# Over planting?



## jrsticks (Mar 16, 2011)

Can you over plant a small tank(7.8 Gal)? How far should each stem be apart. How much room between plants?


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## psusaxman2000 (Dec 22, 2009)

The way the tank looks is all in the user. You can take a look at my 55 tank below, but the concept can be used for any size. You just need to understand what type of plants you can grow under your lights and the manner in which you fertilize your plants. I've found that most hobbyists tend to like tight bunches of their plants to give it a more full look, but if you are going for a focal point, you my have "blank" spots in your setup.

Kenny


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## XMX (Feb 17, 2011)

I've been told to space stem plants about 1 inch apart. This gives it a little bit of room to grow. Plus most stem plants grow side shoots, which will fill in very nicely.


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## anubias6439 (Sep 7, 2010)

it depends of the species of plant. For smaller species such as Rotala rotundifolia, a one inch spacing is good, but for larger stems such as Hygrophila corymbosa you need more space such 2-3 inches to get good compact growth. Use discretion- if you see that some stems are outcompeting each other and that the leaves are browning below, this may be a sign of them not getting enough light.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

The general rule of thumb is that the spacing between stem plants needs to be +/- 0.9x the max. length of the leaves. 

This leaves enough room between the plants so water can freely flow and provide nutrients/remove waste. But also the plants do not look to far apart.

There are many more useful rules and calculations in this hobby. Fertilization being #1. If we paid more attention to these rules/formulas we would have much less issues with our tanks.

--Nikolay


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