Plant list scrutiny

[84Reasons]

I'm doing a re-scape soon and I want to make sure I've picked enough and not too many plants for my tank, also welcome to suggest changes.
My tank is :80cm x W35cm x H53cm, I'm planning on doing a nature style ish aquarium, with quite a lot of wood and stone to come from the corner and sort of slope outwards, I've attached a picture for visual reference of the not finished yet product (waiting on more wood, may add more stone)

Here is my plant list so far

Heteranthera Zosterifolia x1 (back left)
Rotala Green x2 (back left/middle)
Rotala Orange Juice x2 (back left/middle)
Ludwigia Repens Rubin x1 (back middle)
Rotala Vietnam H'ra x2 (midground)
Taxiphyllum barbieri x1 (hardscape)
Anubias Nana x1 (hardscape)
Anubias Petite x2 (hardscape)
Microsorum pteropus Trident x2 (hardscape)
Microsorum Pteropus AKA Java Fern x1 (hardscape)
Bucephalandra Biblis x1 (hardscape)
Hygrophila pinnatifida x2 (hardscape)
Staurogyne Repens x1 (foreground)
Rotala Bonsai x1 (foreground)
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green x2(foreground)
Cryptocoryne Lucens x1(foreground)
Eleocharis acicularis Mini x3 (carpet)
Micranthemum Monte Carlo x2 (carpet)

I have two different carpeting plants as I think it would be interesting, however this relies on me being able to use the hardscape to seperate them otherwise I think it would look strange.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to grow all these plants but here are my specs anyway.

Pressurised CO2 @ roughly 3bps, my bubble counter broke. But I did my co2 test again recently and I have green on drop checker at lights on, with 2 hours of co2 beforehand.
2x 24W T5 bulbs with reflectors, probably on for 6 hours a day once done.

Any advice is appreciated. Cheers.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Looks and sounds fine. Some folks tie themselves in knots agonising over plant selection and placement. The best way to learn is through your own experience so it's usually best to just get on with it. If you don't have enough plants you can just order more (I can, and always do, find room for more plants), and if you're not sure about placement just move them around. It's what gardening is all about.

A mixed carpet will look great but you also have to consider the practicalities of maintenance and trimming. For instance MC will need regular trimming, not something mini hair grass will like as much. Btw if you count the stauro you have 3 carpeting plants.

P.S. make sure your drop checker is lime green at lights on and all the way till lights off. A bubble counter isn't an indicator of CO2 conc, it's just for your own reference to make it easier to dial your CO2 in accurately.

 

[84Reasons]

Looks and sounds fine. Some folks tie themselves in knots agonising over plant selection and placement. The best way to learn is through your own experience so it's usually best to just get on with it. If you don't have enough plants you can just order more (I can, and always do, find room for more plants), and if you're not sure about placement just move them around. It's what gardening is all about.

A mixed carpet will look great but you also have to consider the practicalities of maintenance and trimming. For instance MC will need regular trimming, not something mini hair grass will like as much. Btw if you count the stauro you have 3 carpeting plants.

Thanks Tim,
I was planning on only getting one of the stauro and just having it trimmed the same sort of height as the rotala bonsai, I thought it was just a foreground plant!

Do you think its best sticking with the just the hair grass then or visa versa?

 

[Tim Harrison]

I was planning on only getting one of the stauro and just having it trimmed the same sort of height as the rotala bonsai, I thought it was just a foreground plant!

It's both, depending on how it's trimmed, and I guess on how large your tank is and the scale of your scape.

Do you think its best sticking with the just the hair grass then or visa versa?

Personally, I wouldn't mix the two. What tends to happen is that the mini hair grass gets trimmed in to extinction unless you're very careful. I've seen some nice carpets containing both. But mini hair grass is often planted next to the hardscape and used as an accent, but it can still be a pita to trim around.

 

[84Reasons]

It's both, depending on how it's trimmed, and I guess on how large your tank is and the scale of your scape.

Personally, I wouldn't mix the two. What tends to happen is that the mini hair grass gets trimmed in to extinction unless you're very careful. I've seen some nice carpets containing both. But mini hair grass is often planted next to the hardscape and used as an accent, but it can still be a pita to trim around.

ah thats good then, I'll use it just as a foreground plant.

I think I'll go with the mini hair grass then, have that going around the foreground. I've grown monte carlo before I realised it was a carpeting plant, it does need regular trimming!