# First low tech need some guidance



## Bacms (21 Mar 2016)

Hi guys,

I was I picked a dennerle nano cube 30L for the missus to play with as a shrimp tank. She wants it to be low maintenance so I am keeping low tech. The problems then starts that she wants to scape it as an "island" type setup with grass around some central rock and just a stem plant behind that rock. 

This is where I need your help what grass like options do I have in a low tech and do they even carpet? If not can I do a dry start to get the carpet and then flood it or will plants not do well on the transition? I was thinking something like hairgrass,monte carlo, Hydrocotyle tripartita, Vallisneria and some buces. 

I am aware that both the Vallisneria and the buces won't be able to be in the dry start phase. But can mosses be dry started as well? 

Also how does Vallisneria copes with soft water?   

Plants is simply tropica substrate capped with tropica soil.


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## Tim Harrison (21 Mar 2016)

Try this for low-energy carpets http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/low-tech-lawns.32597/
And this for the low-energy DSM http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/...-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/page-3#post-372008
I'm sure Bucephalandra spp. are not obligate macrophytes, most if not all can be grown fully emersed.
Most mosses can be dry started too.
I think vallis may struggle in soft water, but I'd give a go anyway - although Sagittaria spp. like the not so dwarf subulata, may also be a better option worth considering.


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## Bacms (21 Mar 2016)

I have seen the carpet thread but had completely miss the DSM one thanks for pointing it to me. However I did not see any dwarf hairgrass carpet not it's smaller version so I am still wondering if it is possible at all. Thanks for the tip on the buces I had them as being the same true aquatics but I may be wrong as I never actually study them


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## Nelson (21 Mar 2016)

I've never tried hairgrass in a low tech,but try it and see.
Not really grass like,but how about flame moss.

Or Fissidens Fontanus.


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## Bacms (21 Mar 2016)

Good shout Neil I wasn't considering the option of moss. It may be a bit of a nightmare to try and make it fit perfectly between the rocks but otherwise don't seem any problem with it

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## Nelson (21 Mar 2016)

How about E. tenellus.Tim might have a load spare .
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/about-time-90x45x45-scape.37774/page-4#post-438283


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## Bacms (21 Mar 2016)

I thought about tenellus as I also have a tone on my current tank but it gets huge (about 20 cm for some of the older ones) so I am worried the same is gonna happen in low light

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## zozo (22 Mar 2016)

Here too, soft water  and planning a little 40 cm low tech cube for the living room, almost free standing viewable from 3 sides. so it must be a bit island type setup.. Since it's still only a brainchild and only looking at it's empty stand at this time, trying to invision where to go with it.. But it must for the biggest part of it be planted with only small low staying plant species.. Currently testing (pregrowing/propagating) Crypt parva and crypt lutea hobbit as forground (carpet) in my latest non co2 tank with easy carbo and in a smaller low tech test tank with nothing extra's of this kind.. The parva does realy well and is a viable candidate. The lutlea hobbit is still to early to say anything about it, it's relatively new in the trade this season via dennerle, but given specs are suggesting it'll do fine as forground (carpet).. it's a very nice colorfull little mini crypt, only growing (actualy melting ) it for a few weeks now..

I'm using an inert lavarock base substrate in the easy carbo tank and akadama in the low tech i planted some patches of semisubmersed growen and fully matured Utricularia Graminifolia submersed in both tanks into the substrate and it does realy good for the last 3 months and propagates well. Tho low tech it'll rather stay lighter green in color. But as far as i can see i think it's a very viable low tech carpet candidate as long as it's matured semi emersed before planted fully submersed. If you want to mature this plant fully submersed you're going to be in for a challange.

Lomariopsis cf. lineata is a very good low tech plant, personaly i have more succes with this plant in my non co2 tanks.

Vesicularia peacock grows very good and relatively fast, Flame ratter slower.
Fissidens grows slow in low tech, stays way more miniature like and brittle, needs lot of care because it's a prefect little dirt colector. It's stays one of my favorites, but for low tech you need tons of patience with fissidens.

Here is where i am at the time with my findings for my future project..  Except the flame moss the plants above are definetly viable candites.


