Скачать или смотреть Easy Carpeting Plants For Your Low-Tech Planted Aquarium!

These are two of the easiest carpeting plants you can grow in a low-tech aquarium: Helanthium tenellum ‘Green’ and Dwarf Sagittaria. Both have thin, grass-like green leaves and spread by sending out runners, making them great choices if you want to create a natural-looking carpet without using CO₂, high light, or heavy fertilization.

In my experience, Helanthium tenellum ‘Green’ is the best true carpeting plant for low-tech tanks. In this aquarium, it has stayed incredibly compact, maxing out at around 3 cm (about 1.5 inches) tall. That low height makes it perfect for the foreground, where it creates a dense, clean carpet effect without blocking the view of the rest of the aquascape. It may go through a brief melting phase after planting, which is completely normal, but once it adapts, it recovers quickly and begins spreading on its own. Over time, runners fill in empty spaces naturally, creating a lush carpet with almost no maintenance required.

Dwarf Sagittaria behaves similarly at first, but there’s one important difference: its height is far less predictable. Some plants in this same tank have stayed relatively short at around 6 cm (2.5 inches), while others from the same group have grown up to 12 cm (5 inches) tall. That inconsistency means it doesn’t always function well as a true carpeting plant, especially if your goal is a very low, uniform foreground.

Because of its reliable low growth, consistent spread, and minimal maintenance requirements, Helanthium tenellum ‘Green’ is the better choice if you want an easy, dependable carpet in a low-tech aquarium.

Both plants are beginner-friendly, shrimp-safe, and perfect for natural planted tanks like Walstad setups.

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