How many TC plant cups do you need? Plan your planted tank by zone — get a cup count, cost estimate, grow-in time, and substrate volume in seconds.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your tank's length and width (the footprint). Add your target substrate depth to get a soil volume estimate.
- Allocate what percentage of the footprint each zone covers. Foreground is the front low zone, midground the middle, background the rear. These don't need to sum to 100%—the remainder is hardscape or open space.
- Choose a plant category for each zone based on what species you're planting.
- Select whether you're running CO₂ injection and your planting density preference. The calculator adjusts cup counts and grow-in time accordingly.
- Enter your average price per cup to get a total plant order cost.
Understanding TC Cup Coverage
A standard tissue culture cup (typically 2.5 inches in diameter) contains many small plantlets grown in sterile gel medium. When you divide a carpet cup into individual portions and plant them at a 1–2 cm spacing, each cup realistically covers 4–6 square inches of footprint for fine carpeting species. Standard carpet plants like Monte Carlo yield slightly more coverage per cup — roughly 6–9 sq in — before they spread and fill in the gaps.
The “dense” setting in this calculator assumes you plant immediately adjacent portions for an instant lush look; “sparse” means you allow more time for runners to fill the gaps naturally and buy fewer cups upfront.
Foreground vs Midground vs Background
Foreground (front ⅓): The low, visible foreground is typically planted with carpet species — Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo', Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC Cuba), Eleocharis species (Dwarf Hairgrass), or Glossostigma elatinoides. These need the most cups per square inch because they form a dense mat.
Midground (middle zone): Rosette plants (Anubias, Bucephalandra, Cryptocoryne) are placed as individual specimens. Compact stem groups give visual weight without dominating. Coverage is more generous per cup since plants have individual spacing.
Background (rear zone): Tall stem plants like Rotala H'ra, Limnophila, or Hygrophila are planted in bunched groups. Each TC cup provides 4–8 stems. Large-footprint rosettes like Amazon Sword go here individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tissue culture cups do I need for a 10-gallon planted tank?
For a standard 10-gallon tank (20 × 10 inch footprint, ~200 sq in), plan on 3–5 cups of carpet plants for the foreground alone. Add 2–4 cups for midground and 3–6 for background stems. Enter your exact dimensions in the calculator above for a precise per-zone breakdown. CO₂ and density choice affect the total significantly.
How much area does one tissue culture cup cover?
For fine carpeting species (HC Cuba, Glossostigma), one 2.5-inch TC cup covers roughly 4–5 square inches when split and planted closely. Standard carpet plants like Monte Carlo cover 6–9 sq in. Fast-spreading grass-type plants (Dwarf Hairgrass Belem) are planted slightly further apart at 5–8 sq in per cup. Midground rosette cups represent a single plant with a 4–6 sq in footprint. Background stem cups yield 4–8 individual stems planted about 1.5–2 inches apart.
How long does it take tissue culture plants to fill in a carpet?
With CO₂ injection and high-intensity light (60+ PAR at substrate), Monte Carlo and dwarf hairgrass typically form a full carpet in 4–6 weeks. Without CO₂ in a low-tech tank, expect 8–12 weeks. The Dry Start Method (DSM) — filling with mist instead of water initially — can produce a lush carpet in 4–6 weeks even without CO₂. HC Cuba requires CO₂ to carpet reliably; without it, growth is minimal.
What is the difference between tissue culture and potted aquarium plants?
Tissue culture plants are propagated in sterile laboratory conditions, making them completely free of algae, snails, planaria, and harmful pesticides — ideal for shrimp tanks and new builds. Potted plants are nursery-grown above the waterline (emersed) and are larger and cheaper per plant, but they carry hitchhiker risk and require melting/conversion to the submerged form. TC plants also tend to have more individual plantlets per unit, though each is tiny and takes longer to reach mature size.
How deep should substrate be for carpeting plants?
A minimum of 3 cm (≈1.2 in) of fine-grain aquasoil is needed for carpeting plants to anchor and send runners. Most aquascapers use 5–7 cm (2–2.75 in) at the front, sloping up to 8–10 cm (3–4 in) at the rear for perspective. Aquasoils like ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia, UNS Controsoil, or Fluval Stratum provide both fine grain and root nutrition. This calculator estimates your total substrate volume based on depth and footprint.
What does a typical tissue culture aquarium plant cup cost?
Standard TC cups (Monte Carlo, Dwarf Hairgrass, basic Crypts) retail from approximately $7–$12 USD from online aquascaping vendors. Rarer species like HC Cuba, Bucephalandra, or specialty Anubias nanotypes run $12–$18+. Buying multi-packs of 3–5 cups from stores like Buce Plant, Aquarium Co-Op, or Glass Aqua typically offers a small discount. Adjust the "price per cup" field in the calculator to match your vendor's pricing.