TankBud

Foreground aquarium plants

Foreground plants stay short enough to sit at the front of the tank without blocking the view. Each profile lists the light and CO2 a plant wants and how quickly it fills in.

At a glance

Height
1.2–11.8 in
1.2 in (3 cm) to 11.8 in (30 cm); half the list stays at 3.1 in (8 cm) or under
Temperature
64–82°F
18–28°C, most of the list
Light
4 low light
25 medium light · 18 high light
CO₂
4 no CO₂ needed
33 CO₂ beneficial · 10 CO₂ required
Growth
17 slow growing
24 medium growth · 6 fast growing
Difficulty
17 easy
17 medium · 13 difficult

42 plants and 6 varieties

Start here

The plants for the front of the tank

The dwarf sagittaria is marked beginner for low light, a grass at 11.8 inches (30 cm) that spreads by runners and stays short under good light. The Monte Carlo is a round-leaved carpet marked easy at 2 inches (5 cm) for medium light. The Staurogyne repens is a low, bushy plant marked easy at 3.9 inches (10 cm). The dwarf hairgrass carpets at 3.9 inches (10 cm) and spreads faster with CO2. The cryptocoryne willisii is the easiest crypt for the front, marked easy for low light at 5.9 inches (15 cm). The cryptocoryne parva is the smallest crypt, 3.9 inches (10 cm) tall and marked medium. The Marsilea hirsuta is a four-leaf clover carpet marked easy at 3.9 inches (10 cm).

The rule

What a foreground plant needs

Most foreground plants list 3.9 inches (10 cm) or less, so the light has to reach the substrate through everything planted behind them. The dwarf sagittaria reaches 11.8 inches (30 cm) and the needle hairgrass 7.9 inches (20 cm). Every other plant here stays at 5.9 inches (15 cm) or under. Most carpets spread by runners and need a substrate they can root through, planted in small plugs a finger apart. Most of them list medium light and CO2 as beneficial, and most of the demanding ones list high light and CO2 as required. And a carpet needs trimming like a lawn, or it lifts off the substrate as a mat.

  1. 01

    Mostly under 6 inches

    Most list 3.9 inches (10 cm) or less

  2. 02

    Light reaches the floor

    Nothing tall in front of it

  3. 03

    Plugs a finger apart

    The gaps fill in over weeks to months

  4. 04

    Trim like a lawn

    A carpet left alone lifts off as a mat

Carpets

Carpets that spread on their own

The Hydrocotyle Japan is marked easy, a fast carpet of small three-lobed leaves at 2 inches (5 cm) that roots as it creeps. The pygmy chain sword spreads by runners at 3.9 inches (10 cm), marked easy. The micro sword is a fine grass marked medium at 2.4 inches (6 cm) that fills slowly. The dwarf water clover is marked easy for medium light with no CO2, the carpet for a tank without it. The common nardoo is a Marsilea marked easy at 4.7 inches (12 cm). The Hygrophila serpyllum is a low, small-leaved creeper marked medium at 5.9 inches (15 cm).

Clumps

Small plants that stay put

The banana plant is a bulb marked easy with no CO2 that sits on the substrate on its tubers at 5.9 inches (15 cm). The marimo moss ball is a ball of algae marked beginner that rolls where the flow takes it. The Pogostemon helferi grows crinkled rosettes at 3.1 inches (8 cm), marked medium for high light. The Alternanthera reineckii mini is the red plant for the front at 3.9 inches (10 cm), marked medium. The Ranunculus grows lobed leaves on a creeping rhizome at 3.9 inches (10 cm). The Microcarpaea minima is a tiny stem marked medium that forms a low, bright cushion.

Experts

The demanding foreground

The dwarf baby tears is a carpet that lists high light and CO2 as required, 2 inches (5 cm) tall and marked difficult. The glosso is the same at 1.6 inches (4 cm) and grows upward the moment the light drops. The UG is a carnivorous bladderwort carpet at 1.6 inches (4 cm) for soft water. The Eriocaulon cinereum is a rosette at 3.1 inches (8 cm) that feeds from the water as well as a deep aquasoil. The Littorella uniflora is a slow, no-trim lawn at 2 inches (5 cm). The Hydrocotyle mini is marked medium, a fast carpet of tiny leaves that lists CO2 as required.

By the numbers

Smallest

  1. 01

    Eriocaulon Sulawesi

    Eriocaulon sp. 'Sulawesi'

    1.2 in (3 cm)
  2. 02
    Centrolepis Blood Vomit (Centrolepis drummondiana 'Blood Vomit')

    Centrolepis Blood Vomit

    Centrolepis drummondiana 'Blood Vomit'

    1.6 in (4 cm)
  3. 03
    Glosso (Glossostigma elatinoides)

    Glosso

    Glossostigma elatinoides

    1.6 in (4 cm)
  4. 04
    Platinum glosso (Glossostigma elatinoides 'Platinum')

    Platinum glosso

    Glossostigma elatinoides 'Platinum'

    1.6 in (4 cm)

Tallest

  1. 01
    Dwarf sagittaria (Sagittaria subulata)

    Dwarf sagittaria

    Sagittaria subulata

    11.8 in (30 cm)
  2. 02
    Needle hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis)

    Needle hairgrass

    Eleocharis acicularis

    7.9 in (20 cm)
  3. 03
    Banana plant (Nymphoides aquatica)

    Banana plant

    Nymphoides aquatica

    5.9 in (15 cm)
  4. 04
    Brookweed (Samolus valerandi)

    Brookweed

    Samolus valerandi

    5.9 in (15 cm)

Easiest to grow

Low light

FAQ

Common questions

What is the easiest foreground plant?

The dwarf sagittaria, marked beginner for low light, and the Monte Carlo and Staurogyne repens, marked easy for medium light. The dwarf water clover is the carpet for medium light without CO2. The marimo moss ball takes low light and no CO2.

Do foreground plants need CO2?

Most list it as beneficial and spread faster with it. The dwarf baby tears, glosso, platinum glosso, waterwort and Hydrocotyle mini list it as required. The Eriocaulon rosettes, Centrolepis Blood Vomit and Hygrophila Chai do as well.

How do I plant a carpet?

Split the pot into plugs the size of a fingertip and plant them a finger apart, pushed into the substrate with tweezers. The fast carpets, such as the Hydrocotyle Japan and glosso, fill the gaps within weeks under enough light. The micro sword, the Marsilea hirsuta and the common nardoo are slow and can take months.

Why does my carpet float up?

It was never trimmed. A carpet grows on top of itself, the lower layer dies in shadow, and the mat lifts. Trim it short every few weeks and vacuum the clippings.

Which foreground plants take low light?

The dwarf sagittaria, cryptocoryne willisii, marimo moss ball and Schismatoglottis prietoi list low light. Every other plant here lists medium light or more.

Do I need aquasoil for a carpet?

For the rooted carpets and the Eriocaulon rosettes, yes, or a root tab under sand. The Hydrocotyle Japan and the Monte Carlo also feed from the water and root in anything.

Index

All foreground plants

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