Low Tech Carpeting Plant

[jaylach]

I have the same problem OP. Mine don't carpet, more like "flying carpet". They grow straight up and don't spread horizontally. I think it's lack of strong light.

According to some info in another thread this may be due to the substrate.

 

[otterblue]

According to some info in another thread this may be due to the substrate.

Interesting. I have this issue in both my 40 galls - one has fine gravel & one has sand.

 

[jaylach]

Interesting. I have this issue in both my 40 galls - one has fine gravel & one has sand.

Hmmm, I expected regular gravel.

If the runners have roots you could just plant them....

 

[otterblue]

I've seen some plant sites that say low light set-ups will cause the plant to grow vertically & that you need higher light to create horizontal growth.

I don't know. I'm not that good with plants.

 

[sharkweek178]

I've seen some plant sites that say low light set-ups will cause the plant to grow vertically & that you need higher light to create horizontal growth.

I don't know. I'm not that good with plants.

Basically. The plants are trying to get closer to the light source.

 

[sharkweek178]

I'll just pick up on an anomaly here. You do not/cannot add diffused CO2 with low or even moderate lighting. The plants need light of a certain spectrum and intensity in order to phososynthesise, and the nutrient availability has to be sufficient, all nutrients including CO2. Low and moderate levels of light will usually be balanced with the natural-occurring CO2 and micro nutrients may or may not need to be added. But the balance to benefit plants and thwart "problem" algae is usually attainable.

As soon as you add diffused CO2, you are creating a completely different balance level, requiring high light and obviously more of the micros. So adding CO2 with low/moderate lighting is only going to feed problem algae.

If carpeting plants required added CO2, they will require bright lighting. Both are not good for fish.

Just to clarify, I have no intention of injecting CO2. Nor high lighting. For the reason you gave, it's not good for the fish. I'm looking for a strictly low tech option.

 

[Byron]

Just to clarify, I have no intention of injecting CO2. Nor high lighting. For the reason you gave, it's not good for the fish. I'm looking for a strictly low tech option.

Excellent. The initial post asked if it is true that diffused CO2 is necessary for carpet plants, and I was noting that no single factor, like CO2, or "x" nutrient, or light, is self-sufficient or stand alone, the whole package has to be balanced. I have sen many whose tanks became ground for problem algae by adding CO2 when it tipped the balance. If you do not want brighter light, then CO2 is really a non-issue. Things have to be balanced.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

While Byron and I agree on a lot, it is not universal. There are planted tanks which use low or moderate light that benefit from added cCO2 and it won't create algae. If you are heavy planter, that amount of plants can and will benefit from added CO2. If is an issue of plant mass over lighting levels. ANd yes, with more plants you need more ferts.

I have done a pressurizes CO2 tank with carpeting. I used both baby tears and dwarf hair grass. The tears were planted sprsly in individual stems ( al slow tedious process). After a few months I had a massive amount and they began to lift off of the substrate, which was small size gravel. The roots stayed in the gravel but the stems became exposed so there was an inch of more of stems wiith no leaves on the bottom. So I had to pull up the entire mass, throw or give away most of it and replant individual stems and start over.

The dwarf hairgrass did much better. I was able to prune it like a barber. I had a special attachment for a filter which would let it connect to a tank vac. So it was snip and suck which kept the clipping from floating everywhere in the tank.

I like carpeting effects and I had a small 5,5 gal. tank and it served for an experiment I later transferred to a 20L. I use hygro poly. to creat a carpeting effect. Stem plants may send out root along the stem trying to such in more nutriens. So I would cut a short strech of the plant which had several such roots and planted them close to the front glass. I pushed those roots into the gravel to create a horizontal piece of hygro.

The plant wanted to start growing upward, but I would prune it to keep it low. Eventually, it would start to grow horizontally and would make fewer attempts to go up. However, it would always keep doing this and that meant constant management by pruning. Here was the start of this in the 5.5 gal.

Btw- my pressurized co2 tank was a 50 gal. with 2 terraces set back at each level.

I replanted it over the 8 years I had it several times. Here are two incarnations.

 

[Byron]

There are planted tanks which use low or moderate light that benefit from added cCO2 and it won't create algae. If you are heavy planter, that amount of plants can and will benefit from added CO2. If is an issue of plant mass over lighting levels. ANd yes, with more plants you need more ferts.

I agree with this, for the record. Earlier post was not very clear, sorry, blame it on the blasted drug I'm on.

 

[sharkweek178]

Excellent. The initial post asked if it is true that diffused CO2 is necessary for carpet plants, and I was noting that no single factor, like CO2, or "x" nutrient, or light, is self-sufficient or stand alone, the whole package has to be balanced. I have sen many whose tanks became ground for problem algae by adding CO2 when it tipped the balance. If you do not want brighter light, then CO2 is really a non-issue. Things have to be balanced.

I don't want to risk the fish or deal with the expense of a CO2 system. I'm messing around with different plants. I tried pearlweed and didn't like it. Next is @Colin_T 's suggestion of pygmy chain swords. I also might try java moss attached to plastic mesh (so that I can still get some water circulation. Maybe S repens. I'll probably have to bump up the lighting a bit but nothing too drastic.

 

[Byron]

I don't want to risk the fish or deal with the expense of a CO2 system. I'm messing around with different plants. I tried pearlweed and didn't like it. Next is @Colin_T 's suggestion of pygmy chain swords. I also might try java moss attached to plastic mesh (so that I can still get some water circulation. Maybe S repens. I'll probably have to bump up the lighting a bit but nothing too drastic.

The pygmy chain swords do well with moderate lighting (and mine had the tank surface covered with substantial floaters) and comprehensive liquid. I never used tabs for these, nor obviously any form of carbon. Photos below show the species Helanthium tenellum, maybe H. bolivarium in the 115g, I did have both species initially, but they did so well sending out runners and I tossed plants out every water change when I tidied up the aquascape I'm not sure if one or both species continued over the two decades from when I acquired the original couple of plants of each from the local aquarium group.

 

[sharkweek178]

The pygmy chain swords do well with moderate lighting (and mine had the tank surface covered with substantial floaters) and comprehensive liquid. I never used tabs for these, nor obviously any form of carbon. Photos below show the species Helanthium tenellum, maybe H. bolivarium in the 115g, I did have both species initially, but they did so well sending out runners and I tossed plants out every water change when I tidied up the aquascape I'm not sure if one or both species continued over the two decades from when I acquired the original couple of plants of each from the local aquarium group.

That's good to hear because I do want floaters in this tank. It's possibly a home for some honey gourami so the floaters would be needed.
On edit. It's going to be bigger than 10 gallons now. 15 or 20 gallons.

 

[sharkweek178]

I'm going to try an experiment. I got some plastic mesh canvas. I'm going to try to create a carpet of java moss by supergluing it to this canvas. Since it's a mesh, I should still get some water circulation. But it's substantial enough that I think I can get a good carpet going on it.

 

[Wills]

I'm going to try an experiment. I got some plastic mesh canvas. I'm going to try to create a carpet of java moss by supergluing it to this canvas. Since it's a mesh, I should still get some water circulation. But it's substantial enough that I think I can get a good carpet going on it.

I've got a tiny tank that I want to try and make into a little diorama style tank. I've been weighing up doing a carpet plant and I've landed on wanting to try a Fissidens moss - only thing in the tank and just let it go. I might do a dry start to get it going and then add the water, its only 1.5 gallons so no livestock so want to make it special that way. I might get a little bit of airline in there as a bit of water movement and let it sit at room temperature.

Wills