I Know What I Want But I Don't Know What I Want.

[micko]

Ok, basically I've decided to try to make my flora look a bit better. So far I've got some riccia in it along with other plants I cannot remember the name of.
Its a wee 30ltr tank.
Intended stocking is shrimp.
I've got moss to add, think its java on a small piece of bog wood.
Thing is, I'm looking for some low growing plants, maybe some grass, or something that spreads.
I won't be using CO2 or ferts at the minute.

Any ideas? I'm really useless with plants.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SO19Firearms]

Dwarf Hair grass, a netted Riccia carpet, or Moss carpet would all be options

I won't be using CO2 or ferts at the minute.

I keep seeing this a lot recently, if you don't feed your plants they will die.

 

[moochy13]

Dwarf Hair grass, a netted Riccia carpet, or Moss carpet would all be options

I won't be using CO2 or ferts at the minute.

I keep seeing this a lot recently, if you don't feed your plants they will die.

wrong.

as you saw in my other thread that you helped on, the tank in my sig had no ferts, special substrate or CO2. just plants in playsand left to do their thing. i would say they looked quite healthy, bearing in mind they grew from your typical tiny LFS cuttings.

 

[SO19Firearms]

wrong.

as you saw in my other thread that you helped on, the tank in my sig had no ferts, special substrate or CO2. just plants in playsand left to do their thing. i would say they looked quite healthy, bearing in mind they grew from your typical tiny LFS cuttings.

I'll accept that as an answer if you can tell me what they lived on and can then give me some other answers to why they're now all dying.
Magic and plant plague won't be counted

 

[micko]

I've yet to dose anything in any tank I've had plants in. I'll admit, I'm an extremely new beginner into knowing anything about plants though.

I like the dwarf hair grass. Isn't that the same stuff sold in garden centres?

 

[stu40]

I've yet to dose anything in any tank I've had plants in. I'll admit, I'm an extremely new beginner into knowing anything about plants though.

I like the dwarf hair grass. Isn't that the same stuff sold in garden centres?

There's a couple of different varities sold as as Hairgrass.The stuff you see in the pond section of garden centres is usually eleocharis acicularis.
You get more bang for your buck buying it from the pond section than walking the 20m into the Tropical section and buying the same stuff.Problem is pond sections sell their stuff seasonally, so there isn't any about till spring.
eleocharis Parvula is similar but stays shorter.I couldn't get this variety to grow in a non CO2 low fert tank.Never tried acicularis.Just my experience.
Moss attached is slate is quite effective/straight forward. Seen this?

 

[moochy13]

wrong.

as you saw in my other thread that you helped on, the tank in my sig had no ferts, special substrate or CO2. just plants in playsand left to do their thing. i would say they looked quite healthy, bearing in mind they grew from your typical tiny LFS cuttings.

I'll accept that as an answer if you can tell me what they lived on and can then give me some other answers to why they're now all dying.
Magic and plant plague won't be counted

im no plant expert. im simply stating that i managed to grow what you see in my sig without the help of anything added to the tank. i guess they grew off fish poo and old food, i dont know. i do know they grew with no outside help though. they didnt just grow, they went mental. i killed them trying to split each plant into 2 so i could give a friend some, and also reduce how overbearing they were. it seems i was too heavy handed, and they just didnt like it and never recovered. those specific plants are no longer in the tank. the only thing thats changed since that sig photo is my filter, which is now much better. i was told this shouldnt make a difference. the tank is overstocked, so plenty of fish poo for my plants.

maybe i cant tell you why nothing will grow now, but can you tell me why i had mental gloriously growing plants for nearly a year(with no ferts/co2), and now nothing will grow ?

 

[SO19Firearms]

maybe i cant tell you why nothing will grow now, but can you tell me why i had mental gloriously growing plants for nearly a year(with no ferts/co2), and now nothing will grow ?

I'm not sure I can tell you how you had good growth, I'd be inclined to think over feeding for the phosphates, as you mentioned changing the filter I did wonder of the plants where possibly feeding from ammonia in the tank and showing good growth from that.
They might also have been feeding from their own reserves, a bit like burning fat if you don't eat....

I can't really say why that isn't working for you now, although if you absolutely haven't changed anything other than the filter, it can only be something to do with that - or - the other thing that has changed is the fact you don't have those particular swords that did so well. Not really got an analogy for that but we'll go with owning a Ford Capri that you (to the Capri owners club's total astonishment) only had to fill once a year, you crashed it but now you have another you can't believe you have to put petrol in like normal people.....
That's all I've got