Tissue culture - Glossostigma Elatinoides (Glosso)

Glossostigma Elatinoides (Glosso) is a low Australian and New Zealand carpeting plant. The small, tongue-shaped green leaves spread across the substrate on horizontal runners, filling the foreground around hardscape and taller stems.

Key features

• Forms a tight, low mat across the substrate
• Sends out runners quickly when light and CO₂ are right, filling gaps in the foreground
• Gives dwarf shrimp, nano fish, and bottom dwellers a place to forage

Water and system compatibility

Freshwater aquariums only. Not for marine or reef systems.

Specifications

• Type: carpeting / foreground runner
• Origin: Australia and New Zealand
• Growth rate: fast
• Height: 2–5 cm (stays under 3 cm with high light)
• Light: high
• CO₂: high — needed for a compact, horizontal carpet
• Placement: foreground

Directions

How to plant

• Remove the plant from its packaging or culture cup.
• Divide the mat into small clumps or plantlets with tweezers.
• Plant each tuft in fine-grain nutrient soil, 1–2 cm apart. Bury the roots and leave only the leaves above the substrate.

Light and growth

Glosso needs strong, direct light. In low light the stems stretch up instead of creeping along the floor.

CO₂ and nutrients

Pressurised CO₂ and nutrient-rich Master Soil or equivalent keep growth flat and dense, and help stop algae sitting on the leaves.

Trimming

Once the carpet layers over itself, trim it back with curved scissors. Regular mowing stops the bottom layer rotting from lack of light.

Water parameters

• Temperature: 15°C–26°C
• pH: 5.0–7.5
• Hardness: soft to medium (2–10 dGH)