Ground Cover?

What's a good ground cover for a tank with moderate hardness, good light and
CO2?

A Tropica search turned up this one Lilaeopsis mauritiana , any better
choices? Also, what about gravel vacuuming when you have a ground cover? I
gather skimming the surface to remove any loose debris is safe? I imagine
the fertilizer requirements really jump with a ground cover? I have a bit of
shade from the Ludwigia, will this be a problem for the Lilaeopsis?

Thanks.

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 21:04:49 -0500, Bill Stock wrote:

What's a good ground cover for a tank with moderate hardness, good light and
CO2?

If it is bright enough, glossostigma elatanoides will make a good cover.
It requires bright light, good CO2, and a nutrient rich substrate.

Other good choices include the various lilaeopsis and echinidorus tenellus
(narrow leaf chain sword). If you don't mind either buying a ton off the
bat or waiting forever for it to fill in, cryptocoryne willisi is small,
and dwarf hairgrass can make a very beautiful foreground as well.

Check out plantgeek.net- they have a plant DB where you can search by tank
placement and see the foreground plants commonly used.

Also, what about gravel vacuuming when you have a ground cover?

In a heavily planted tank you should not need to do much. Sucking up big
globs of the stuff is fine, but actually churning the gravel past the
first 1/4" or so should be unnecessary.

I
imagine the fertilizer requirements really jump with a ground cover?

Most ground covers will want a fertile substrate. What kind of substrate
do you have in there now?

have a bit of shade from the Ludwigia, will this be a problem for the
Lilaeopsis?

It should be fine, but you may consider padding that area with some
midground species that will do well in shade, like cryptocorynes.

~Empty

Thanks for tyhe detailed reply.

See below.


"Empty" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 21:04:49 -0500, Bill Stock wrote:

What's a good ground cover for a tank with moderate hardness, good light
and
CO2?

If it is bright enough, glossostigma elatanoides will make a good cover.
It requires bright light, good CO2, and a nutrient rich substrate.

My substrate is questionable, just regular aquarium gravel. But definately
full of fish poop by now. I may sow some Fluorite with it.

Other good choices include the various lilaeopsis and echinidorus tenellus
(narrow leaf chain sword). If you don't mind either buying a ton off the
bat or waiting forever for it to fill in, cryptocoryne willisi is small,
and dwarf hairgrass can make a very beautiful foreground as well.

I really like the Microswords.

Check out plantgeek.net- they have a plant DB where you can search by tank
placement and see the foreground plants commonly used.

Thanks, very nice site.


Also, what about gravel vacuuming when you have a ground cover?

In a heavily planted tank you should not need to do much. Sucking up big
globs of the stuff is fine, but actually churning the gravel past the
first 1/4" or so should be unnecessary.

This is more or less what I do now to clean up the Cabomba shedding.

I imagine the fertilizer requirements really jump with a ground cover?

Most ground covers will want a fertile substrate. What kind of substrate
do you have in there now?

have a bit of shade from the Ludwigia, will this be a problem for the
Lilaeopsis?

It should be fine, but you may consider padding that area with some
midground species that will do well in shade, like cryptocorynes.

~Empty

Thanks again.

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:51:44 -0500, Bill Stock wrote:

If it is bright enough, glossostigma elatanoides will make a good cover.
It requires bright light, good CO2, and a nutrient rich substrate.

My substrate is questionable, just regular aquarium gravel. But definately
full of fish poop by now. I may sow some Fluorite with it.

I did this with my 55 and ended up displeased with the ugliness of the
substrate. If I were tearing everything out and starting fresh I would use
all Fluorite or Onyx(well, OK, I would use gravel over a layer of soil but
if you are new at this you'd be better off with a nonlayered "complete"
substrate like the flourite).

I really like the Microswords.

Yeah, they are cool- I'll be adding some myself as soon as I either find
them locally or get an online order worked up.

In a heavily planted tank you should not need to do much. Sucking up
big globs of the stuff is fine, but actually churning the gravel past
the first 1/4" or so should be unnecessary.

This is more or less what I do now to clean up the Cabomba shedding.

Yep, the goal is to get the big stuff off the surface and let the lower
levels of substrate get handled by roots and bacteria.

Thanks again.

Not a problem

~Empty

"Empty" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:51:44 -0500, Bill Stock wrote:

If it is bright enough, glossostigma elatanoides will make a good cover.
It requires bright light, good CO2, and a nutrient rich substrate.

My substrate is questionable, just regular aquarium gravel. But
definately
full of fish poop by now. I may sow some Fluorite with it.

I did this with my 55 and ended up displeased with the ugliness of the
substrate. If I were tearing everything out and starting fresh I would use
all Fluorite or Onyx(well, OK, I would use gravel over a layer of soil but
if you are new at this you'd be better off with a nonlayered "complete"
substrate like the flourite).

My existing plants are in pots (soup bowls) buried in the gravel. They are
layered with Fluorite, Aquatic Soil and a thin layer of aquarium gravel. The
tank was converted from GF, so it still has an RUGF filter in place. I got
into the plants more heavily than anticipated or I would have ripped out the
gravel and filter when I moved the GF. The bowls are a temporary solution,
until I tear it down "one day".

