# Best Low Tech Carpet?



## xecutionx (Sep 16, 2009)

I am running a few low-tech tanks and would love to know what plants would form a nice carpet. I do use root tabs as a form of nutrients for the plants, but no CO2 and 1.5 WPG. Any suggestions, and if any, are you selling some?


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Marsilea makes a nice carpet, but with that lighting it might get taller than a foreground plant should. Try looking for a large amount of _Crypt willisii x lucens_ or similar small crypt to use in a low-light foreground.


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

I have 3 right now dwarf sag [i think] micro chain sword& dwarf baby tears. The baby tears is taking forever but is slowly growing, micro chain is setting out runners but is not thick, and the sag is doing nicely but does not make a carpet like babytears


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## geeks_15 (Dec 9, 2006)

I'm setting up a 150 El Natural with 6ft (4ft double T5 HO plus 2ft double T5 HO) worth of double T5 HO bulbs. I don't believe in the wpg rule once you get to a 150 gallon tank, but I'm expecting to grow low to medium light plants.

I was thinking of trying dwarf hairgrass. Has anyone tried dwarf hairgrass with a similar situation?

I have sagitarria subulata and crypt lucens growing slowly but well in an 80 gallon El Natural. with similar lighting level to xecutionx's proposed setup. Neither of these is very short, probably both are about 5 to 6 inches tall. My liaeopsis mauritiana is quite shaded, but is till alive. It has barely spread or grown during the 3 months in my tank. My baby tears did not last long in that tank.

One note is that 1.5 wpg can mean very different things. That level in my 150 gallon is a lot of light, but not much at all in a 10 gallon.


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## xecutionx (Sep 16, 2009)

I guess that I'd like to try some Dwarf Sag and some Micro Chain Sword. Any other suggestions? Otherwise, I'll be forced to settle with a java moss carpet, lol.


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Echinodorus tenellus has done well for me, and my Marsilea is doing decent if I can find out what in the world keeps eating the leaves.

I'm also experimenting with Lilieopsis, but it's only been in there a few days.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

xecutionx said:


> I guess that I'd like to try some Dwarf Sag and some Micro Chain Sword. Any other suggestions? Otherwise, I'll be forced to settle with a java moss carpet, lol.


Make it a Taiwan or Christmas Moss or Fissidens carpet (as oppossed to Java Moss), and then you'll really have a beautiful foreground, in my opinion.


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## xecutionx (Sep 16, 2009)

Fissidens seems very interesting. 

Does anyone have Fissidens, Dwarf Sag, Marsilea or Micro Chain Sword? I'm willing to buy a small quantity of each.

I have quite a few tanks running right now:
40 gallon community tank
Four 2.5 gallon nanos
5.5 gallon nano

The 40 gallon is the tank at 1.5 WPG. The 2.5 gallons all have a Compact Fluorescent bulb at 13 watts (60 watt incandescent equivalent), so I'm not sure how I would calculate the WPG of those smaller tanks. I'd love to have a nice carpet in each tank, if possible.


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## nvision (Jul 29, 2004)

funny comment about the Marsilea and eaten leaves--i've had the same experience and couldn't figure out what's nibbling on them, lol. a tank full of small tetras couldn't have done it.


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## DWIZUM (Jun 8, 2006)

Can someone recommend a carpeting groundcover specifically for really small tanks?

I just set up a 10g; used to stuff much larger. Many of the foreground plants I'm used to (crypts, dwarf hairgrass, micro swords, etc.) look HUGE in this tank to me, out of proportion to be considered "foreground."

I'd like something that stays SHORT, i.e. an inch or two at the most.

Right now, the tank is pretty low-tech, but I have CO2, ferts, and better lights to throw on as needed.

Suggestions? Thoughts?


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## geeks_15 (Dec 9, 2006)

You could try:

Hemianthus callitrichoides (info here: http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=621 )

or

Hemianthus micranthemoides

or

Marsilea hirsutais (info here: http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=630 )

or possibly

Monosolenium tenerum (info here: http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=564 )


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## nvision (Jul 29, 2004)

or dwarf hair grass "belem".

edit: realize you have no co2. Marsilea and tenellus would be your best bet.


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## DWIZUM (Jun 8, 2006)

geeks_15 said:


> Marsilea hirsutais (info here: http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=630 )


Never tried that before, will keep an eye out for it. If someone has some, drop me a PM.

Perhaps I should clarify - I want the shortest plants out there.  Most grass-like plants that are 2 - 3" tall are too big for me. I want this to look "to scale," not like big plants in a little box.


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## xecutionx (Sep 16, 2009)

DWIZUM said:


> Never tried that before, will keep an eye out for it. If someone has some, drop me a PM.


Same here.


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

My hc [ dwarf baby tears] did ok be for my diy co2 but was reslly slow growing. I do hjave 2 of the spiral bulbs i think like 10 w over the tank. If u want a fast carpet u will need a few pots


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## armedbiggiet (May 6, 2006)

xecutionx said:


> I am running a few low-tech tanks and would love to know what plants would form a nice carpet. I do use root tabs as a form of nutrients for the plants, but no CO2 and 1.5 WPG. Any suggestions, and if any, are you selling some?


micro sword (not the chain sword) are the only thing other than any kind of moss can grow in a such low light, low tech tank. Even it can handle such condition it is very very slow growing unless the sub is aqua soil which would make them grow very fast. I suggest you increase the lighting and use a very good sub like aqua soil and you can do a pretty good tank with out CO2.[smilie=l:


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## armedbiggiet (May 6, 2006)

DWIZUM said:


> Can someone recommend a carpeting groundcover specifically for really small tanks?
> 
> I just set up a 10g; used to stuff much larger. Many of the foreground plants I'm used to (crypts, dwarf hairgrass, micro swords, etc.) look HUGE in this tank to me, out of proportion to be considered "foreground."
> 
> ...


out of the question. dwarf hair grass from belem... it is only around 1 inch tall and if your lighting are very bad and it HC is would still staying at 1 to 1.5 inchs.


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## armedbiggiet (May 6, 2006)

wicca27 said:


> My hc [ dwarf baby tears] did ok be for my diy co2 but was reslly slow growing. I do hjave 2 of the spiral bulbs i think like 10 w over the tank. If u want a fast carpet u will need a few pots


without Co2 eventually you waited long enough than they would start decrease in size, maybe you catch it and add the diy co2 right on time?


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## gdevil (Mar 6, 2009)

Another good option for non-CO2 tank and low light it's Elatine tiandra, but sometimes it's hard to get...

Regards


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