recommend background stem plant for nano?

**illumnae** · 2nd Oct 2007, 23:26

I'm setting up a 25cm cube nano sometime in the near future. it will have Gex soil as its substrate, 13W PL light and EI fert dosing with Excel as a carbon source.

I'm thinking of using Japanese Hairgrass as the foreground lawn with 1-2 pieces of downoi as highlights and MM as a midground plant to fill up space between hardscape rocks. I was thinking of using Didlipis Diandra as one of the background stem plants, and i think having 1 more other background stem cluster would make the tank look nicer. does anyone have recommendation for a stem plant that might suit my purposes?

i'd also greatly appreciate it if anyone can visualize the scape i'm planning and give feedback/comments on it.

**Shadow** · 2nd Oct 2007, 23:31

Didiplis Diandra might be too big for such small tank. You can but it will make your tank look smaller. Why don't you try smaller leaf stem plant like rotala sp "mini". It leaf is half the size of MM/HM

**illumnae** · 2nd Oct 2007, 23:39

thanks for the recommendation Robert

do you have any pictures of this plant? i've only managed to find some not very complimentary pictures of it via google, and so far it seems more like a replacement midground for MM than a nice bushy background

i guess you're right that didiplis diandra might look too big as it has quite a large overall diameter. but that's the kind of look i was looking for i guess, thin long leaves around the stem as i've read that thin leaves make the tank look bigger

**tcy81** · 2nd Oct 2007, 23:52

you can try Potamogeton gayi.

**illumnae** · 3rd Oct 2007, 00:04

Originally Posted by tcy81

you can try Potamogeton gayi.

looks good from what i can see on aquaticplantcentral and google, though the runners bit scares me

what do you think of Heteranthera zosterifolia?

**ranmasatome** · 3rd Oct 2007, 00:37

Try ludwigia Arcuata

**tcy81** · 3rd Oct 2007, 00:45

Originally Posted by illumnae

looks good from what i can see on aquaticplantcentral and google, though the runners bit scares me

what do you think of Heteranthera zosterifolia?

Heteranthera zosterifolia, more to a foreground to midground ground plant i feel. unless u plant it behind a rock or wood, the stems and roots not so nice to see.

**tcy81** · 3rd Oct 2007, 00:50

Originally Posted by ranmasatome

Try ludwigia Arcuata

ludwiga Arcuata is also nice.
one of my favourite plant

**illumnae** · 3rd Oct 2007, 01:26

ludwiga arcuata looks good. thanks!

**ranmasatome** · 3rd Oct 2007, 03:32

No probs.. its one of my favourites... wasn't on the market for quite some time but i think recently.. it has re-appeared again.. easy plant to control and "scape" to your desired shape..

**Shadow** · 3rd Oct 2007, 08:45

Originally Posted by illumnae

thanks for the recommendation Robert

do you have any pictures of this plant? i've only managed to find some not very complimentary pictures of it via google, and so far it seems more like a replacement midground for MM than a nice bushy background

i guess you're right that didiplis diandra might look too big as it has quite a large overall diameter. but that's the kind of look i was looking for i guess, thin long leaves around the stem as i've read that thin leaves make the tank look bigger

Photo taken from AQ galery (hii I hope you are ok with it):

I guess it depend on the scape that you want to do.

**yeoyl87** · 3rd Oct 2007, 08:59

I am using Didiplis Diandra for my 1ft cube as background. It looks pretty good but DD requires high lighting to develop that nice tinge of red. Vallisneria Americana" mini twister" is also good for a nano background, small, slender and short enough for nano.

**uklau** · 3rd Oct 2007, 09:23

Nice tank you have there, Robert. Is that your low tech tank?

**illumnae** · 3rd Oct 2007, 10:14

Originally Posted by yeoyl87

I am using Didiplis Diandra for my 1ft cube as background. It looks pretty good but DD requires high lighting to develop that nice tinge of red. Vallisneria Americana" mini twister" is also good for a nano background, small, slender and short enough for nano.

i've read that vals will melt in excel dosed tanks

i like didiplis diandra due to its shape and even its green hue i find quite soothing,so it's ok if i don't get it reddish in this tank

**Shadow** · 3rd Oct 2007, 10:23

Originally Posted by uklau

Nice tank you have there, Robert. Is that your low tech tank?

Sorry that not my tank, I took the photo from AQ galery, I think I should stated earlier

OK, I edited the post

**illumnae** · 3rd Oct 2007, 10:32

that's a nice picture Robert, i think that plant would be awesome as a highlight plant in the back or mid ground

**illumnae** · 3rd Oct 2007, 20:17

would blyxa japonica work? it has narrow leaves so might make the tank look bigger

or rotala wallichii?

**ranmasatome** · 3rd Oct 2007, 21:20

the R. wallichii has really thin leaves.. but it is also a fast grower..
if you're going for low-tech then i am assuming that you don't want to be trimming here and there most of the time.
Blyxa japonica would work in a low tech... but it will somehow look different from ones in a high-tech tank.. you dont think the plant as a whole will look too big?

**illumnae** · 3rd Oct 2007, 21:53

yeah after going down to look at my 4ft again, blyxa indeed is too big

the idea just occurred to me as my blyxa was having self detaching plantlets than rooted themselves in my foreground lawn...so figured i could just take them for free.

trimming wise i don't mind if it's just snipping off the tops i guess, that's why i opt for stem plants...every week or so cut away 1/2 to 3/4 the plant takes me just 5mins in such a small cube.

would the R. wallichii work in a "mid-tech" setup?

**ranmasatome** · 3rd Oct 2007, 23:06

it works anywhere..haha.. it grows so fast... just that perhaps in a low tech.. it may not be so "compact"

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