[Raul-7]

I have a problem with my middle-scape in my aquarium, first the Hemianthus micranthemoides is not upright enough since the lighting is high. So I'm thinking of replacing it with H. corymbosa ''angustifolia'' but I've seen many pictures of it being leggy(like on Plant Finder) and I want a dense grouping, so is this the right plant or no?

 

[dennis]

Raul,

How much light do you have? It grows upright just fine in my 10 gallon with 45 watts over it. One thing that helps plants grow more upright is trimming of near the bottom, the sideshoots tend to grow more vertically (thanks Gomer). Another thing you might want to try is increasing PO4 or traces. I would try upping the PO4 first, many of us are keeping ours at 1.5-2ppm, some even more without any problems. I personally dose 3ppm a week in my 10 gallon, but I also go through NO3 like made so you have to watch those levels more closely. You might also want to try a plant like stargrass. HTH

 

[Raul-7]

Thanks for the tip, but maybe I'll just get rid of it anyways and subsitute it with Heteranthera zosterifolia...but I just want to know if the Hygro I metioned grows leggy or bushy, because I want to use it to compliment the Pantanal or would Eichhornia diversifolia be a better choice?

 

[Jeff Kropp]

Of the H. corymbosas the varietal "Kompact" is the only one really suited to midground applications.

E. diversifolia has a thin understory and grows very quickly so it is generally not suited to midground applications.

The similar but 2 leafed per node Micranthemum sp. is a more erect and less dense substitute for Hemianthus micranthemoides. It is a good choice if hedges are undesirable but you still want that pearlgrass look.
___
Jeff

 

[Raul-7]

Thanks Jeff...sorry I forgot to mention that I was either going to use the E. diversifolia or Hygro in the background. So which one would compliment the Pantanal better?

As for the midground, thanks for the advice...I was just thinking about "the plant that looked really similar to Hemianthus micranthemoides" but I forgot the name so I gave up. But actually I don't really like the leaf shape, so would H. zosterifolia do?

 

[tsunami]

H. zosterifolia is an excellent choice for midground applications, as are Rotala rotundifolia 'Green' and Hottonia palustris. It really depends on what effect you want to do.

Hygrophila corymbosa "angustifolia" really is a background plant. It's very long, wavy leaves can reach up to 6+ inches long and grows straight upward like its broader leaved kin.

As for what will compliment the Pantanal better, it really does depend on what your tank as a whole looks like. Personally, I wouldn't go with either. I'd opt for something like Rotala sp. Nanjenshan, but, as with many aspects of aquascaping, plant combinations are mostly a matter of personal preference and style.

Carlos

 

[Raul-7]

Thanks Carlos, the dark greens of the E.diversifolia would look really nice next to the reds of the Pantanal. I'm also using Rotala 'Green' as a background, is that a bad choice? And how does E.diversifolia look from the side? I always see pictures of the crown, but no profile pictures.

 

[Jeff Kropp]

And how does E.diversifolia look from the side? I always see pictures of the crown, but no profile pictures.

As I said earlier, the understory of E. diversifolia is sparse. You could grow A. nana under a large stand. It grows fast, so if you see a dutch style street you can be assured the front stems were recently cut and planted up front. E. diversifolia seems to be N sensitive and requires more than many other plants. If N gets too low it yellows at the tip and slows down. A breif N shortage can also stimulate side shoots. If the N shortage is extended the stem can go black from the top down. I pull off the lower leaves when planting new stems because it seems to also occasionally go black from the bottom up. My assumtion is rot. Longer cuttings that have some root sprouts do better than very short cuttings. In my practice I plant stems about 7 inches long, so that the crown is about 4 inches above the gravel, and it takes about 1 week to reach the surface of an 18 inch deep tank. Many other plants can be trained for foreground duty but E diversifolia is managment intensive in that position.
___
Jeff

 

[Raul-7]

Alright, so forget about the E. diversifolia...But I was actually looking for a thin-leafed stem plant, so does anyone know where to get H. corymbosa 'Aroma' or is there any way to keep E. stellata green? :wink:

 

[Raul-7]

No input...?

 

[tsunami]

It hasn't even been 24 hours. Hold on there, tiger.

I find it amusing that out of hundreds of plants available to us, you cannot find anything to your liking in the midground. Such is Raul!

Both of the plants you mentioned are not great for the midground unless you're willing to prune them down twice a week. I don't think "Aroma" is available in the states (and why would it ever be used as a midground plant?).

Most stem plants don't look good from the side. They have to be pruned and tiered carefully for best effect. If you want something grassy, why not just try Isoetes? Slower growing, less maintenance, grassy effect, etc. Another grassy one would be Rotala sp Nanjenshan with its beautiful finely divided leaves, as I've said in an earlier post.

I feel that I must remind that when you place a plant in the midground --you're not married to having it there. It's not permanent. Mix and match species until you find what is most pleasing to you.

Carlos

 

[Raul-7]

Sorry Carlos for being vague, but I'll make it clear as possible! I made up my mind on middle-ground, I'm going to use H. zosterifolia. But now I have a dilemma with the background. This tank has a U-shape aquascape, with two mounds in each corner(not symm, one bigger) and for this I'm going to Rotala sp. 'Green', but infront of it(still in the background) is Pantanal and I want something around the Pantanal from both sides. But I want it to be green-leaved such as the two I mentioned earlier, so which is the better choice. Though E. stellata is pink, I like the green it has when it isn't pink, but how do you do that?

 

[Raul-7]

Any ideas? I know, I'm impatient(thought it's been 24hours)! :roll:

I have some ideas for the plant to compliment the Pantanal-
>L. aquatica
>R. sp. 'Vietnam'
>L. var 'Cuba'
>E. stellata
Though I'm not sure what look better the fine-leaved(the first two) plants or the wider-leaved? I want contrast, for example if I use the L. var 'Cuba' it might seem too similar to the H. zosterifolia in the midground? So what do you think is the ideal choice?