Thread: Ground Cover?
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Old 04-11-2005, 07:57 PM
NetMax
 
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Default Ground Cover?

"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.
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