# Success with carpet foreground plant?



## The Gipper (Jun 3, 2004)

I'm looking to create a low carpet in the foreground of my 120. Anyone had success with anything?

120gal
CO2
350W MH lighting
flurish, K, P added twice/week


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## tsunami (Jan 24, 2004)

Most foreground plants are not too difficult to grow given enough lighting, CO2, and nutrients.

Glossostigma elatinoides comes to my mind as the most ubiquitous foreground plant. Grows rapidly, forming a short, dense carpet. High maintenance.

Marsilea quadrifolia is similar to glosso but it is *slightly* slower growing and does not require as much light. Nice, waxy, deep green foliage.

Eleocharis parvulus is nice for a very fine, grassy look. It does grow rapidly but doesn't seem to need as much thinning as glosso. Eleocharis acicularis is a suitable alternative.

There are many others, but these are the ones I have most experience with...

Carlos


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

To me the easiest one is dwarf saggitaria. It's a good indicator of nutrient deficencies too.

--Nikolay


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## SCMurphy (Jan 28, 2004)

I like all those mentioned above and I would add microsword, which ever variety you can find, once you get it established it forms a nice lawn. 

I wasn't sure which plant would do the best in my new 24 inch deep tank so I put a little of all those mentioned above in the tank. The microsword spread the fastest, the glosso is try to catch up, and the hairgrasses are thickening up before spreading out. The E. parvulus looks like it spreads faster than the E. acicularis. The sag hasn't quite settled in yet.

Ranalisma rostrata can form a nice lawn too, but it is a little fussy about having a good supply of nutrients available, especially PO4.


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