Middle-scape?

2410 Views 12 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Raul-7, Oct 10, 2004

Raul-7

Discussion Starter · Oct 7, 2004

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?

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Jeff Kropp

· #4 · Oct 7, 2004

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.
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Jeff

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Jeff Kropp

· #8 · Oct 8, 2004

Raul-7 said:
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.
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Jeff

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