About the species

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis from South America forms a lawn of small, stiff leaves three to five centimetres tall. The leaves sit on creeping runners that spread across the substrate, and in strong light the carpet becomes genuinely compact. The species is unusually tolerant: it also works in garden ponds and copes with low salt concentrations in brackish aquariums.

Facts

• Latin name: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
• Plant type: Runner plant
• Origin: South America
• Height: 3–5 cm
• Growth rate: Slow
• Position: Foreground

Light requirement

Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.

CO₂ & nutrition

Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.

Planting

Plant the individual plants with their roots in the substrate and the crown free above it. The plant then spreads by itself with runners beneath the substrate and gradually fills out the area, so leave room around each plant from the start.

Carefully remove the pot and rinse the rock wool off the roots before planting — leftover rock wool can otherwise hinder rooting.

Care & propagation

Thin the runners where you do not want them and move the daughter plants where you want more. Cut them free with scissors rather than pulling, so the mother plant's roots stay put. A nutrient-rich substrate makes it spread considerably faster.

Position in the aquarium

Its low mature size makes it a foreground plant. Place it right at the front where nothing shades it, and let it form a continuous surface in front of the taller plants.

Difficulty level

🟢 Easy — grows in most aquariums without CO₂ and under ordinary lighting.

Delivery format

Delivered as a pot grown submerged, with the roots in rock wool. The pot holds several plants or stems that can be divided and planted separately.

Recommendation

A classic lawn for anyone who wants a foreground without chasing fast growers — growth is slow but the carpet lasts for years. Place it entirely unshaded, otherwise the leaves stretch and the lawn effect never arrives.