Marsilia: care and maintenance, description, photo

Marsilea quadrifolia or four-leaf clover is an excellent foreground aquarium plant for aquariums with average light levels. This aquatic plant is very popular among amateur aquarists as an excellent ground cover plant.

Marsilia was described in 1825 and belongs to the Marsiliaceae family. It is distributed throughout the African continent, from Algeria to the tropical west, in equatorial and eastern Africa, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland. Also widespread in tropical Asia, the Comoros Islands, Madagascar. The plant was brought from its natural habitats to North America and is now distributed almost everywhere.

It grows in shallow water along river banks, canals, ditches and in rice fields. It is most common in flooded areas, where it forms large and dense “carpets”. Marsilia has a root and takes root well with cuttings and shoots. It prefers calm, standing waters, and where it is deep, Marsilia will float on the surface of the water.

External characteristics

Marsilia quatrefoil is a plant that has a creeping root system that spreads along the ground or is located in its upper ball. From the root there are a number of separate shoots. At the top of each shoot there are hard, glossy, dark green leaves neatly divided into 4 equal parts, resembling clover in appearance. Sometimes there are 1 or 2 leaves, which directly depends on the conditions of detention (lighting and water parameters). A leaf may have different characteristics:

The petiole is 2-3 cm long, and the leaves have a diameter of 4-5 mm.
Petiole 10 cm long with leaves 2 cm in diameter.
Each growth point on the rhizome has fibrous roots in the shoot zone.

The plant grows all year round, but slowly. It evenly fills the aquascape space without interfering with other species. You can use four-leaf marsilia in aquarium design in several ways. With proper maintenance parameters: bright lighting, moderately warm and clean water, it will emerge in the form of a green mat. The best place for planting is at the front glass of the aquarium.

In dim and diffused light, Marsilia quatrefoil will produce tall leaves. In this case, it is placed in the middle of the landscape composition. The plant can be used to simulate a carpet, creating a multi-level design. Due to its creeping root system, marsilia can be attached to driftwood where it will grow.

The denser the planting density, the smaller the leaves will grow. To create a beautiful and neat cover, it is better to thin out the plant. Pull out rotten leaves, as well as those that do not look impressive against the general background.

Spreading

The plant is widely represented in the subtropical and southern temperate zones of Eurasia. Southern and Central Europe, the Caucasus, India, Southeast Asia - this is the natural habitat. In Russia it is found in the lower reaches of the Volga and Don. Having been introduced to North America, marsilia successfully acclimatized in the eastern states of the United States.

This aquatic fern prefers calm areas with standing water, as well as the banks of slow lowland rivers covered with silt.

Description

Marsilia is one of the most popular foreground aquarium plants. This is a perennial herbaceous plant with a thin creeping and branched rhizome, with leaves growing upward along its entire length. Roots form at each node of the rhizome and anchor the plant in the soil. The rhizome is green to light brown, 0.4-0.8 mm thick and densely covered with brown hairs. The leaf consists of four leaves, is shaped like a four-leaf clover leaf, and grows at the top of a thin flexible stalk extending from the rhizome. Young shoots of leaves are covered with numerous hairs.

The cutting can grow up to 10-15 cm, but can be pruned to encourage shorter plant growth. The plant spreads by shoots. Up to five tubercles are formed along each shoot - future cuttings. Under optimal conditions, Marsilia forms a thick, dark to lime green carpet with numerous shoots. By forming a carpet, Marsilia provides excellent cover for fry and shrimp. Can grow partially or completely submerged in water.

There are several types of Marsilia, for example, Marsilia minute, angustifolia, Drummondia and others. There are 65 species in the world.

Ground cover plants for the aquarium

Ground cover plants are small, low-growing aquarium plants that have the ability to actively capture and retain new areas. Very often the term “carpet plants” is used for such plants, and among aquarists they are called “ground cover”. They are usually used to decorate the foreground of the aquarium, while the aquarium itself with these plants takes on a natural appearance.

