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It all depends on what look your after. They all have their own characteristics. Think about how you want your layout to look, then decide on what moss would suit the layout. Some mosses work better for foregrounds than others. For example, weeping is great for stuff that will reside on the...

Not a lot at all.

And to finish, moss left to it's own device's will grow bushy and thick... cant-do-it by saintly's pics, on Flickr moss-1 by saintly's pics, on Flickr moss-2 by saintly's pics, on Flickr

When you have moss carpets. Such as the following image (tank left and right front corners) it's a must to siphon. The build of dirt, detritus, fish waist and the likes can really be detrimental to moss. Get into the habit of cleaning and trimming moss. gu3 by saintly's pics, on Flickr You...

siphoning moss really helps to keep it clean, and more importantly, algae free. All of this moss get's a good clean on a weekly basis. rotala-indica by saintly's pics, on Flickr mossy by saintly's pics, on Flickr

I beg to differ mate. Your moss has always been top notch. One of the reasons i've pushed hard to get my moss looking good. :thumbup: For quite some time, i grew really bad moss. Always on the brown side. For me, good looking moss comes with, lower ferts, no heater, good co2, and medium to...

It could explain the pale riccia. If you want rid of the riccia, adding easycarbo will see it off for sure. The mosses...I'm not really sure. I find lower dosing of ferts produce my best moss. But thats with my water parameters. Everyones are different. Paulos AKA Londondragon your man for...

I never said it did give issues to moss. It's the riccia that raised alarm bells.

Are you adding easy carbo by any chance?

No need to divide into individual plantlets. that would take way too long. If you get a pot or a few cuttings, just divide by hand, quite roughly, not even sciccors, and plant where you'd like it to grow. after 1 week, it will grow well. Then, cut it right back really hard. it'll carpet better...

Yet he's tried EI still with no good results?....I think too much light for too little CO2, thus driving it too hard with a side missing from the pyramid. To be fair, there's still not enough info in the tank to comment. I'm just reading from Clive's hymn sheet here

Are you running CO2? I'd say the culprit is CO2 deficiency.

Going to a point on page one....about cutting roots. Crypts and the likes, echinodorus sp. roots can be cut. Sometimes, from suppliers like Aquafleur, stems can be massive...Rotala springs to mind. This may sound daft, but I've often cut the pot in half, and used both the top part and the...

I'm not so sure about the speed. Bottle his hands if thats the case :lol: Sure! compact yes, speed, no.

With each tank that I do which contains HC, I'm always learning something new. I thought I'd share a tip that i learned from a good friend @ Tropica. Michael is Tropica's man that tests out new plants etc. He showed me not just trim HC but to use the back of your hand to 'push' it down. For...

The way they've been grown, ensures that you get a lot more plant for your money. From experience (Rotala) 1 tub of 1-2grow, maybe the same as 4 or 5 pots! An inch square of 1-2grow, when compared to the potted equivalent has many more 'growing points' or 'nodes' This means, from the start...

I'd also consider the Tropica 1-2 grow! The way in which these plants grow,makes them the perfect addition to Nano aquariums.

It's an endless list. What kind of impression are you after?....soft, subtle.... A mix of 2 or 3 species can be effective.

It's about 10 weeks I think Tom. maybe a bit longer. With my new way of growing plants(much slower) it's taken twice as long as usual, but absolutely hassle free. It's heavy on co2 and easy carbo, but still quite low on ferts. The 150w MH (solar 1) is over 60cm away from the surface, and a...

