The Sagittaria subulata, aquatic ground cover

The Sagittaria subulata is a species of Sagittaria that is particularly short, as it rarely exceeds 20 cm, and often less depending on the available strains, some being very small.

I personally use the dwarf strain of Aquazolla to create dense ground covers, like an aquatic lawn.

"Beyond the aesthetic interest of covering the ground with a nice green layer, I see, as far as I'm concerned, advantages related to my conception of natural aquaristics."

Because the problem with the aquarium is the fish!

"Fish are small predators in nature, but there is well less than one fish for several thousand liters. In our aquariums, we are dealing with densities probably a thousand times higher than in a natural aquatic ecosystem."

Let’s put it this way: if in nature there is room for everyone (creatures, fish, plankton, crustaceans, etc.), that is not the case in an aquarium. Fish eat everything that is smaller than their mouth and larger than a bacterium. In the span of an hour, an aquarium filled with micro-fauna (daphnia, ostracods and other cyclops) is completely decimated, cleaned, swallowed.

 

Hence the incomplete biological cycle of aquariums, which is generally compensated for by the presence of snails, the only invertebrates capable of withstanding the appetite of fish.

"That’s why I use short plants, but tall enough like this strain of Sagittaria subulata which measures between 3 and 10 centimeters maximum."

The Sagittaria are known to grow quite slowly compared to the Vallisnerias.

My opinion is a little different.

In reality, when I install the Sagittaria subulata in a tank, it grows and multiplies slowly. This stage can last a few months, or even a year. Its stolons allow it to occupy the available surface, like strawberries. But the overall density remains low. Then, when you least expect it, the colony explodes: in a very short time, the plants become much more numerous, robust, tight, almost compact. Patience pays off, as you end up with a true dense lawn that fills in around the larger plants without hindering them. No more bare soil!

The advantage is not just aesthetic, as the bottom becomes practically inaccessible to fish, even the most resourceful ones. My Betta, for example, is unable to gulp the slightest Blackworm, even if he sees it wriggling. The Blackworm does not protrude from the tangled plant layer and is as sheltered as possible.

Similarly, the water lice quickly understood that this jungle is their kingdom! They work quietly to eat the waste, live their little lives there, without having to worry about harassment from the fish.

Finally, the fry finally have their chance, without having to resort to various, invasive, often unsightly foams that steal light.

 
"The explanation for this explosion, in my opinion, lies in the microbiome. Little growth in an aquarium that is too new, too clean, too recent. Similarly, the commercial in vitro plants, born without a microbiome in the laboratory, languish for a long time."

But when plants have had the time to select and maintain a balanced microbiome that suits them, everything changes. That’s why I avoid washing a plant too much when I transplant it from one pot to another.

None of the plants I offer at Aquazolla are free from their microbiota, which they will need so much at your place. No in vitro multiplication either.

"I had a veterinary teacher who explained to us the concept of 'clean dirt', which he opposed to that of 'desert asepsis'. Neither an animal nor a plant thrives without THEIR microbial entourage."

The secret to successful aquatic lawns is probably there.