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Wanting a carpeting plant for my low tech tank

10K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  cjam93 
#1 ·
Hey guys so I have a 75 gallon (48x18x21) My lights are two t8 bulbs sitting on the glass canopy in a shop light. One is the Aqueon Flormax bulb and the second is a Aqueon full spectrum 6500k bulb.


I do have flourish root tabs, but other than that I have not been adding anything to my tank. I do 20% water changes weekly.

So is there a carpeting plant I could look into that would work with my current set up? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Your set up isn't all that bad, just don't expect anything to grow too fast. I don't have much experience with carpeting plants, so hopefully others can mention other options, but I've done Pygmy Chainsword (Echinodorus Tenellus) and it's done well in my low tech tanks.
 
#5 ·
Starogyne Repens is a plant that is pretty easy to carpet. Doesnt need super high light or co2, does well with them though.
Glossostigma? It is a pain to plant though... high light and co2
Dwarf Hair Grass? I dont know much about it, needs a lot of light and co2
Dwarf Baby Tears? A really needy plant that is hard to get going needs alot of light and co2
Moss? The easiest carpet ever, just use some moss.
I dont think that 2 t8's will cut it with the depth of that tank, i would find some t5 HO bulbs, because if you dont have enough light, all these plants grow upward towards the light instead of spreading out.
 
#11 ·
Your tank is a little low for most carpeting plants but not for dwarf sagittaria. Yes you will need root tabs for it, as it does better with that than foliar foods.
 
#9 ·
My aquarium is half just sand, half dirt capped with gravel. It (dwarf sag) grows great on both sides, but the dirt could leach enough nutrients into the water or maybe they can still pull nutrients through the runner? Not sure. They did send roots down to the bottom glass quite quickly though, so I would assume they are a pretty good root feeder.

You could do a quick Google search to find how other people grow it in just sand, or try planting it and see how it does, if it needs them then throw some root tabs in.

Good luck with your aquarium :)
 
#10 ·
I have a 10 gallon I put excess plants in, It's got two 15 watt cfl's, and that's about it. The dwarf sag I have in there is sending out runners. I just threw it in as a clump, I didn't separate. But i'm surprised it's sending out as many runners as it is. I don't dose anything.
 
#13 ·
Hemanthus glomeratus is my favorite lowtech carpeting plant, however it must have med light and yours currently won't work for it, but its something to think about if you ever increase your lighting. This is my 75



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#16 ·
In case you didn't know or read it already, in a low tech tank, S. Repens doesn't necessarily "carpet ", but you can make a carpet with it. As it grows, it has to be cut, and replanted. The old stem will regrow, and the replanted one will take root. It's a slow, sometimes tedious process. I love the way it looks though, and don't mind the slow growth/progress.

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