It is worth paying attention that if several types of ground cover plants are used simultaneously, they will certainly mix with each other. And in the long term, it will be quite difficult for the aquarist to maintain its original appearance. In some cases, an aquarium with different types of ground cover looks very interesting. To reduce this mixing of plants, it is best to use special plastic partitions. Such limiting partitions prevent the spread of new processes in the wrong direction. Decorations in the aquarium, such as stones and driftwood, are also perfect for this purpose.

Often aquarists reduce the spread of plants by trimming; new plants (their shoots) are cut off with scissors. But this method has a significant drawback: firstly, it is quite time-consuming, and secondly, it is not very productive, since plants grow throughout the daylight hours. Pruning plants every day or every other day is also an unpleasant job.

When planting plants, it is best to use tweezers of the appropriate size. You can learn how to plant plants correctly by reading this article. In this article we will talk about popular ground cover plants used when decorating an aquarium.

Hemianthus Cuba - Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba"

Hemianthus Cuba is one of the smallest aquarium plants in the world. The leaves are 1-2 mm in size with approximately the same internode length. A very attractive and popular plant among aquascapers, used to decorate the foreground of an aquarium. For proper and healthy growth, the plant requires good conditions - sufficient lighting, the addition of carbon dioxide, water circulation and liquid fertilizers. Small pearls or oxygen bubbles often form on the surface of the plant, giving the green mat a very vibrant appearance. If you plant Hemianthus cubes in small bushes at a distance of a few centimeters from each other, they quickly grow and cover the bottom like a carpet.

Particular attention should be paid to cutting this plant. Without regular trimming, the lower part of the plant will not receive enough light, which will definitely lead to the death of the root system. In this case, a beautiful green carpet comes off the ground and floats up.

Note: Although Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" is one of the most beautiful groundcovers, it is mainly popular among advanced or professional aquascapers. The fact is that Hemianthus Cuba is a very delicate and demanding plant, which is quite difficult to care for. This plant is not suitable for beginners.

General characteristics:

It is small in size, about 3-5 cm in height, the roots are small and white
The little pearls or oxygen bubbles that appear at the tips of the leaves make this plant even more magnificent.
Substrate: A nutrient-rich substrate.
Hemianthus Cuba needs a constant supply of Co2
This plant does not like hard water

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 20 – 28 ° C
Water hardness: soft to medium.
pH: 6.0 – 7.5
Lighting: medium to high

Reproduction: by shoots, can be cut into pieces or trim mature stems from a dense mat for further planting in the ground
Care level: medium - high

Advantages

Very beautiful plant
Forms a dense, bright green mat

Flaws

Requires liquid fertilizer and carbon dioxide supply
Requires intense lighting
Picky about water parameters
May dissolve when transferred from dry to aqueous form
It is quite difficult to secure when planting (requires skill)
The need for frequent cutting (if you don’t cut it, the root system may rot and the plant will float up)

Glossostigma elatinoides

Glossostigma elatinoides, commonly known as Glossa. This short, green plant species is native to Australia and New Zealand and grows in shallow waters and swamps. The plant is a creeping stem on which whorls of paired leaves and roots are located. The color of the leaves is bright green, the shape is teardrop-shaped.

Glossostigma povoinichova is a universal ground cover plant for creating dense green lawns in the foreground of the aquarium. Currently, Glossostigma elatinoides is considered one of the most popular foreground species in the Iwagumi and Dutch styles.

Some management guides state that Glossostigma elatinoides is a low-maintenance plant that can grow well even in low to moderate light and without carbon dioxide. Well... that's true, but in this case it never forms a dense carpet! It's a beautiful plant though. We do not recommend this plant for beginners!

General characteristics:

The leaves are small, about 6 mm, ligulate and bright green
Requires a nutrient-rich substrate
It takes a long time for the root system to develop
Glossostigma elatinoides prefers bright light. If there is not enough light, it begins to stretch upward
The plant grows quite quickly thanks to Co2, fertilizers and bright lighting. Without all this, growth can be very slow.
Without pruning, new leaves “suffocate” the old ones, causing rot from below
Growth height up to 5-6 cm, it is recommended to prune every time it grows above 3 cm

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 22 – 30 ° C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 6.5 - 7.5
Lighting: Moderate to High

