Best carpet plants for planted tank

The term "carpet" is usually applied to shorter plants that use runners to spread across the soil surface. The shorter, finer carpets usually require CO2 to grow well. Because they are small and grow at the substrate level, they tend to be furthest from the light source and most will spread faster and become shorter/denser when there is more light. Many root better in finer substrates. Most carpets spread fairly quickly by runners when conditions are good.

Without injected CO2

Dwarf hair grass (Eleocharis 'belem'), as shown in the picture above, also has a good chance if you have enough light.

To learn how to grow carpets without CO2, click here.

Easiest to manage long term

Micranthemum "monte carlo" takes trimming well long term and is a very robust carpet as long as growth parameters are adequate. The carpet should be trimmed periodically so that it does not grow too thick.

Smallest Leaves

HC 'cuba' has the smallest leaves. This makes it great for smaller tanks. A detailed guide to this rather difficult carpet can be found here. For most people, the size difference between HC cuba and Monte Carlo is not distinct from a distance, especially in larger tanks. HC grows much better with high CO2 levels and should not be attempted without CO2.

Here is the plant guide to grow HC.

Fastest to grow

Glossostigma elatinoides spreads very fast and is easy to grow in a CO2 injected tank. It is a carpet plant that can be grown without CO2 if you have a ton of light.

HC also grows quickly when conditions are good. Monte carlo and dwarf hairgrass are slightly slower in comparison.

Slowest to grow

Cryptocoryne parva is a short crypt that can be used as a foreground carpet. It is a very slow grower and will not spread on its own, so if you want to cover an area completely, you will probably have to plant a lot of plants or divide large clumps yourself. There is a mini version (shown below) that is even shorter. However, this is not yet widely available in the hobby.