Carpeting Plants -- A Little Unsure

[GrayScale]

So my tank should be cycled by this weekend and I was going to go to the lfs this weekend (since they are only open on the weekends) and pick up some plants.

The only plant I can't really decide on is the carpet. I have a nova extreme 2x24w 30" light fixture with 1 10k and 1 freshwater bulb. I am planning on breeding cherry shrimp and galaxy rasboras.

Some ideas I've had are:
Hemianthus callitrichoides
Java Moss
Willow Moss
Pygmy chain swords

I'm looking for something that will grow well in a sand subtrate with nutrient tabs. I also have nutriflourish to add nutrients for the plants after a water change. I was also hoping that there might be some that does not grow onto driftwood(if possible).

Any other suggestions or insight would be great.

 

[waterdrop]

I'll be interested in what you ultimately choose and how it goes raising it. Carpet plants are a popular topic in planted tank circles, for obvious reasons. I assume you've posted over in our planted section. I know that they carry a tiny bit more challenge as the light must go farther to reach them and of course they complicate substrate cleaning quite a bit (although in general I've found the "vibrating" the siphon cylinder slightly above the substrate in the midst of planted areas can stir up surface debris and accomplish some removal.)

WD

 

[GrayScale]

Thanks for the advice. For some reason i can't seem to post in that section because i'm still listed as "validating" even though i did the validation email and everything.

I'm also now considering dwarf hairgrass.

 

[LondonguyJ]

I have been looking into this for a while and even have a thread in the planted section on this very topic (thread link below.) From my understanding the most important thing to consider here is your stock list. Dwarf hair grass and some variants of ricca will (to some fish) look like a fresh vegetable patch which they'll happily consume.

I guess that's the reason why most of the best planted tanks don't have many fish or rely on tetras.

To aid in cleaning you might also want to consider getting a net to contain the grass/species you decide on. This will help with cleaning as you can take it out and trim when need be.

Thread with some useful tips: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/332646-aquarium-grass-carpets/

 

[RadaR]

(although in general I've found the "vibrating" the siphon cylinder slightly above the substrate in the midst of planted areas can stir up surface debris and accomplish some removal.)

Spot on Sir. Shrimps are great for picking through carpet plants too.
Carpet plants are obviously on the bottom of the aquarium where nutrients and CO2 may be hard to come by if the flow/circulation of the tank isn't up to scratch. Therefore this is KEY.
Some carpet plants such as HC and Glosso really do love lots of nutrients and CO2. In lower light aquariums, obviously you don't have to supply as much nutrients but I still reccomend liquid carbon for them. Higher light tanks will need injected CO2 (and macro+micro nutrients) with good flow towards the bottom of the tank. In turn, more light and CO2 means more nutrients. Higher plant growth means higher levels of organic waste, which means larger water changes are needed.
Moss should be used a lot more in my opinion. Get a mesh or flat peice of slate and tie that moss on Trimming regularly will keep it at it's best.
Pgymy chain swords are another good choice, as is Marsilea Crenata.
To get the best carpet/spreading effect, plant each plantlet a few cm apart. Tweesers help

 

[waterdrop]

Thanks RadaR, So you feel that CO2 can begin to stay high in a tank when less circulation allows it to? WD