Lilaeopsis brasiliensis or Eleocharis parvula in sand with no substrate

[Wisey]

Hi All,

I'm designing a scape which is a semi-circle shape with a low rock wall, substrate behind the wall and sand in the foreground. I'll break up the starkness of the wall with some plants that like to be out of the substrate such as Anubias, but what I would like to do is just soften the divide between sand and rock in some places with something I can trim and keep low such as Lilaeopsis brasiliensis or Eleocharis parvula. It's not going to go right along the rock wall and I am not looking for a huge carpet, I just want some clumps of it here and there along the wall.

This plant would in theory be straight in to inert sand with no substrate below. I'm going to be dosing EI and I have read in many places that the substrate is not required with EI. I just wanted some confirmation from people that may have used these plants in this fashion that they will grow and survive in such conditions. I'll be using pressurised CO2.

Thanks in advance!

Wisey.

 

[parotet]

Hi Wisey

I used to have in my tank two substrates, AQ Amazonia and plain sand... But now it is all mixed as the AQ rolled down the slope (I didn't use any kind of barrier) and I am too lazy to be all the time cleaning it. During some months I kept them separated and I could grow Eleocharis without any problem (also EI). Now it is just capped in some places with some grains of AQ and I'm successfully growing Eleocharis, Staurogyne, Montecarlo and Bacopa. If you add ferts to the water column you shouldn't have any problem IMO.

Jordi

 

[Wisey]

Great, thanks, will give it a go.