Reproduction: Glossa reproduces quite quickly using lateral shoots with roots

Care level: medium - hard

Advantages

A very attractive plant with lush green leaves
Maintains compact shape
One of the smallest ground cover plants
Fast growth in optimal conditions

Flaws

Requires gas supply and intense lighting for good growth.
"Long-legged look" in low light
Predisposed to the appearance of algae on leaves
Requires frequent haircuts
Takes more time to take care of yourself

Micranthemum Monte Carlo - Micranthemum sp. Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is a light green plant with a small structure, round or ovate leaves and creeping shoots. Very similar to Hemianthus Cuba, but has several advantages. Firstly, the plant has longer roots. Thanks to its root system, the plant is much more firmly anchored in the soil and does not require frequent cutting. Secondly, Monte Carlo has larger leaves than Cuba, their diameter is approximately 3 mm, which allows for a smooth transition to plants with large leaves and makes the overall appearance of the aquarium more natural and natural. The third advantage is the requirements for living conditions, and they are much simpler. For good growth, the plant needs 0.7 Watt (~70 - 100 Lm/l) and it does not require a high concentration of carbon dioxide in the aquarium.

An interesting feature of this plant is its ability to take root on stones or snags. This plant ability can be used to recreate the hanging Garden of Babylon.

Despite its newness, Micrantemum Monte Carlo is definitely one of the best ground covers and is suitable for beginners.

General characteristics:

This plant has a bright light green color overall.
The leaves are both small (up to 1 cm or 0.4 inches) and round.
Can use a wide spectrum of light, except low light, the plant's stems may turn yellow.
Requires a nutrient-rich substrate. Root amendments and fertilizers are valued to increase growth.
Monte Carlo typically grows 3 to 6 cm (1 to 2.25 in).

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 20-25°C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 5.5 – 7.5
Lighting: moderate - high

Reproduction: Monte Carlo reproduces by shoots that branch horizontally on the ground.
You can also separate part of the stem or an entire shoot from the mother plant and plant it separately. Care level: light

Advantages

Easy to breed
Does not require frequent haircuts
Ability to maintain good growth without Co2 supply
Does not require constant haircuts
Not demanding on intense lighting
Easily forms a green carpet

Flaws

May dissolve early after planting
Difficulty landing (requires skill)

Eleocharis mini - Eleocharis sp. "mini"

Eleocharis mini - Eleocharis sp. mini is the smallest known Eleocharis in size. Until recently, Eleocharis parvlois was considered the smallest Eleocharis. However, a little later a smaller species was found in South America; it was given the same name but with the prefix mini.

Eleocharis sp. mini is visually easy to distinguish from its counterpart based on the structure of the leaves. The leaves of the mini are curled and slightly pressed to the ground; in Eleocharis parvlois, on the contrary, the leaves are straight and tending upward. In this regard, the green rug from Eleocharis mini is also radically different in appearance. This rug is much lower (about 3 cm) and it is more curly.

This plant has a stunning appearance and fascinates with its beauty. Very often, due to its size, it is used in small aquariums; it is with it that you can achieve a greater sense of scale and, of course, get ease of maintenance.

The length of the leaves rarely reaches 5 cm, usually 3-4 cm. Conditions of maintenance are very similar to its counterpart, the distinguishing feature is slower growth, as well as less frequent cutting.

The plant periodically requires thinning, it is similar to thinning at a hairdresser. Small scissors are placed with blades into the ground and pruning is performed, thus the growing layers of plants are thinned out and the rug takes on a renewed look.

Eleocharis sp. mini is an excellent choice for use in the foreground of your aquarium.

General characteristics:

Height 3-5 cm, leaves resemble a neat street lawn
Grows faster in bright light
According to research, this plant can absorb some heavy metals, which is really great for any aquarium.
Prefers nutrient-rich substrate

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 10-25°C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 6.5 - 7.5
Lighting: Moderate to High

Reproduction: This plant reproduces by producing shoots that spread throughout the aquarium

Level of care: light to medium

Advantages

Easy to breed
Creates beautiful green lawns
Withstands low temperatures

Flaws

Growth rate is relatively low without Co2 supply
Susceptible to algae fouling
Easily clogged with debris

Marsilea hirsuta

Marsilea hirsuta is a beautiful ground cover plant from Australia, belonging to one of the varieties of ferns. Due to its unpretentiousness and beautiful appearance, this is one of the best-selling ground cover plants. The leaf plates of this plant in an aquarium can consist of 2 three or even four lobes, very similar to clover leaves.

