# Lilaeopsis brasiliensis



## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

Has anyone ever used this http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ils.php?id=125&category=genus&spec=Lilaeopsis as a foreground plant as an alternative to E. parvula?

How do you trim it to make a nice grassy lawn? Does it scale down well to a small tank (45L)?


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

Im not sure, but I think some people call it Cobra grass. Amano uses it I believe in some of his scape's.
In the link you provided it appears it will only do well in Aquasoil. It does look like some of the well manicured lawns in the neighborhood.


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

Bunbuku,

I actually just put it in last week. I don't use aquasoil but it is defenitely starting to fill in. It really does not look like the picture in the plant finder. The blades are longer than that and when I got it it was a huge intertwined mass. I have read that if you trim the tops it generates better runner growth and will make a carpet quicker, I haven't done that. 

It also has some longer blades that curl every once in a while. I figure that the best way to trim it will be to cut a line along where you want to trim the mat after it grows in. I will be able to tell you more in a few weeks hopefully.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

I have used this in my 20g tank for a foreground. It creates a lawn fairly quickly, as long as it has nothing to slow it down like cladophora in my case. If you want to keep it short for your tank, you will have to either give it a lot of light, or trim it often. It grows really fast. And you don't need aquasoil, I use schultz mixed with pea gravel.


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## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

orlando said:


> Im not sure, but I think some people call it Cobra grass. Amano uses it I believe in some of his scape's.
> In the link you provided it appears it will only do well in Aquasoil. It does look like some of the well manicured lawns in the neighborhood.


Yes! There is a picture of an Iwagumi layout in the 2008 ADA catalog with that has that dense grassy meadow appearance. Different from the HC lawn but still refreshing to look at. There was no description of the plant used, but it_ looks_ like L. brasiliensis.



jmontee said:


> Bunbuku,
> 
> I actually just put it in last week. I don't use aquasoil but it is defenitely starting to fill in. It really does not look like the picture in the plant finder. The blades are longer than that and when I got it it was a huge intertwined mass. I have read that if you trim the tops it generates better runner growth and will make a carpet quicker, I haven't done that.
> 
> It also has some longer blades that curl every once in a while. I figure that the best way to trim it will be to cut a line along where you want to trim the mat after it grows in. I will be able to tell you more in a few weeks hopefully.


jmontee,
Do the leaves look like blades of grass or are they cylindrical like hair grass? Are you using it in a high light/CO2 setup? Hopefully, when it grows in it won't turn into a intertwined mass again!


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

I have it in a 75 using regular inert aquarium gravel. It grows moderately fast IME. The blades are straight and stay rather narrow. It spreads by runners and the more light you have on it the more compact the growth. In shaded areas it tends to grow a bit taller. A good trim every so often will encourage it thicken.

I think it's an easy plant. It's been pretty much of a weed for me.


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## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

jeff5614 said:


> I have it in a 75 using regular inert aquarium gravel. It grows moderately fast IME. The blades are straight and stay rather narrow. It spreads by runners and the more light you have on it the more compact the growth. In shaded areas it tends to grow a bit taller. A good trim every so often will encourage it thicken.
> 
> I think it's an easy plant. It's been pretty much of a weed for me.


jeff 5614:
That's encouraging. Do they demand CO2 or will Excel suffice? The tank I plan to use them is a ~2 wpg low tech setup, though the substrate will be pimped out with the full ADA treatment.


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## jeff5614 (Feb 15, 2006)

CO2 or Excel? I'm not sure since I've just been using CO2. 2 WPG depending on the type of lighting will probably be enough, IME, as long as they're not shaded.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

Ive gown nice lawns of it in a couple tanks of mine, high Co2, high light, good ferts its a dang weed under the correct conditions, here are some pics of my old tanks:


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

Bunbuku,

The leaves are like blades of grass. It defenitely grows fast as it has already started to send out runners in my tank. 

I am using 3.5wpg and CO2 so we'll see how it grows in. I think that it naturally grows into a mass so nothing to do about that. Really I think that this is the only way to get a good carpet is an intertwined mass. Even HC grows on itself from what I've seen.

I also just got some echinodorus tenellus on the other side of the tank to compare the growth patterns.


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## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

Jazzlvr123:
I like the Iwagumi with the Yamaya stones! I did not realize the the Lilaeopsis gets so tall though. Interestingly on the Iwagumi, the leaf size looks much more "proportional" than in first picture. 

jmontee et al:
Thanks for the information! Sounds like Lilaeopsis will fill the foreground faster than HC. 

One thing I noticed with E. parvula (probably similar for this plant) is that they will send out runners indiscriminately even to inert parts of the substrate. In my old setup I had to keep removing the runners out of my sand "river" every week even though I had rocks separating the different substrates. Somehow the runners find a way to tunnel through:mmph:! Keeping an sand/gravel foreground clear of runners might be a bit of chore with Lilaeopsis too!


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## Fortuna Wolf (Feb 3, 2007)

I actually have my lilaeopsis planted into sand and I fertilizer the water column. It grows long leaves, maybe 2 inches long, under shade conditions, but it will grow more squat when under high light. Very good foreground plant.


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## cah925 (Jun 23, 2007)

I'm curious to know if the blades of grass will regrow to their original height once trimmed.


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## Overfloater (Apr 2, 2004)

IME, no. They do not grow back. I am struggling with this plant to keep it short. I have it in my 39G cube with 2x55WPC/150WHQI combo and it is still reaching heights of 3-4 inches. I have only trimmed it to 2" once however.


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