Question about lawn growth :)

[ChewyTKE609]

Hi all, as you can see I'm new here to the forums and I have a question.

So, I have a sparsely planted 55 gal. tank that I'd like to add some "lawn growth" plants too. I really like the look of the small plants that cover the substrate completely. I have come across a species that I think will work well for this: Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides).

My question is this; After I get the lawn growth will I need to continue vacuuming the gravel when I do water changes? Or, will it not be needed anymore? If it still does need vacuuming, how would I go about this? Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[VOYTEK]

what kind of gravel do you have - if it's not fine you will be not able to plant HC. In general it's not an easy plant so I would not assume that you're just like that gonna grow a lawn of it ... I mean I'm wishing you best of luck but it will take time. 2ndly why do you vacuum anyways ? All you need is some filter / powerhead with a sponge to move all the dirt from the bottom, if anything you may want to rinse the sponge evey time it gets clogged a lot, rather than vacuum the bottom ... IMO.

 

[MarlboroMan]

Looks nice! I'd want to try this also, after some research of course.

 

[MDK500]

Dwarf baby tears is a very demanding plant, you will definitely need a good plant substrate, high lighting, and probably CO2 to get a healthy carpet.

 

[jcardona1]

co2, high light, and ferts are needed for a carpet of hc. it is not an easy plant to maintain and grow. as far as vacuuming, an established planted tank will keep itself clean and should not need any vacuuming. Some would even argue against filtration all together; just relying on simple mechanical filtration and adequate water movement