I 'm a little concerned about the aesthetics of Fluourite and black gravel
as well. I also wondered if the Fluorite would be hard on the Loaches.


I really like the Microswords.

Yeah, they are cool- I'll be adding some myself as soon as I either find
them locally or get an online order worked up.

In a heavily planted tank you should not need to do much. Sucking up
big globs of the stuff is fine, but actually churning the gravel past
the first 1/4" or so should be unnecessary.

This is more or less what I do now to clean up the Cabomba shedding.

Yep, the goal is to get the big stuff off the surface and let the lower
levels of substrate get handled by roots and bacteria.

Thanks again.

Not a problem

~Empty

Empty wrote:

Other good choices include the various lilaeopsis and echinidorus
tenellus (narrow leaf chain sword).

A half dozen E. tennellus took about 3 months to completely cover the
bottom of my 10 gallon tank. Since then I've "harvested" double
handfuls every few months.

IOW, it's a great ground cover, but if it were a land based plant in my
garden I'd have to keep it in a sunken pot to keep it from replacing my
lawn :-).

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Empty wrote:

Other good choices include the various lilaeopsis and echinidorus
tenellus (narrow leaf chain sword).

A half dozen E. tennellus took about 3 months to completely cover the
bottom of my 10 gallon tank. Since then I've "harvested" double handfuls
every few months.

IOW, it's a great ground cover, but if it were a land based plant in my
garden I'd have to keep it in a sunken pot to keep it from replacing my
lawn :-).

Thanks Larry, what's your substrate?

Bill Stock wrote:
"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...


A half dozen E. tennellus took about 3 months to completely cover
the bottom of my 10 gallon tank. Since then I've "harvested"
double handfuls every few months.



Thanks Larry, what's your substrate?


I put in a whole 25 pound bag of Eco-Complete and covered that with
coarse sand. That was a year ago and I've only added mico-elements
since. I recently started adding the Fluorish Excel for carbon and it
looks like I may be harvesting more often now :-).

BTW, between the Eco-Complete and the plants I never saw any ammonia and
very little nitrite. I'm now overstocked and still only have to change
10% a week to keep nitrates within limits.

The tank holds:

1 male betta
2 male platys
3 corys
3 otos
4 small clown loaches.

I don't know how I've been so lucky, but I'm certainly not complaining :-).

"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
What's a good ground cover for a tank with moderate hardness, good light
and CO2?

A Tropica search turned up this one Lilaeopsis mauritiana , any better
choices? Also, what about gravel vacuuming when you have a ground cover? I
gather skimming the surface to remove any loose debris is safe? I imagine
the fertilizer requirements really jump with a ground cover? I have a bit
of shade from the Ludwigia, will this be a problem for the Lilaeopsis?

Thanks.


A co-worker planted Hygrophila polysperma "Rosanervig" Sunset Hygrophilia
along the entire bottom of a 60G Neon tetra species tank (several hundred
Neons, 80W lights, no CO2). He planted them deeply and sideways with the
intention of making a Sunset ground cover. After about 6 months, most of
the bottom was covered in Sunset Hygro to a height of about 2 inches. The
only maintenance was to re-plant any shoots which grew towards the water's
surface (or cut them after the bottom was covered). This made a very
interesting layering of the tank, with the Neons above, and we later added a
few Otos and a shrimp colony which lived underneath the Hygro's canopy.
Note that Sunset Hygro is not a ground cover plant, but many plants can be
'trained' and pruned into a ground cover configuration, with very
interesting and unusual results.
--
www.NetMax.tk

"NetMax" wrote in message
...
"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
What's a good ground cover for a tank with moderate hardness, good light
and CO2?

A Tropica search turned up this one Lilaeopsis mauritiana , any better
choices? Also, what about gravel vacuuming when you have a ground cover?
I gather skimming the surface to remove any loose debris is safe? I
imagine the fertilizer requirements really jump with a ground cover? I
have a bit of shade from the Ludwigia, will this be a problem for the
Lilaeopsis?

Thanks.


A co-worker planted Hygrophila polysperma "Rosanervig" Sunset Hygrophilia
along the entire bottom of a 60G Neon tetra species tank (several hundred
Neons, 80W lights, no CO2). He planted them deeply and sideways with the
intention of making a Sunset ground cover. After about 6 months, most of
the bottom was covered in Sunset Hygro to a height of about 2 inches. The
only maintenance was to re-plant any shoots which grew towards the water's
surface (or cut them after the bottom was covered). This made a very
interesting layering of the tank, with the Neons above, and we later added
a few Otos and a shrimp colony which lived underneath the Hygro's canopy.
Note that Sunset Hygro is not a ground cover plant, but many plants can be
'trained' and pruned into a ground cover configuration, with very
interesting and unusual results.
--
www.NetMax.tk


Thanks, I went looking for ground cover today, but got the "those are coming
in next week" refrain.

I ended up with Hydrocoytle Verticillata and Hydrocoytle Sibthorpioides,
neither of which seems like what I want after a little research. Oh well, I
did get a couple of decent swords for the 10 gallon and a boat load of Otos
to replenish the herd.