Sure. Add both. HC is a sucker for easy carbo. Even just to help it get established, then you can ease off it. Just to show the difference after trimming. HC by saintly's pics, on Flickr HC-cut by saintly's pics, on Flickr

No worries Chris. That's a good start. Gauge it from there. Just to go back to lighting...This is HC in my 120cm. Now, it's had no ferts for ages, and many parts reside in shaded areas, but it just keeps growing back. Don't place too much emphasis on light. end by saintly's pics, on Flickr

1.Maintain steady flow to low reaching parts of the tank. 2.Stable Co2 3.The addition of easy carbo is a must. 4.Regular water changes whilst HC settles down. 5.Trimming can be carried out after it's settled down. 6.In addition to trimming, use the back of your hand to 'push down' the...

sorry Chris. I thought you had tried before. Tom, on this tank I'm using a spray bar, with an 'up' diffuser on the outlet. Flow really is minimal in this tank, but that said, what movement there is does get all around the tank. filter by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Thanks Clive. Still needs a brutal trim. A side shot of the 90cm tank...(not really relevant) You cant see in this image, but the stems @ the back are pearling their ass off. Actually, I'll be doing a thread on 'red stems' with a few things I've discovered recently. Tropica-90-side by...

With lower CO2, my HC didn't pearl, but with added co2 (same lighting) my HC started to pearl early in the photo period. Just using TPN+ The next trim will 'flatten' the HC and create compact growth, rather than this 'loose' looking HC. HC by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Wow, so much emphasise on lighting. If we are to compare watts per gallon, I've grown HC with 1.1w per gallon, And that's with the lights real high. So maybe even lower watt per gallon ratio.

Certainly add the reflectors. I'd always suggest raising any light fitting. This is a crop of my 90cm. The 150w MH is 100cm away from the substrate (pretty damn far) and there's been no issues with HC growth. This has not been trimmed neither. 90cm-crop by saintly's pics, on Flickr If...

For get the extra light. It's just not needed. As Clive rightly puts, it's all about CO2. I've grown HC with very little light when compared to the size of the tank. T5 seems to work wonders for horizontal growth and with the addition of easycarbo or similar, HC should flourish.Fert regimes...

After a week, it should have settled in. Trimming it down to the ground works best. Trimming will also stop the runners, or at least slow them down. Trimming also encourages shorter, often redder growth. :D

Re: Carpetting plants - HC vs Glosso, Hairgrass vs Echi Tene Once they all get going, there all weeds. Glosso being the worst. Here's an image of all 4 in the same tank. The HC is unstoppable once it settles down too.

I've found HC and glosso grow better under T5 lights rather than MH. Amano also suggests this, so your lighting is fine. Trim hard to encourage horizontal growth. glossso looks kind nice a bit raggedy IMO. you wont find amano with manicured glosso lawns...well not that often.

I wouldn't count out gravel too quickly. Now i know there are mainly stems in here, but i did grow glosso really well in the latter days of this tank. Crypts grew great to as did an echinodorus species...(cant remember which one) I dosed ferts (cant remember which one.) this is one of my first...

It's quite a tough plant. To be honest i cant really help. It's the age old debate of 'red plants redder' with no confirmed answers. This happens to me with rotala rotundifolia. All i can say is, if it's growing, then live with it. :?

just trim it in the tank. Switch the filters off and syphon the floating stuff off. Go easy with easy carbo, as you'll kill the lot if over dosed.

Cut vallis will indeed grow back, but not to full height. It look horrid anyway. If your trying to 'halt' its spread you need to cut much sooner, when runners are developing. Nip the end of the runner and it'll stay put. That said, when it takes hold, it's a real brute to maintain and keep...

As George mentioned, plant it as it is. It's a 'hard stemmed' plant (as in stiff) and remains so after transformation. It'll grow in shade, but stays a greenish color, in higher light, turns crimson. Quite easy actually. :thumbup:

Re: How to make my hairgrass carpet, spread and grow quicker It's plenty. Once you've planted it, trim it down instantly. Grass sp. take a while to adapt to their surroundings, and IME, light can vary the green intensity of the grass.

Tenellus is quit easy in terms of trimming. Once runners have established, and most of the terrestrial growth has transformed, you can trim it just like a lawn. Cut it, right to the base. Done fear...it will grow back. This example is from a tank i set up 2 weeks ago. The same day i did my...

It's a tricky one. It took a couple of goes with it, to find out what it likes. IME, lower light, seems to favour this plant. I maintain, that it can be treated almost like an Anubias. It'll grow in shade pretty well. If dosing is not so good, GSA will develop on older leaves. To trim it...

