 gal journal and you will see what it looks like. I think it would look good with your setup


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## Nerbaneth (Jun 30, 2009)

DVS Moss said:


> i love glosso, Ive just never hand any experience with it, can u even plant it in eco comlete? its like a gravel type plant substrate.. whats the Latin name for pearl grass can that be planted successfully in eco complete?
> also, how do u ''thin'' a fore ground plant?


I have planted glosso in ecocomplete(EC) and have had decent results. It does need high light and a good amount of CO2. The only other requirement is that it should be placed in a soft substrate to avoid cutting the roots. EC isn't as good as ADA soil for glosso, but it will work. Your glosso will most likely look better if you use root tabs. Seachem makes the most 'cost/what you get' root tab. Others brands seem to release their nutrients too fast.

Hemianthus micranthemoides is the latin name for pearl grass. You will notice that most of the pictures of it use it as a midground plant, but with high light it will push down and looks great. It should grow well in EC. Almost any foreground plant will benefit from root tabs considering your substrate. This plant is no exception even though it is one of the easier foreground plants to maintain.

Thinning a foreground plant can be done in many ways. You could pull all of your foreground plant and then replant less densely - sell or give away the excess. You could also cut out/pull out little sections of the plant. I am sure there are other methods people use. Pulling out all of the plant and then replanting (50% to 75% of) the plant seems to be the best way, yet most time consuming way. When it comes to planted tank people, we usually have too much time on our hands anyway!
-Danny


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## DVS Moss (Jun 1, 2009)

Nerbaneth said:


> I have planted glosso in ecocomplete(EC) and have had decent results. It does need high light and a good amount of CO2. The only other requirement is that it should be placed in a soft substrate to avoid cutting the roots. EC isn't as good as ADA soil for glosso, but it will work. Your glosso will most likely look better if you use root tabs. Seachem makes the most 'cost/what you get' root tab. Others brands seem to release their nutrients too fast.
> 
> Hemianthus micranthemoides is the latin name for pearl grass. You will notice that most of the pictures of it use it as a midground plant, but with high light it will push down and looks great. It should grow well in EC. Almost any foreground plant will benefit from root tabs considering your substrate. This plant is no exception even though it is one of the easier foreground plants to maintain.
> 
> ...


nice, thanks for the answers!

now i just need to figure out whats the best foreground plant for me and my situation.....


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## Nerbaneth (Jun 30, 2009)

DVS Moss said:


> nice, thanks for the answers!
> 
> now i just need to figure out whats the best foreground plant for me and my situation.....


What situation are you in? Your tank is most certainly a high tech tank. EC is a very suitable substrate. It should be compared to fluorite (good micro nutrients not really any macro nutrients) so root tabs will help your foreground look better.

So, go for it! :cheer2: Buy whatever foreground plant you think will look good in your already good looking tank. The only thing I wouldn't put in there is HC. If you don't have a good local source for plants, check out the forum 'trading post' I think that is what it is called.

Good Luck,
Danny


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## DVS Moss (Jun 1, 2009)

ok i will try HC thanks.


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## Nerbaneth (Jun 30, 2009)

Let us know how it turns out!
-Danny


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