Marsilia hirsuta can be planted either in the front, to form a green mat, or in small groups in the middle, to give some emphasis to the necessary points.

Young leaves of Marsilia may be yellowish in color, but after a while the leaves regain their natural color - rich green. Adaptation after planting takes about a week.

Breeding Marsilia is very simple; just cut off and transplant the root shoots to the desired location. The plant is successfully grown in paludariums and it is not surprising, because in its homeland Marsilia grows in shallow reservoirs, as well as along the banks of shallow rivers.

An interesting fact is that to obtain a thicker lawn from Marsilia, it is necessary to periodically cut the “chains” between the cuttings, thereby stimulating the formation of new chains from Marsilia shoots. New leaves of Marsilia Hirsuta may have a brown color, it is important to understand that they are not spoiled and after some time after planting in the aquarium they take on a normal appearance and color.

General characteristics:

The plant can have different leaf shapes and structures, which makes it even more interesting.
Young leaves of Marsilea hirsuta may be yellowish in color, but after some time the leaves acquire a natural color of rich green.
Requires a nutrient-rich substrate or fertilizer in a sandy or gravel substrate.
This is a slow growing plant. CO2 is very valuable if you want to improve your growth rate.
Marsilia hirsut produces a long, creeping rhizome covered with small, pale brown hairs.
Doesn't like too warm temperatures. Marsilea hirsute may stop growing or even melt if temperatures are above 26 °C (79 °F).
Marsilea hirsute tends to stay smaller in bright light.
Height: Can grow up to 10 cm (4 inches).

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 18-25°C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 6.0 – 7.0
Lighting: moderate

Reproduction: all Marsilia species have stolon-like rhizomes that “crawl” along the substrate and grow quickly. Mature rhizomes can also be divided and replanted.

Care level: light

Advantages

Undemanding plant
Good growth in low light
Low Co2 requirements
Fixes well in the substrate
Creates a beautiful green mat

Flaws

This is a slow growing plant
May dissolve early after planting

Sagittaria subulate - Sagittaria subulata

Sagittaria subulate is an undemanding foreground plant that adds depth to an aquascape. The plant is undemanding and easy to care for, making it an excellent option for beginning aquarists. The leaves are bright green and look like wide blades of grass. By releasing side shoots, it can very quickly form a dense group. A mature plant may send a stem to the surface of your aquarium and bloom with small white flowers.

Ideal for a simple aquarium without carbon dioxide supply, withstands high carbonate hardness, light intensity requirements are moderate. It is worth noting that the plant is to some extent susceptible to iron deficiency; this manifests itself on new leaves with a pale tint.

Typically a plant recommended for use in the foreground, Sagittaria subulata will still begin to grow upward over time. Because of this, it can easily be used in the middle of an aquarium and even as a background in small aquariums.

Unlike other foreground aquarium plants, which tend to require a lot of care, this is a simple and unpretentious plant, even for beginners.

General characteristics:

Dwarf sag has large, bright green foliage.
Grows to 10-15 cm (about 4-6 inches).
The leaves are hard and narrow (about 5 mm or 0.2 inch).
Forms thick mats on the aquarium substrate.
Dwarf Sagittarius does not like very strong lighting, it may even melt.
This plant is a root feeder. So, a nutrient-rich substrate is valued.
CO2 is not essential, but it greatly increases the growth rate.

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 20 – 28 ° C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 6.0 – 8.0
Lighting: moderate

Reproduction: Dwarf sagittaria reproduce by branching lateral shoots on the ground.

Care level: light

Advantages

Very hardy plant
Easily tolerates low temperatures
Excellent adhesion to the substrate
Grows in low light
High growth rate under optimal conditions

Flaws

Requires regular haircuts
Difficulty transitioning from dry form

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis - Lilaeopsis brasiliensis

Liliopsis leaves are bright green in color and have a very compact shape. It grows quite quickly and covers the bottom of the soil to a height of about 4-6 cm. Unlike all needles, the plant has thicker leaves.

