hairgrass?

[zach_1_6]

hi there. i have a 65 gallon tank and the back is planted with tall growing plants. i have slate about in the middle and i was wondering about a low lieing carpet plant in the front. would dwarf hairgrass be good for that? if so how would i go about planting and cleaning the carpet?

 

[Jason7894561230]

What kind of lighting do you have?

 

[zach_1_6]

not sure, 2 florecent lights covering the length of the tank. i will go have a look now and see what the watage is.

 

[zach_1_6]

couldnt find anything about the watage of the bulbs.

 

[Jason7894561230]

I would say it will be fine in any lighting. They are a low mainitincce plant. Just plant it in the place where the light hits it the most.
Good luck

 

[zach_1_6]

thanks, will it send runners and spread fast or slowly work its way around?

 

[neilanh]

I'm not sure you'll have much luck with hairgrass in your setup. I've never tried, but I know folks that have tried it in a low-light non-CO2 setup and they've not had success.

Hairgrass isn't the most low-maintenance plant out there. They need medium to high light to really be fruitful, and you have to have lighting that can deeply penetrate the water column. Additionally, it's prone to algae issues as well if you don't maintain a very well balanced nutrient environment.

Naturally, you can give it a try and see what happens, you might surprise me. If it does take hold then you're right, it propogates by runners and will, over time, cover your tank if it's happy. My personal experience with it (e. parvula specifically) was that it took it about 2-3 months before I saw any growth, but then it took off and completely covered my 125g tank very fast once it got settled in. I was running a high-light, high-tech setup though to feed it.

Just a suggestion, have you considered microsword?

 

[mgamer20o0]

i keep mine in a 60 gallon tank with 2 32w t8 fixture. the bulbs are also a few years old yet its still green and grows. if you trim the tops down it tends to spreed faster.

zach was there any numbers on the bulb? if not get a pic of it. we should be able to tell by seeing it.

 

[zach_1_6]

i didnt see any numbers on the bulbs but if i do i will let you know. i will also try and get a pic up here. neilanh, what is microsword i will google it now.

 

[mgamer20o0]

there are a few different kinds out there. here is Lilaeopsis Novaezelandiae

its shorter and the kinds i have had needed more light then the hair grass plus its a slow grower.