I have learned, as I am sure won't surprise to the experts, that you simply can't expect glosso or micro sword to spread unless you have a good substrate, lighting, and adequate CO2. I have 1 out of 3. Dwarf hairgrass may be another matter, so I simply think I will plant patches of this in the foreground, hoping it eventually grows together. They usually come potted, and it's difficult to separate from the spongy matter. Unlike the other foreground options, however, little heavy patches of this stuff looks good, so a failure won't matter as much. I'll start with about 8 to 10 patches across the 48 inch front of my tank. When you start with a fish only tank, master that, then switch to plants, you are going about things backwards. Plants do grow in gravel, but it is difficult to achieve the same lush growth, particularly when you are talking about a ground cover. Which brings me to the point that all of you plant addicts had once reached....and continue to reach....I need another tank....lol.
Successes: Anubias, onions (all), wisteria, rotala walichii, moss balls, java moss, riccia, red and green lotus, apotogens, hornwort, jungle vallisneria, crypts, saggiteria, amazon sword, and water sprite.
Failures? Microswords, glosso, reddish ludwigia, anacharis and java fern (figure out those last two???).
My good plant fish/species: Gold nugget pleco, rams, giant danios, guppies, golden algae eater, apple/mystery snails and clams (inverts), black neons, and dwarf rainbows.
Nightmare fish that had to go: Clown loaches, silver dollars, and bala sharks.
Fish/speicies moving in within the next six months: Botia striata, cardinal tetras, amano shrimp, and more rams.
Plants that I won't keep again: anubias, because they grown so slowly, yet have to be scrubbed and/or pruned regularly despite a lack of signficant new growth.
Favorite plant: wisteria, because I'll nver have to buy it again...lol.
Successes: Anubias, onions (all), wisteria, rotala walichii, moss balls, java moss, riccia, red and green lotus, apotogens, hornwort, jungle vallisneria, crypts, saggiteria, amazon sword, and water sprite.
Failures? Microswords, glosso, reddish ludwigia, anacharis and java fern (figure out those last two???).
My good plant fish/species: Gold nugget pleco, rams, giant danios, guppies, golden algae eater, apple/mystery snails and clams (inverts), black neons, and dwarf rainbows.
Nightmare fish that had to go: Clown loaches, silver dollars, and bala sharks.
Fish/speicies moving in within the next six months: Botia striata, cardinal tetras, amano shrimp, and more rams.
Plants that I won't keep again: anubias, because they grown so slowly, yet have to be scrubbed and/or pruned regularly despite a lack of signficant new growth.
Favorite plant: wisteria, because I'll nver have to buy it again...lol.
