# GRASSY



## grounded jay (Jan 9, 2006)

I AM LOOKING TO GET A GRASSY TYPE PLANT THAT COVERS PARTS OF THE BOTTOM AND STAYS QUITE SHORT

WILL PLANTS GROW IF YOU JUST BERRY THEM WITH GRAVEL OR DO YOU NEED SOMETHING SPEACIAL

THANKS

LIKE THE ONES AT THE FRONT OF THIS TANK


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## grounded jay (Jan 9, 2006)

I LOVE THAT TANK

O I HAVE FOUND SOMETHING DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW I COULD GET ''MICROSAG'' [LILAEOPSIS BRASILIENSIS] TO DO WELL IN MY TANK

IS IT EASY TO HAVE


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## alan (Mar 11, 2004)

if a tank is that planted , how do you clean the gravel ?


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## Round Head (Sep 26, 2005)

alan said:


> if a tank is that planted , how do you clean the gravel ?


You don't, the plants do it for you.:rasp:


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## alan (Mar 11, 2004)

what? its gets rid of the the fish poo (im not being funny im curious)


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2006)

For the first question, Dwarf Sag is a great and easy grassy plant to grow.

For the second question, as the waste breaks down into nitrates, the plants absorb it and use it to grow during the photosynthesis period. You still need to do water changes, and a little vac'ing wouldnt hurt once and now, but less is needed because you have an active organic using the excess nutrients that a filter wont remove


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## grounded jay (Jan 9, 2006)

THANKS FOR REPLY BUT DO I ALSO NEED SOMETHING UNDER THE GRAVEL FOR THE PLANT TO GROW


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2006)

Please, a little less caps.

You can add enriched substrate (Flourite, Latrite etc) which gives your plants the Iron it needs, or you can add peat plates which help stabalize your pH at a more acidic level, which is good for most plants kept in aquariums (amazon pH is around 6.0-6.8).


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## alan (Mar 11, 2004)

cheers.thats quite interesting.


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## BigChuckP (Feb 9, 2004)

I have some experience with dwarf sag and I must say it is a very easy plant to grow but does not always stay short, the dwarf sag in my tank grew to the top of the tank, about 20 inches! 
I've heard that E. Tenellus v. Tenellus or Micro E. Tenellus stays pretty much short. Dippy has more experience with this plant that I do though.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

grounded jay said:


> I AM LOOKING TO GET A GRASSY TYPE PLANT THAT COVERS PARTS OF THE BOTTOM AND STAYS QUITE SHORT
> WILL PLANTS GROW IF YOU JUST BERRY THEM WITH GRAVEL OR DO YOU NEED SOMETHING SPEACIAL
> THANKS


Well, to get a carpet like that, you have to have enough lighting, a complete line of ferts, and a carbon source won't hurt.. --carpeting does not happen overnight, and it will take forever if at all if you don't feed the plants well, and give enough light to them..
And there is a limit to how much light you can use before you need to enrich with CO2, or carbon.

And a fine gravel works much, much better than big ole' gravel.

Hope that helps


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## booozi (Nov 4, 2005)

Im looking into getting something like that for my tank too


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## eddy3 (Jan 3, 2006)

what are thosw really tall plants on the sides?


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

eddy3 said:


> what are thosw really tall plants on the sides?


Vallisneria species, probably jungle val.


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## spreerider (Jul 15, 2004)

i have a carpet of LILAEOPSIS BRASILIENSIS or a very similar plant, its the one that some leaves come out slightly red under bright light isnt it.
well i dont have c02 and i dont use much ferts and it grows fast, covered the bottom of my tank in 3wks, and it had to compete with micro swords that are 10X their size. 
i have 2X28W compact floursecent spirals, 6500K and 1 20W plant bulb strip (the purple kind). out of all the expensive lighting i have tried except i have yet to try MH on tanks this has been the best and cheapest, just got desklamps that bend over the top and the bulbs that wer a bit hard to find but only 10$ ea, and the plant light was off an old aquarium i just put a new bulb in it.


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## grounded jay (Jan 9, 2006)

cool i will give it a go then thanks for replys


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## thebluyak (Apr 14, 2006)

spreerider said:


> i have a carpet of LILAEOPSIS BRASILIENSIS or a very similar plant, its the one that some leaves come out slightly red under bright light isnt it.
> well i dont have c02 and i dont use much ferts and it grows fast, covered the bottom of my tank in 3wks, and it had to compete with micro swords that are 10X their size.
> i have 2X28W compact floursecent spirals, 6500K and 1 20W plant bulb strip (the purple kind). out of all the expensive lighting i have tried except i have yet to try MH on tanks this has been the best and cheapest, just got desklamps that bend over the top and the bulbs that wer a bit hard to find but only 10$ ea, and the plant light was off an old aquarium i just put a new bulb in it.


what size tank is that lighting over?


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## grounded jay (Jan 9, 2006)

thanks for replys and what fert things do i need to buy


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## spreerider (Jul 15, 2004)

its a 25 long. i will post some pics in a new thread this weekend when i get home again. 
obviously this may not work on a larger tank you would probably need alot more lights but i think i would concider this setup in a larger scale. except that i build mh at work so get a good deal on them, and would go with them if i had a larger tank. but if i didnt get the deal i would use this setup scaled up.


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## eddy3 (Jan 3, 2006)

cool I just ordered LILAEOPSIS BRASILIENSIS and jungle val







thanks guys


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## Gumby (Aug 13, 2004)

You need a LOT of light to keep those Lilaeopsis alive. Dwarf sag or Echinodorus tenellus (pigmy chain sword) would be a better bet in a lower light situation.


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## eddy3 (Jan 3, 2006)

ignore this


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