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## Aqua360 (22 Mar 2016)

Something I am considering doing, is using my Fluval 20 kit co2 for a nano cube; basically its £20, with cartridges available off ebay super cheap. Everyday you would simply loosen the dial and let co2 into the chamber to dissipate slowly into the water column. To me that is still low(ish) tech, and would likely work well with a simple LED for dwarf hairgrass...of course, I've yet to try it so it's just supposition. Here is a pic of the fluval 20 below:


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## Iain Sutherland (22 Mar 2016)

Monte carlo, Moss and ferns work great for low maintenance shrimp tanks Bruno. .. bit neglected but you get the idea...




Otherwise hair grasses do OK low tech but they do grow tall and take an age to fill in so heavy planting is a good idea.

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## Lindy (23 Mar 2016)

I would also suggest montecarlo, but it would need trimming. Fissidens makes a lovely carpet. Another to consider is lilaeopsis mauritiana. This grows low tech but does take a while. It does however stay small. You could plant it heavily from the start?


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## zozo (23 Mar 2016)

ldcgroomer said:


> lilaeopsis mauritiana


The L. brasiliensis also does realy good in low light..  But i must admid, did put mature plants in submersed form over to the low light tank. That might have a lot influence. Might be that emersed grown plants from the lFS wont like it and not make it throught the transition in low light condition.


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## Bacms (23 Mar 2016)

Thank you all for all the suggestion. I am thinking in doing a dry start on this one just need to find a heat mat so I can have a bit more of coverage by the time I fill it. The missus really likes the mini harigrass but I am trying to persuade her towards a better option.  Lilaeopsis mauritania may be an excellent option for that and I already managed to convince her to use monte carlo at least around the rocks. Does anyone know how buces fare in low tech? Otherwise I will simply use the small anubias


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## Iain Sutherland (23 Mar 2016)

Could almost say buces are best in low tech, treat them like anubias.

Lilaeopsis has always struggles for me with low light, tried both mauritiana and brasiliensis a few times and always failed.  I dont believe it is a co2 issue, more that their LCP is higher than hairgrass, MC etc so any shaded areas or low PAR meant they never grow.  Assuming the light you buyhas more juice than the 11w CFL we were talking about Bruno you might be ok with them..??

Mini hairgrass is ok, use loads initially though as its very slow and again the LCP is higher so shaded or low light will mean it doesnt progress at all (unlike parvula).  However in low tech with higher light it will grow to full length losing its dwarf status so trimming will likely be needed to maintain a short carpet.


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## Bacms (23 Mar 2016)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Could almost say buces are best in low tech, treat them like anubias.
> 
> Lilaeopsis has always struggles for me with low light, tried both mauritiana and brasiliensis a few times and always failed.  I dont believe it is a co2 issue, more that their LCP is higher than hairgrass, MC etc so any shaded areas or low PAR meant they never grow.  Assuming the light you buyhas more juice than the 11w CFL we were talking about Bruno you might be ok with them..??
> 
> Mini hairgrass is ok, use loads initially though as its very slow and again the LCP is higher so shaded or low light will mean it doesnt progress at all (unlike parvula).  However in low tech with higher light it will grow to full length losing its dwarf status so trimming will likely be needed to maintain a short carpet.


That is really helpful Iain I will actually use the 9W CFL I bought on the weekend although it is only a 30L tank so may have a bit more of bite but is is still quite a deep tank.


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## alto (23 Mar 2016)

_S subulata_ can look very nice in a low tech - think Spec 19 with kit light - it filled in very nicely (& not tooooo slowly .... *much* faster than _L mauritiana_) & stayed small, it's a nice bright green


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## tim (23 Mar 2016)

Buces and lilaeopsis will work low tech, I have them in mine under an aquael leddy light journal link is in my sig. Lilaeopsis has some hygro araguia mixed in not turned as red as I'd hoped but a nice mix all the same, as others have said plant the carpet as heavily as you can to get off to a good start.


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## Bacms (23 Mar 2016)

Ok plants ordered ordered mainly Monte carlo but also a couple of pots of both lilaeposis and marsilea and parvula so will try a combination of them and see how it works. I also have loads of tenellus on my high tech so could move some over just not sure how it will cope with the change as it gets massive on the high tech

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