Plants
Glossostigma
Glossostigma elatinoides
Origin: Glossostigma comes from New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania. It grows on wet muddy shores and shallows, forming low dense turf.
Also known as: Glosso, Glossostigma elatinoides
Fact sheet
- Height
- 3 cm
- Temperature
- 20–27 °C
- pH
- 5.5–7
- Lighting
- High
- CO₂
- Required
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Placement
- Foreground
Overview
Glossostigma is one of the smallest and most popular carpeting plants in aquascaping, forming a dense bright green lawn only 1–3 cm tall. It is a tricky plant requiring bright light, mandatory CO2, and rich nutrient substrate: only then does it creep along the bottom rather than grow upward. It is widely used in Amano-style nature aquariums for the foreground. Under insufficient light it quickly degrades and gets overgrown with algae. The reward for the effort is a perfect underwater lawn.
Appearance
Tiny paired rounded-spatulate leaves a few millimetres long on short creeping shoots. It forms a very low dense carpet 1–3 cm tall, bright green. Under weak light the petioles stretch upward and the lawn loosens.
Care
Demanding: strong light, MANDATORY CO2, 20–27 °C, pH 5.5–7.0. Nutrient-rich substrate and regular fertilisation are needed. Plant in small clumps spaced apart and let them spread into a carpet. It fails without CO2 and light.
Fertilizing
It feeds mainly through roots: rich nutrient substrate is critical. CO2 and micronutrients are essential for dense creeping growth. High demand for light and carbon.
Breeding
It propagates by creeping shoots: as it spreads it forms a solid carpet. To speed this up the carpet is divided into fragments and replanted across the substrate.
Fun facts
Glossostigma is one of Takashi Amano's favourite carpeting plants, a classic of the nature-aquarium style. It is one of the smallest-leaved aquarium plants in the world. Without bright light and CO2 it is nearly impossible to turn into a carpet.