In the aquarium hobby, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is commonly known as micrograss or copragrass due to its narrow, sword-shaped leaves.

Lileopsis grows more slowly compared to other ground cover species of aquarium plants, which is its main advantage. The green carpet of lileopsis is almost never cut.

You just need to sometimes remove the arrows with leaves that spread to areas unplanned for lileopsis in the aquascape. The thickness of the lileopsis rug is even smaller than that of eleocharis, since the length of lileopsis leaves is less than that of eleocharis - 4-5 cm, but the thickness of the leaves is much greater - 3-4 mm.

An easy to care for aquarium plant, the Brazilian Microsword grows well in many living conditions and is widely recommended for beginning aquarists. It is known as an excellent foreground plant and an excellent spawning habitat for fish and dwarf shrimp.

The only difficulty in maintaining this unpretentious plant is the need for periodic pruning. Aging leaves in very dense thickets begin to turn yellow and spoil the overall appearance. Thinning promotes rapid growth and increased density of the lawn. It is recommended to cut off shoots that have begun to grow above the lawn.

Note: The genus Lilaeopsis has only 7 species. However, the similarity of morphological characteristics has caused a lot of controversy even among professionals about what is what.

General characteristics:

Lileopsis brasiliensis is a small species of carpet plant, 4-7 cm tall, that is an excellent choice for the foreground of an aquarium.
This plant will grow well in a nutrient-rich substrate, preferably iron-rich clay or nutrient substrate
It can survive in any lighting conditions. However, a beautiful carpet will only work in very bright light.

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 18-25°C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 6.0 – 8.0
Lighting: moderate - high

Reproduction: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is a very prolific plant that will cover the aquarium substrate at an incredible rate, forming lawns. Each plant produces stolons, which are independent daughter plants.

Level of care: light to medium

Advantages

Relatively unpretentious plant
Simple propagation
Grows in any light
Easy landing
The root system prevents the formation of gas pockets

Flaws

Without carbon dioxide supply, slow growth
May dissolve during transition from terrestrial to underwater form

Echinodorus tenellus

This species of Echinodorus is known as the "dwarf Amazon". A very popular aquarium plant that forms dense thickets of dense, bright green rosettes of elongated, hard leaves that do not have cuttings. Thickets of Echinodorus tender, 7–10 cm high, placed in the foreground, perfectly decorate the aquarium.

One of the unique abilities of this plant is that it can change color depending on the conditions of the aquarium (light intensity). It may be green, reddish or even purple. Some aquarists believe that the red form (var. rubra) of Echinodorus is a different species, or at least a subspecies. However, at the moment we have no scientific evidence for this.

Note. Echinodorus tellenus is often confused and sold as Sagittaria subulata. The main difference is that Sagittaria subulata has wider leaves and is always a bright lime color. The fastest growing plant from this article

Echinodorus tendersis is a popular aquarium plant and an excellent choice for beginners.

General characteristics:

The plant has an almost feathered appearance, so they will definitely overlap each other
It has rather short (5-10 cm) and thin leaves (5 mm)
Each plant usually has about 10-15 stems per bunch
Echinodorus tendersis grows quickly in optimal conditions and forms a beautiful carpet in the foreground of the aquarium.
This plant will grow well in a substrate rich in nutrients. It grows well in sand or gravel, but in this case you will have to use root pads to provide the plant with the necessary nutrients.

Optimal conditions of detention:

Temperature: 22–26°C
Water hardness: from soft to hard water
pH: 6.5 - 7.5
Lighting: moderate

Reproduction: Echinodorus tenderis propagated by seeds and is freely grown in emergent form. In the aquarium, the plant reproduces by shoots, which are very prolific and ideal for propagation in such conditions.

