Looking for aquarium "grass"

[fishenthusiast]

Also, I saw this, do yall think this would be good with low light? Aquatic Plants for Freshwater Aquariums: Dwarf Hairgrass

Not at all. Dwarf Hairgrass requires more lighting and more fertilization. I had some in my medium light setup with quality ferts and liquid CO2 dosing and it never took off.

 

[PatrickL]

alright, so dwarf sagg it is, even if it wont grow into an actual carpet....think THAT would work?

 

[jetajockey]

dwarf sag will carpet if you let it spread, and it reproduces fast.

 

[PatrickL]

So I already dose flourish excel once a week for my java fern, other than that, I have 3 moneyworts, and am about to get a dwarf sagg or 2....is the flourish excel good for that, or do I need something else?

 

[PatrickL]

Also, when I set the tank up, I never dreamed Id be planting it, so I left the gravel shallow, maybe 4 inches deep, probably 3-4 realistically. I didnt have trouble planting my moneyworts. This wouldnt hinder dwarf sagg would it?

 

[jetajockey]

Dose flourish comprehensive also if you aren't dosing any other ferts. Excel is a co2 substitute (it serves a good purpose as well).

 

[aqua_chem]

It's so often recommended, but does anyone actually have a good example of a dwarf sag carpet? I've played with it some, but it tends to go bananas if you get it happy enough to grow that much.

Exhibit A:

You can see in the front what it looks like when it's growing sparsely, but in the back it's growing thick enough to be a 'carpet', but it starts growing up instead.

When I decided to rip it out finally after it invaded everywhere and wouldn't stop growing up:

Dwarf sag is probably the only 'foreground' that I know that will grow 3'+ if left to its own devices in a high tech, high light tank.

 

[jetajockey]

dwarf sag is just a low growing variant of regular subulata. So often times people sell young subulata as dwarf sag since there's no way to tell the difference. Real dwarf sag, though, only gets 2-3". And even then it can sometimes send off tall runners here and there that have to be clipped.
Here's one that comes to mind, a guy I know.

 

[aqua_chem]

dwarf sag is just a low growing variant of regular subulata. So often times people sell young subulata as dwarf sag since there's no way to tell the difference. Real dwarf sag, though, only gets 2-3". And even then it can sometimes send off tall runners here and there that have to be clipped.

I've not heard that before. As far as I know, it's all one species with the not uncommon ability to grow differently based on it's environments and demands. I've taken dwarf sag growing short from one tank and it put it into another and it grew tall after it adjusted.

But, this is the stuff you sold me, so you tell me what it is

 

[jetajockey]

I think that most of the farm grown sagittaria is emersed culture so there's really no telling.

 

[aqua_chem]

You could probably keep it low, but it would be a lot of scissor work. I'm not sure how well it would work in a low light tank, as it would send out a lot less runners.

 

[PatrickL]

Well, Ill see what I get, and ll one day post a pic of it, thanks for the help

 

[hroom88]

You try the relatively new Eleocharis sp. 'mini'. But it needs a fair amount of light. The upside to it is, it hardly ever needs pruning, stays low and small