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Marsilea Hirsuta - clover ground cover

5423 Views 13 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Bongox3, 
B
Hi everybody....first and foremost thank you, this place is awesome...2nd week here, and loving it....

Ok here goes - just ordered Marsilea Hirsuta or clover from an online source....most likely coming in in the emerged fashion, so will need to clip it down considerably...here's my question...I'm running a 120 tank with a somewhat strong surface current for aeration and a somewhat weak powerhead hooked up to a pressurized c02 gizmo sits low within the tank...using a small gravel like black substrate with larger gravel stones covering - so as I plant the rather small clippings of the sent pot is there some sort of cover I can use to protect it from water current, inquisitive fish, etc...rather than planting individually, would it help to plant this in smaller bunches about a 1/2 inch apart? I believe my water conditions are good, along with c02, strong lighting, and fertz, but would appreciate any advice...really dig the idea of having this grow in a carpet like fashion....
Again, thanks.....-mike
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ao
the ones coming in... are they long or short? if it's long it's been growing emmersed, and will look like regular clovers :)

It will take a while to for it to covert back to submersed.

Is there a lot of current in the bottom strata of the tank?


Is there any reason you don't want to try glosso? they're similar in shape.
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JDM
Cool, I didn't know there was a variety of clover that would grow in the aquarium. I'm fond of leaving plants in bunches as I believe that they grow better together than separately. They can always be split up later if they grow well in the new environment. This is solely based on observing aquatic plants in real life as they tend to grow that way more often.

Aren't you concerned about your somewhat strong surface current for aeration defeating the purpose of adding the CO2 for the plants? I won't use CO2 (just don't need it) but if I did I would be using it in a more still surface environment to try to keep the CO2 dissolved in the water longer.

Jeff.
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B
Thanks for the quick responses!
Aokashi-
No real reason for the choice...I did a group order, and didnt see glosso available...so just went with the above...I didn't order that much as I wanted to see how it took to my tank, so glosso is still a possibility....also, while I want a ground cover, I only want it for a section of the tank....is glosso an easier choice?
JDM-
Initially I didn't have a co2 setup, but did have the filtration going with the top current (strong, but not terribly strong)...upon adding c02, there was a notable difference in my plants health and growth...I'm not using the normal diffuser setup, instead I have the diffuser attached to the prior mentioned bottom of a weak powerhead ... Not sure if the distribution of the fine bubbles low in the tank helps offsets the top current issue - but am worried to lessen the top agitation of the surface for my fishes oxygen source - maybe it's all in my head that the powerhead playing a role helps...but all areas of the tank appear to be doing ok...the top current is simply the output of two large canister filters...nothing unique...
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ao
as glosso it propagates via stolons ( horizontal stems), it generally grows much faster than marsilea and has a softer look (you said you had high light and CO2 which will be great for this species)
:)

I have some m. quadrifolia which I'm growing emmersed... a very interesting plant.
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B
Looks like I may have something to look forward to on pay day!!!! Aokashi...thank you!
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ao
Sorry I couldn't advise you much on an emmersed -submersed transition.
I've only done it the other way around. lol...

another nice carpeting plant would be Hermianthus glomeratus :) I do a non-CO2 carpet with that one XD
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B
No worries about the emmersed/submersed transition...for me learning through trial and error is the fun part...the more I look at the glosso the more I'm liking it too!

Do you have a picture of the other type of plant you mentioned u have as a carpet? Lol, H.G.....I'd butcher the spelling if I tried....;-)
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ao
it's erronously known as HM. known as baby tears or pearl grass...
it's the carpet in my tank here:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...1E05B43-1958-000001BADA9B068E_zps6754696d.jpg
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B
That is very nice...ok, in your opinion, which would be best for a novice such as myself? Also, would these plantings benefit from root tablet fertz rather than liquid? Does it matter? Either would be in combo with strong lighting and co2...both is also an option too...
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ao
it shouldnt matter ^_^ only diff is... HM grows like wild fire under high light and CO2.
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B
Ok one more question before lights out over here...Glosso seems to require direct and strong light in order to thrive....clover in shaded areas does ok, but just grows taller - in my tank sections will be beneath a few lillys and a rather large anubia....and shaded.... Is the above off, or would glosso have an issue in these sections? It does have a softer appealing appearance though....maybe a combo of both, or bad idea? Have a good night...and fun chatting....hope to hear back soon....-mike
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ao
glosso might...
Marsiliea shouldnt have a problem growing in submersed form in the shade. it is generally a low light, low tech carpeting plant :)
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B
Awesome....thank you again Aokashi...you're the bomb!!! :-D
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