Care level: medium

Advantages

Easy to breed
Possibility of creating a dense green mat in the aquarium
Fast growth
Grows without Co2 supply
The root system prevents the formation of gas pockets

Flaws

Requires a substrate rich in nutrients
Requires intense lighting for good growth
Huge root system makes replanting difficult

How to Grow Ground Cover Plants

Growing a beautiful green mat in an aquarium is not an easy task, but it is achievable. If you follow the correct recommendations for keeping a particular plant, you will undoubtedly grow it in your aquarium. The most important part in this simple task is researching the specific species or species of interest. Over time, as you gain experience, you will competently tell and even advise your aquarium friends about wrong steps or actions. Don't hesitate, you will definitely succeed!

Substrate

Most ground cover plants in an aquarium require a nutrient-rich substrate for proper and healthy growth. However, this is not necessary; some types of plants will grow well on an inert substrate.

Note: In case you don't know, an inert substrate is a substrate that does not change the water chemistry (pH). For example, gravel or sand.

The choice of substrate will largely depend on the type of plant you are growing, while some plants may prefer to be planted on plain gravel to make them easier to establish, others will grow best in nutritious soil only.

However, if you don’t like the way the nutrient soil looks, there are also aquarists who like that, you can make your own optimal substrate for ground cover plants. For this, a nutrient substrate is used, which is placed on the bottom of the aquarium with a thickness of 3 to 5 cm, and sand or other neutral soil (for example, proppant) is poured on top of it. The nutrient base in such a “pie” will serve for a long time as a source of necessary substances for good and healthy plant growth.

Lighting

Lighting is probably the most important part and the MAIN reason why people often fail. It is important to understand! Each type of plant has different needs. Thus, the final picture in your aquarium is greatly influenced by the light intensity.

While some plant species do well in low light, most will simply survive in such conditions. Low lighting in the aquarium is guaranteed to ensure the appearance of “long-legged” plants reaching towards the surface of the water (the light source).

A huge percentage of ground cover plants will benefit from moderate light, while the rest will only reach their potential in strong light.

For best results, provide your aquarium plants with good and proper lighting and maintain a photoperiod of at least 8 hours every day.

Fertilizers

It is a known fact that regular supply of liquid fertilizers rich in -micro and -macro elements promotes healthy plant development and helps maintain the natural color of the green mat in your aquarium. If the plants in the aquarium lack nutrients such as iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphates, etc., after a fairly short period of time they become weak and may even die.

Liquid fertilizers should be applied weekly or after each water change. Sometimes aquarists divide the weekly dose of fertilizer into small “micro-doses” and apply them several times a week. For root feeding of plants, you can use special root tabs; this is very important if neutral soil is used.

Co2 supply

If you plan to grow plants such as Hemianthus cuba or Glossostigma povoinica in your aquarium, then the supply of carbon dioxide is essential for the proper development of these plants. Without gas, these plants will practically not grow. There are many options for supplying Co2, some use homemade installations, others use liquid additives (so-called liquid carbon). We recommend choosing a Co2 cylinder supply system for an aquarium. Carbon dioxide promotes growth and keeps plants healthy, although many ground cover plants can grow without it.

Advice. Co2 levels can be increased through the so-called “Siesta Period”. For example, if we turn off the lights during the day for 1-2 hours, CO2 levels will begin to accumulate in the aquarium. This method is good enough if you want to give your plants a little boost, but don't expect miracles. The siesta period will never replace the supply of CO2.

Read more about this in our article “Carbon dioxide in a natural aquarium”.

Landing

Before planting, the plants should be divided into small parts (pieces), usually done with scissors. Next, the resulting pieces-pieces are planted in the ground using tweezers at some distance from each other. There are hobbyists who plant plants using a “checkerboard” or “grid” pattern. In fact, this does not play a special role. Over time, the plants still grow, covering the entire surface of the soil.

Important information: To prevent unnecessary algae, snails and various bacteria from entering the aquarium, do not forget to quarantine. When starting a new plant, it is of course best to use meristematic plants. Plants grown in the laboratory are very strong and completely sterile (no pests, snails or algae).

A very interesting way to start a new aquarium is the dry start method. With this method, you can save a lot of money on plants and, importantly, plants with this method perfectly fix landscape changes with their roots. After filling the aquarium with water, the plants will definitely not float up. We recommend this method! If you haven't tried it yet, try it, you will definitely like it. This will help you grow carpet plants faster!

