Ryan.O.

Doez any1 have this plant in their aquarium. Is it easy 2 grow. and how easily doez it spread? do u just take it out of the pot and plant it and wait 4 it 2 spread. and what about its light requirements? will it do fine in low light?

MrWaxhead

I have dwarf hairgrass in my tank behind my e tenelus, It grows and spreads pretty nicely, but I also run high lighting and c02 at 29ppm. I have never tryed it in any of my lower light non c02 tanks though. I think with hairgrass in lower light it will tend to grow taller and not carpet or spread as much if I remember right when I was researching it. As far as planting for a carpet effect, you take the clump and break it into many smaller clumps, mine was not potted though, it was in the cotton pad and lead weight. I broke it down to little clumps carefully making sure it still had good root tissue to each clump and planted with about a inch of spacing between clumps, to allow it to spread and grow to vacant areas. I am actually thinking on pulling my tenelus and letting my hairgrass spread to its area as I like it better.

If you leave to big of a clump off the start it will have a harder time spreading and will be more prone to algae off the start. A good fertile substrate really helps allot with its ability to spread as well. I would at the bare minimum add some fert tabs spaced out around its desired planting area, the seachem fert tabs work great. If you are dealing with lower light, I would be very careful as to where you plant it, ie make sure you don't have much taller plants shading it out real bad, to give it the best chance possible to thrive. As I have never had much luck with any carpet plant staying real low and thick in a lower light tank.

I have in lower light tanks used java moss as a carpet though, I took plastic craft meshing (basically looks like the green container stawberries come it) I cut it two peices of it to the size and shape I wanted my carpet, and i set a thin skim of moss on it, and took another layer of it and tied it on top (moss sandwich basically). And it will eventually thicken up and you no longer see the plastic mesh, and I kept it trimmed nice and short for a carpet effect. I am not a huge fan of moss carpets, but its a excellent choice in a low light tank as its basically a sure thing, it will grow and look like a carpet.

I don't know where you live, but if your in Canada I could always send you enough moss to make a carpet for free if you wanted too. I also have tons of riccia, but that will die for sure in low light and no c02, and I have tons of red lugwigia on a weekly basis as well (usually 6 to 8 ten inch stems per week). And my lace java and java fern has tons of babies on the ends of there leaves and I will have lots to spare of them soon too.

Ryan.O.

when u say not carpet and grow taller how tall will it grow and does it look ugly when it is not carpeting. it will probably b in low 2 medium light.

if it doeznt go any good than do u know of any other good looking carpet plants??

no i live in australia but thankz 4 askin man.