Pogostemon Helferi Carpet

[BigIan]

has any one used Pogostemon helferi as a carpet plant?

any good and how much light do you have?

 

[aaronnorth]

P.Helferi is more bothered about CO2 than light. I have a small carpet of it and it is a good effect. If you have a look here then i am sure quite a few will use it.

http/showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2008.cgi

 

[BigIan]

Co2 is not happening in this tank i`m affraid...
going to be VERY low tech

 

[lljdma06]

Co2 is not happening in this tank i`m affraid...
going to be VERY low tech

Opt for Marsilea hirsuta instead. I'm growing a fair groundcover in my 2.5g, and if that tank isn't low-tech, I don't know what it. Mosses will work well. E. tennellus and crypts will work too if the tank is larger. I'm trying HC in that tank too, just to see, but the growth is slow.

 

[Renate]

How about using Java moss on the bottom. Nothing kills it. I have had in a tank with no light and it is still alive.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

How about using Java moss on the bottom. Nothing kills it. I have had in a tank with no light and it is still alive.

noooooo, we just had to totally re do our tank, strip out all the plants and start over because the java moss drowned the tank, is just took over, outcompeted all the plants and basaically everything else died off........ not introducing that to the tank again!

 

[aaronnorth]

Nothing kills it

try telling llj that

 

[Renate]

How about using Java moss on the bottom. Nothing kills it. I have had in a tank with no light and it is still alive.

noooooo, we just had to totally re do our tank, strip out all the plants and start over because the java moss drowned the tank, is just took over, outcompeted all the plants and basaically everything else died off........ not introducing that to the tank again!

Well that is interesting to know!! I shall keep an I eye on that plant and the amazons I have in my 29 gallon tank.

 

[BigIan]

De4finately a no to, any mosses, riccia, hornwort elodia or duck weed.

all of them are impossible to get rid of, i`ve not been trying to grow riccia in my tank for over a year now its been stripped down and rebuilt atleast once since i tried getting rid of it and its still in there!!!!!!

Marsilea hirsuta looks like a good option, what sort of lighting do you have on your tank lljdma06 My problem with carpeting plants has always been that my tanks are 2ft deep so light penetration has always been a problem

 

[aaronnorth]

riccia is vey annoying and hard to get rid, you need just 1 leaf floating and it will start spreading again

 

[lljdma06]

Nothing kills it

try telling llj that

He he, I'm so laughing! There's a "dead" clump still in my 36g. We'll see. That one didn't smell, so it stayed.

Marsilea hirsuta looks like a good option, what sort of lighting do you have on your tank lljdma06 My problem with carpeting plants has always been that my tanks are 2ft deep so light penetration has always been a problem

I imagine, it will be fine with the depth. I grew it well in my 20g with 1.4WPG and no CO2. That tank is 18 inches deep. It also grew in my 36g which is about 21" deep. It is currently in my 2.5g with 13W. That tank is 8 inches deep. I'm not noticing any difference in growth rate and quality between the three systems, so take your pick. The plant is over 2 years old now, and as long as you don't snip off the actively growing rhizome, you won't kill the plant. I like it, though my growth is strange. Mine is continuing to be four-lobed, despite being 2 years old. Most of the time, only the emmersed growth has four lobes, the submerged has only one. I'm guessing I'm still retaining the four lobes because of my lower light levels, but I could be wrong. I've gotten a mixture of the leaf-types, but it is mostly four-lobed.