You can learn about this method of starting an aquarium by reading the article: Practical Guide. Dry start method.

Trimming aquarium plants

Regular trimming of ground cover plants often causes rapid horizontal growth and the proliferation of numerous side shoots. Pruning also helps plants stay small and compact. The green mat should be regularly thinned out with scissors and tweezers, and it is better to remove peeled and old stems and leaves from the aquarium. This will prevent clogging of the water intake pipes of the external filter.

Advice. While cutting and thinning, use tweezers, shake and comb your green mat. This method will untangle the stems and also remove any trapped debris from the plants. Next, using a small hose, remove the debris along with the flow of pumped water. It is best to turn off the external filter while cutting, this will prevent cuttings from spreading throughout the aquarium. It is best to collect the cut parts of plants from the surface of the water with a small net.

Conclusion

Ground cover plants, due to their growth characteristics, are very important when designing an aquascape. All the plants discussed in this article have different needs and requirements. By fulfilling the necessary requirements and creating optimal conditions for healthy plant growth, you will get the perfect green lawn in your aquarium.

Aquascaping with groundcovers is a challenge, so beginners can start with low-maintenance plants and work their way up.

Our company offers to buy meristem plants for the aquarium, including those that we talked about in this article. More details about the range of aquarium plants can be found in the Plants and Mosses section.

If you liked the article, share it with your friends!

Conditions for keeping Marsilia

The plant can be placed in moderately warm and tropical aquariums. The basic requirements for conditions of detention are as follows:

The water should be soft (0-2) and have a temperature of 18-24 degrees, since in harder and colder water Marsilia simply stops growing. Optimal acidity is from 5 to 7. The frequency of water changes does not affect its growth.

Lighting is quite moderate (0.3-0.5 W/l).

Daylight hours are twelve hours. Both fluorescent and incandescent lamps are suitable. You can also use natural diffused light. If the aquarium is high, then in addition to the top one you will need to install side lighting. However, it tolerates periods of prolonged shading quite well.

Soil . Since the roots are weak and delicate, it is better to use coarse river sand as soil. A layer of 2-3 cm is enough. No additional feeding is required, natural siltation is enough. Perhaps only when starting a new aquarium.

There should be no noticeable current .

As you can see, these conditions are quite easy to fulfill even for beginners.

Conditions in the aquarium

Many sources indicate that four-leaf clover is an unpretentious plant that even a novice aquarist can grow. However, this statement is only partly true. Depending on the conditions, you can get a completely different appearance of the plant. Since it can exist both under water and at the border of the air and water environments, a change in growing conditions will lead to a change in the plant itself.

The optimal conditions are:

Water parameters	Designation	Index
Temperature	ʈ°	18-29
Rigidity	°dGH	3-8
pH value	pH	6,0-7,5
CO2 saturation	mg/l	5-15

A special requirement is placed on lighting. If an aquarium or paludarium is located next to a window and the lighting is only natural, then the leaf blades, similar to our wood sorrel, become larger, and their petioles are shortened.

In order to stimulate the growth of fern, you can add side lighting, but not more intense than 0.4 W/l or 40 lm/l. If the task is to quickly grow a thick, beautiful coating, then experts recommend increasing the vertical illumination to 0.75 W/l.

Lighting must have the appropriate spectral characteristics for photosynthesis - orange or red spectrum.

Daylight hours are 12 hours.

The lower the light intensity, the more the plant petioles stretch, trying to bring the leaf blade to the surface of the water.

To make the marsilia “mat” smooth, thick, and have a beautiful color, you need to add CO2 and apply fertilizer:

Dennerle Plant Elixir;
API Root Tabs;
Dennerle V30 Complete;
TetraPlant and PlantaMin.

TETRA CO2 PLUS can be used to enrich water with CO2. Since the plant grows rather slowly, and for its full growing season and beautiful appearance it requires expensive nutrient soil (read more about why nutrient soil is needed and how to make it), hobbyists use fern less and less in their aquariums. But it has gained popularity in aquascaping.

How to propagate Marsilia

Marsilia is a long-stemmed plant, which means there are two ways to propagate it: cuttings and dividing the creeping rhizome.

