Some advice on planting APP (Elatine triandra) with HC (Hemianthus callitrichoides)

[Navanod]

Hi all,

Am planning a 2ftx1.5ft scape. Possibly iwagumi inspired

The hardscape will be mainly rocks with the focal piece being a Bolbitis heudelotti plant growing from behind the largest rock.
Besides planting hairgrass around the rocky scapes, I'm planning to have APP and HC too

Yes, I'm THAT greedy.

Thing is, should the HC be in the foreground slowly transcending in APP towards the back?
Or should I do the reverse?

In the past, I would've planted the HC in front without even thinking. But now, imagining how it would look, having the APP in front and the smaller and lighter colored HC in the back may give a better sense of distance and create an illusion of a larger scale?

Then again, I may be entirely wrong and the larger leaves of the APP in the foreground may actually contrast with the small front of a 2ft tank and cause the scape to look smaller.

Also, any ideas on how I can gracefully add some US fissiden and marimo to the mix? I'm thinking of putting these on half buried smooth pebbles littered around the tank. At least I can easily remove them if they looked out of place.

Thanks in advance for any advice

[blue33]

Very soon you'll ended up like my first tank below. With 2 foreground plant fighting for space.

[Shadow]

APP is extreemly fast growing plants, so you might endup trimming APP before it take over the whole tank?

IMO your concept of putting APP front and HC at the back is very good but your bolbitis will destroy the perspective. If you really want to add bolbitis, make sure it is far away from HC

[Navanod]

Very soon you'll ended up like my first tank below. With 2 foreground plant fighting for space.

Thanks blue! Looks like APP's winning here! Are those jap hairgrass?
Wow! If i use the rock scapes to form a barrier with only afew chokepoints filled with hairgrass to manage (APP in foreground, rocks with some hairgrass, and HC behind), you think it would work?

APP is extreemly fast growing plants, so you might endup trimming APP before it take over the whole tank?

IMO your concept of putting APP front and HC at the back is very good but your bolbitis will destroy the perspective. If you really want to add bolbitis, make sure it is far away from HC

Thanks shadow, your inputs are always valued
I was half hoping that with the HC at a higher "altitude", it'll have more light and hopefully fight off the APP. But I had read your post stating that each APP is able to put out 3 leaves a day after planting.
There was also a post showing APP "plantlets" all over the substrate after flowering so I'm starting to rethink this...
I'm trying APP out in an experimental tank (IQ3) and its not doing anything crazy...infact, the hairgrass is taking over and the APP kept getting dug up by amano shrimp!

AS for the bolbitis, can I have it on the side of the foreground so it kinda "reaches" over the APP towards the centre instead then?

I have a soft spot for bolbitis because I bought a tiny one very early in my hobby and it kinda languished in my tank for a year without growing much.
I even stuck it into the substrate at one point because I didn't know better! It was finally killed off by BBA...
So I felt very bad and wanted to redeemed my sins
Currently have a flourishing bolbitis waiting for a new tank so very am reluctant to exclude it...

Thanks again, hope more can offer their valuable suggestions~!

[blue33]

The only foreground going to suffer for sure is HC. Big foreground plant normally is for cosmetic purpose, only few will do provided you must be a hardworking farmer to remove when it cross over.

[Shadow]

not 3 leave but new leave (did I type wrongly ), it is the fastest plant I know that can adapt from emerse to submerse.

yes you can plant bolbitis on the side and let it grow reaching the center. In the end it is up to your creativity.