The neglected area of an aquarium is usually the bottom. While lush greenery floats in the middle of the water, it remains somehow dreary and “naked”. There are many ground-covering aquarium plants that are not only practical but also visually enriching. A little overview.
How do I use aquarium plants as ground cover in the aquarium?
Uselow and densely growing aquarium plants as ground cover. Most varieties like a lot of light and CO2 and a nutrient-rich substrate. Divide the planting material and spread it evenly with tweezers or tie it up.
Is planting ground cover useful?
Many of the aquarium plants that are suitable as ground cover are not just a piece of green, but also look attractive. Therefore, it is worth planting them just tobeautify the aquarium. It's not for nothing that ground cover plants are popular for aquascaping. But in addition there arethe following advantages:
- rooting stabilizes the substrate
- smaller aquarium inhabitants get food and hiding place
- more useful microorganisms can settle
- the ecosystem is stabilized
Which aquarium plants are suitable as ground cover?
Aquarium plants,that grow into a low, dense lawn, are ideal for planting directly in the substrate or for tying to stones. For example:
- Australian clover fern (Marsilea crenata) – small, very rounded leaves
- Australian tongue leaf (Glossostigma elatinoides) – small, tongue-like leaflets
- Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri) – typical moss appearance
- Creeping Staurogyne (Staurogyne repens) – compact growth, easy to shape
- Cuban pearlwort (Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba) – white flowering carpet
- Needle ledges / dwarf needle ledges (Eleocharis) – fine, densely growing stalks
- New Zealand grass (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) – dense “mat” for the foreground
- Ranalisma rostratum – light green rarity
- Round-leaved pearlwort (Micranthemum umbrosum) – longer stems covered with round leaves
- Water pepper (Elatine hydropiper) very small-leaved
- Dwarf sword plant (Helanthium tenellum) – grass-like appearance
How do I care for aquarium plants as ground cover?
Most ground covers thrive in a welllit placeGoodCO2supply and anutritious soilare two further beneficial growth factors. However, there are also ground cover plants that grow under more modest living conditions and with little care. Therefore, find out explicitly about each variety to see whether it is suitable for your aquarium. To keep the green “carpet” nice and dense and low, you should cut the ground cover regularly.
How do I plant ground cover plants in my aquarium?
Divide the planting materialinto smaller portionsor into individual plants in order to then distribute them evenly over the ground area to be planted. It is inserted into the aquarium substrate using tweezers (€14.00 on Amazon). Some varieties need to betied. Thanks to runners or creeping shoots, the plants will soon grow together without gaps.
Tip
Design Iwagumi (Japanese rock garden) with ground cover plants
You can use ground cover plants to create a special aquarium landscape: Iwagumi (Japanese rock garden). This is a special form of aquascaping in which the landscape is designed exclusively with stones of different sizes and planted with one type of plant.
