Hair grasss

[Fish n chips]

Is it good

[Damon]

Good for what? And what type of hairgrass? is it a dwarf species?

[Fish n chips]

Yes

[Damon]

lol. I need more info. Is it good for what? Do you have the scientific name?
Eleocharis acicularis or Eleocharis montevidensis?

[Fish n chips]

Is it good for everything i guess

[Damon]

Are you trying to grow this for a planted tank? Are you thinking of using it for spawning? Whats your aquarium setup? WPG? CO2? Ferts? Tank size? Tank Inhabitants? and you never told me which species of hairgrass you are talking about. Why do you want it?

[Fish n chips]

Never mind

[sham]

I wouldn't mind some info on hairgrass particularly why I can't seem to keep it growing. I added some giant hairgrass for the background in my 55g and it kept getting shorter and shorter till all I have left is a few 2-3 inch pieces sticking up. Now I have some dwarf hairgrass I'm trying to grow in the foreground along with microswords. It's living but it's not spreading and it's barely 2inches tall. 55g tank, 160w florouscent lighting, ph 8.0, kh 15, gh 12. I'm working on softening my water and it's down from ph8.6, kh 20. Dose with flourish weekly, 1 capful flourish excel daily.

[Damon]

Any CO2 in the tank?

[Fish n chips]

Originally Posted by sham @ Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:04 pm

I wouldn't mind some info on hairgrass particularly why I can't seem to keep it growing. ****I added some giant hairgrass for the background in my 55g and it kept getting shorter and shorter till all I have left is a few 2-3 inch pieces sticking up. ****Now I have some dwarf hairgrass I'm trying to grow in the foreground along with microswords. ****It's living but it's not spreading and it's barely 2inches tall. ****55g tank, 160w florouscent lighting, ph 8.0, kh 15, gh 12. ****I'm working on softening my water and it's down from ph8.6, kh 20. Dose with flourish weekly, 1 capful flourish excel daily.

Same here aboutthe shotening

[Damon]

If its getting shorter your lacking something. ****Does it have dark patches in the leaves. ****Holes? ****Does it look like its deteriorating? ****Is it still healthy? ****I would double the excel dosing for 3-5 days. ****While its a great source of carbon, it doesn't replace CO2. ****How much lighting is over your tank?

Edit:
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_...arch=hairgrass

Good basic info on harigrass

[k8]

well i have some giant hairgrass that keeps getting shorter, but that is because i didn't realize how much the silver dollars liked it.

[Damon]

Silver dollars and planted tanks really don't mix. You have to use fast growing plants or tough leafed plants with them.
With 3 wpg you have to use CO2. . Along with your Macros (N,P,K), micros (iron, carbon, and magnesium) and trace elements. FLourish excel is an excellent source of carbon, but can be cost prohibitive on larger or multiple tanks.

[k8]

yeah i read about silver dollars eating soft plants, but that was after i got them, and i don't have the heart to take them back. I have a number of swords that are doing quite well....leaves opening and growing, and of course the anachris grows like crazy but i can't keep the grass. (my tank is very very new 6 weeks) i see that fertilizers can be picked up quite easily at the store, which i'm using very little of because the tank is so new. but i don't understand this: " With 3 wpg you have to use CO2" i am not planning on using co2. i'm not ready to go there quite yet. i don't understand the 3 wpg part.

[Damon]

WPG: Watts Per Gallon
3 WPG is considered a high light tank. With that much light, the plants will use what they can of the nutrients in the water. The problem occurs when a nutrient is lacking. Algae need very little of these nutrients to grow as they are a simplier organism. They can use a nutrient when your test kit cant even read it. Co2 helps the plants use these nutrients for storage when something is lacking. No Co2, no plant absorbtion at that light level. Algae wins.