Can I add and grow monte carlo plant in an established tank?

[newcomer12]

Hey guys,

I got my first 10 gal tank for a month with 4 amano shrimps, 5 pygmy corys and 6 ember tetras.

Looked over the internet and pretty interested in having a carpet plants like monte carlo. However, I'm just not sure if I can grow it now as my tank is already running with fishes in it. Someone said that I shouldn't grow it as I have bottom feeders like corys right now as well.

My tank is half-planted tank with sand substrate on top and fluval soil in the bottom. Lighting is from my tank lid, which comes with the tank from TOP FIN as a package.

 

[BeachCruiser]

In-top lighting is rarely enough to grow most small carpeting plants. Most nice MC carpets are high light & co2 injection.

You might have luck with dwarf hair grass or dwarf sag but they have a different look.

The Corys in my tank do not uproot the dwarf sag. Unless you have big cichlids or goldfish, most other fish leave new plants alone.

 

[Fishfur]

You might try Marsilea hirsuta. It’s a small fern and can make a nice carpet in low to moderate lighting without CO2. Just be aware it will grow quite slowly in these conditions so it will take time.

 

[newcomer12]

In-top lighting is rarely enough to grow most small carpeting plants. Most nice MC carpets are high light & co2 injection.

You might have luck with dwarf hair grass or dwarf sag but they have a different look.

The Corys in my tank do not uproot the dwarf sag. Unless you have big cichlids or goldfish, most other fish leave new plants alone.

thank you! i planned to buy a hang-on the back aquarium light for my tank for the carpet plants and maybe make a DIY lid as well because i can't tell the power of my aquarium light at all from the packaging or online sources.

great to hear the corys don't uproot the plants. my biggest afraid is prob just the growth rate of those plants and wonder if the fish in tank will affect it a lot or not.

You might try Marsilea hirsuta. It’s a small fern and can make a nice carpet in low to modern lighting without CO2. Just be aware it will grow quite slowly in these conditions so it will take time.

thank you for the recommendation! i will def go with plants that don't require CO2 but i'm willing to buy one if needed.

anyways, i wonder about ur list of plants recommendation for my situation. would be great to know what options i will have for this tank right now, because my concern is probably the growth rate for those.

have some other plants as well in the tank: anubias, java ferns, water wisteria, guppy grass and frogbits. just not sure if there will be enough nitrates for the new plants or not as my readings for nitratre is always at 5ppm. do i need root tab in this situation?

 

[86 ssinit]

Being your first tank and it’s new I would wait before adding a carpeting plant. See how the plants you have will grow. It’s a 10g and to get any carpeting plant to grow you’ll need good lighting. More lighting also mean algae. You’ll need to feed the plants and again this to can mean more algae. Being new your plants now still haven’t adjusted to your tank and water. You need a few months to see how they grow. Carpeting plant catch a lot of debris which can in time foul your water. Lots to do and learn before you try carpeting plants. They look great in an aquascape but that’s about it.

 

[newcomer12]

Being your first tank and it’s new I would wait before adding a carpeting plant. See how the plants you have will grow. It’s a 10g and to get any carpeting plant to grow you’ll need good lighting. More lighting also mean algae. You’ll need to feed the plants and again this to can mean more algae. Being new your plants now still haven’t adjusted to your tank and water. You need a few months to see how they grow. Carpeting plant catch a lot of debris which can in time foul your water. Lots to do and learn before you try carpeting plants. They look great in an aquascape but that’s about it.

thank you for your thoughtful advice!

ngl i'm too rushy in this hobby as having this as my fish tank and want to do many things with it lol. i see the problem clearer now and will take a slower but steadier steps from now. will see how many plants grow and plan from there!

talking about debris, there are lots of shrimp waste from my amano in my tank and it doesn't look too good on my light-colored sand substrate. it's literally a lot just a day after i do my weekly tank maintenance and gravel vacumn. i heard turkey baster daily will help but just wonder if there is any other solution for this case.

 

[Fishfur]

thank you for your thoughtful advice!

ngl i'm too rushy in this hobby as having this as my fish tank and want to do many things with it lol. i see the problem clearer now and will take a slower but steadier steps from now. will see how many plants grow and plan from there!

talking about debris, there are lots of shrimp waste from my amano in my tank and it doesn't look too good on my light-colored sand substrate. it's literally a lot just a day after i do my weekly tank maintenance and gravel vacumn. i heard turkey baster daily will help but just wonder if there is any other solution for this case.

On light coloured substrate everything shows - ‘tis the downside to the light colours. But it’s not too difficult to siphon the poop & general mulm up without disturbing too-too much sand. Otoh, it is just about impossible to avoid sucking up SOME sand. But given a chance, sand sinks to the bottom of a bucket so it can be retrieved. It is annoying that to keep light substrate looking clean, this has to be done regularly.

If you’re using a python type device, it’s also necessary to find a way to capture any sand that is sucked up. The force of the python’s flow can keep sand suspended long enough that it will run out of the bucket with overflowing water ( if that sounds messy, well, my bucket is in the bathtub to avoid possibly flooding the floor ).
With just the bucket found that some sand was going down the drain. That’s a waste of sand but most importantly, it’s very bad for the drainage system. It can lead to a badly blocked drain pipe. Some of the overflowed sand just accumulates around the drain but not all of it.

I have started using a very large cloth bag in the bucket. I tie the top of the bag shut around the output end of the hose specifically to trap all the sand. If the bag is catching sand it’ll also catch other but water goes through. Best if the bag isn’t very tightly woven - but tight enough to catch sand ( still working on finding the best textile for the job).
The bag can be emptied and rinsed if it gets clogged. That’s a bit of a nuisance if it’s necessary but paying the cost to unplug a sand clog in the drain (this is an apartment) would be quite costly so it’s worth the bit of aggro.
So I tend not to worry if sand ends up in the bucket. I just rinse it clean & replace it in the tank. You can even deliberately suck up the top layer of sand now & then so you can rinse it clean.

 

[BeachCruiser]

Regarding root tabs, your wisteria might benefit but the other plants are primarily water column feeders. If you aren't already, a good all in one liquid fertilizer would probably help plant growth. Thrive & Easy Green are both popular products.