How old is the tank? given time, Diatoms will go of their own accord.

Consider Echinodorus tenellus, Eleocharis Accicularis/parvula. or maybe crypt.sp.parva.

I think it might be rotala macaranda...just a guess :)

no, not that i've noticed. All shrimp are fine, and i still have all fish. I dont know mate :)

Any thought on why this may be happening? I've grown it many times, and it grows tall, and green. I've changed to tobias' ferts, and their now growing with a nice pink/ redish tinge. The other brown variety crypts are the deepest of red/brown.

the second is liliaeopsis

They'd stay bare i reckon. When i plant rotala, i cut it off at the pot, then half it again. Plant the lower part in front of the crown and you get growth from both. New growth tends to come from the first node on the bottom part of the stem...if that makes sense?

Most will go as low as an inch....preferably, with at least a single node. I always cut leaving maybe 3 nodes. Amano recommends cutting down to 3 inches, then every trim after that increase it by 1 inch above the initial cut...etc etc...This all depends on the height of the tank of course.

Aquajardin have some great plants to.

I'm placing bets on 'parva' The only thing that might go against parva, is the lack of 'spade' like leaves, but could be a transitional thing.

actually, how much was under the substrate? The whiter bit's i'm guessing were buried? ...in which case it could be parava. Any chance of putting something next to it get a relative size?

mmm...still tough. It looks like an over streched 'parva' but the stalks are too long. wendetii green springs to mind, an imature subject maybe.

i'm finding hard to tell. is above water growth? or has it been in a tank and taken on this look? A single species has 2 different looks...above and below water appearance.

moss is tough. james' method is great. stuff like acicualris and hc...cut it, catch what you can in a net. you end up with stray bits which cling to the glass right?... drop the water level a bit and those stray bits stay where they are, wipe with tissue. :thumbup: swicth filters off to.

i've grown v nana from tropica and aquafleur and it looks excactly the same as whats in the pics :shifty:

vallis nana at a guess. certainly not c heferi

I just love the plants in the above tank!

I wouldn't say that's true at all. Their adaptable to low light and grow well, this is true, but they also love high light if conditions are good. They also love substrate if their roots are allowed to bury them selves :wink: my anubias bonsai, loved high light... the parts of the root, is...

are you sure garuf?...looks like Hygrophila corymbosa to me http://www.tropica.com/plants/plantdesc ... px?pid=053 i think

the more you trim a plant, stems in particular, the slower it will recover.

cardamine lyrata and ottos don't go together well neither. I've watched them eat it.

:crazy: I just don't get this way of thinking. gas cookers are more dangerous. in our lives, we say FE's placed everywhere, shops factory's etc...their there to rescue us, not kill us. if connecting a regulator was deemed dangerous, then we'd need to hold licenses for gas bottles!....which...

pics 3 and 4 sagittaria teres and rotala rotundifolia

it closed in January. problems with the new bypass I believe. shame really. :(

it look like unhealthy moss to me, even if it is its natural colour.

something i used to think. maybe think the other way around....point the korolia is such away that it hits a pane of glass, then pushes the water down and across the tank in slower water movement patterns?..... rather than forcing water at problem areas, thus causing co2 enriched water to push...

having good flow may one part, but you need to make sure that flow gets to the bottom part of the tank.this is where powerheads come into play. :thumbup:

thats the one.

choice is yours mate. i tend to like the look of tenellus, as it spreads better and looks much more natural.

the acicularis would smother the liiaeopsis in no time. bad combo really. take the latter out and plant with acicularis. usually from front to back, these work... HC,glosso tenellus or blyxa around stone aciularis inthe back. riccia also works well with hairgrass sp. nice stone arrangement...