Most often, they take the rhizome and divide it into parts, and the outer ones are considered the most suitable (the middle ones grow poorly and often die).

Each part should have at least 4, and preferably 5-6 leaves and a pronounced growth point. The separated cuttings should be planted in well-silted sand and lightly pressed down with something. No need to dig in.

Sometimes cuttings are grown in a humid greenhouse and then placed in an aquarium, where, after a short adaptation, it grows like an ordinary underwater one.

Agree, caring for Marsilia quatrefoil is very simple, and it is worth dealing with this plant. Moreover, as a result you will get a gorgeous green carpet. Perhaps the only reason why it is not in great demand among aquarists is its slow growth. But if this doesn’t scare you, go for it!

Compatibility

Even though these aquatic ferns have tough leaves, it is still possible to damage them. They do not go well with ancistrus and goldfish, since these animals have a main diet of plant foods, and therefore, if they have the wrong menu, they can be fed leaves.

Also bad neighbors are cichlids and other fish that by their nature love to dig in the ground. Because of this, Marsilia will not be able to fully take root and sooner or later it will die.

The best option is small fish or predatory catfish. For example, guppies, neons, thorns, tetras, cherry barbs, rasboras, rhodostomuses, minors, cockerels, and swordtails are perfect.

Aquadesign

Marsilia is usually used as a foreground plant or ground cover. Since creating a good “carpet” requires nutritious soil, which is not cheap, and strong lighting, it is often used for a nano aquarium. Suitable for the “ivagumi” style - marsilia looks great against the background of stones.

In a large aquarium with lower lighting, the Marsilia "carpet" can be, so to speak, "high", due to the plants stretching upward.

Often in nano aquariums Marsilia is used as a plant in the middle or even background, and in larger aquariums in the middle zone of the aquarium. In low to medium light, this aquarium plant will stretch upward to form interesting shapes.

This interesting plant can decorate any aquarium.

Reproduction and planting

Marsilia is not a unique plant in terms of reproduction. This process occurs due to the appearance of young shoots. If an aquarist wants to have more “water clover” in his aquarium, then he needs to perform several simple operations:

Using scissors, a stem with several leaves is cut from the rhizome;
Next you need to find a good place. It is important that it is brightly lit and there are no large plants nearby that can provide shade;
In this place, a small hole is dug into which the cut stem is placed;
The hole is filled in; there is no need to compact it.

If you want to create several bushes at once, then you need to maintain an equal distance between the planted stems. This will allow you to get a nice thick carpet without bald spots.

When Marsilia grows well and there is no more space left for it, the rhizome crawls out and sends out young shoots to the “second floor”. In this case, the aquarist needs to separate both layers and plant them or give one away. Otherwise, the older carpet will die in the shadow of the new one.

Features of Marsilia

Even if ideal conditions are created for this plant, this will not speed up its growth, which is very slow. However, this also has its advantages:

there is no need to frequently remove excess stems;
even in bright light it does not stretch much in height.

The problem of low growth rate can be solved by creating tropical aquarium conditions: bright lighting, medium water hardness and a temperature between 28-30 degrees Celsius. Then new shoots will grow faster.

Habitat

Marsilia prefers habitats with swampy areas, along the banks of reservoirs, in flooded areas and gives preference to standing waters and deep places because it can float on the surface. Living in coastal reservoirs, it can tolerate periodic drying out well and quickly recover when the area is flooded again. For this ability, Marsilia is nicknamed amphibious plants, that is, these are plants that spend part of their life on land and the second in water. Distributed throughout Africa, including Equatorial and eastern Africa.

Angola, South Africa, southern Europe, the Caucasus, China, Japan and North and South America. In Russia, Marsilia can be found in the Volga delta, in the Lower Volga region. In recent years, it has become almost ubiquitous.

Marsilia or water clover

Today in the aquarium hobby there are not many plants that are designed for planting in the foreground. However, for a thoughtful and high-quality design, this is as necessary as large bushes planted at the back or sides. But it is still possible to find interesting and beautiful varieties of underwater flora. For example, these include Marsilia.