100% submerged sam. Last summer there was loads, along with another variety of stem. just before winter hit the numbers had dropped (i'll try and dig out the pic) i've gone back today, and there's just a few left. it was really dirty, covered in crap but the give away signs of a stem plant were...

here it is.middle of screen. defo like sp. green

it's not that Sam. it is however, identical to rotala sp. green. i've flicked through my aquajournals, and unbelievably it's the exact clone.

i've been down to my local river and in a little cut back, there are some stems growing in the margins. I've known about them for a year or so, but with my interest for native SP. I took a cutting. it's identical to rotala sp. green. does anyone know what this could be? it's took to the tank...

i always plant a little bit of acicularis smack up against the side of tank glass. This way i can see instantly what's happening. for me, brand new substarte gives me peace of mind.

Not sure what it is, but i've got a plant growing in my nano above the water line which is native :D

it did end up going bright red...

first pic is tenellus. great plant for surrounding stones and wood. The second pic, if I'm not mistaken is...rotala rotundifolia. :mrgreen:

yep :P and are flourishing in my low light,non co2, no ferts and no W/C nano.

e acicularis, HM, rotala and hyrdacotyle

no.3 to me is rotala wallichii (above water state/transition) and no.6 is defo rotala rotundifolia in transition. green is way more greener than that.looks like aquafleurs variety too, as opposed to tropicas..... boy, i know this plant too well :shock:

a possibility :D

The plot thickens. here it is furthest to the right. It's rooted now and is on fire. for sure it's not cardamin lyrata. it takes some strange twists and turns. growing randomly, it takes on some strange growth patterns. This is some new growth. It's never took on this look before now.

it will grow to the top of the tank...in time, but before it gets to the top it will hit the front and fill the foreground first. welcome to the 'bendy' club. Theirs many that would love this effect, but cant get it. count your blessings my friend :wink:

is it open top tank? if so, net the free floating stuff, then drop the water level a little. it'll then stick to the glass, wipe with tissue. if it's not open top tank, you'll struggle i'm afraid.

it'll do great! it'll also grow in low light.

The light IMO looks low to me. a good bout of light co2 and ferts will kick start it, then after it's established, you can do what you want with it. it'l grow in shade, be trimmed damn hard. this was my old tank after several bouts of trimming.

+1 for All of the above. A weed once established. you'll do fine with it mate :thumbup:

good guess mate. 8) it's a shame it didn't grow at the front of the glass, that would of been great to photo.

i've googled it also, it is flowering hydracotyle. thanks samc

I think you may have answered it samc. :thumbup: so it could well be flowering hydracotle? it is right next to it.

well, this nano keeps throwing up surprises, that's for sure! this evening, i've spotted yet another mystery plant. It's tiny, but will grow no doubt. it appears to have flowers on it :eh: I'm at a loss. if anyone knows what it is, please tell me. i initially thought it was eggs of some...

trim it right down, don't just take the top off it. it will grow back denser and lusher.

me to. i've grown the weed before. it's not that I'm certain. but I could be wrong...wouldn't be the first time

heres a new leaf developing.... so this isn't a stem right?

thanks for the reply darrel. so, this is really a mystery then. i'll keep it growing. it's doing real well now, in fact all 3 plants are. now to let time reveal it's secret.

you know your stuff mate, thats for sure. here's an uber close up. what's strange is the new 'leaf' grows from the same point as the other's not like the usual, where it grows...node, 2 leafs, grows....node....leaves etc etc. it's definitely come in on the moss. i thought as seed, but it...

ferns grow from spores, so this could be the start of a fern plant?....who knows. i'll keep growing it and see what happens. it's like a stem plant but the new leaf growth is like nothing i've seen before.

you da man! a quick google and yes, i think you might be right. :clap:

long shot here, would someone possibly give me an id please? it's an inch tall. starts with on leaf, then 2 and after a couple of weeks it has 3. there's 3 in the tank and its growing out the moss. i dont have a clue as to what it is....i know it;s not glosso. it's the lonely plant in the...

here's a question Devin..... what kind of lighting periods do you use for these set ups? I'm guessing algae issues are not at the top of list like normal set ups? longer lighting periods and less hazard? :geek: