Hair Grass dying and i'm not sure why

[Alex L]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to the world of aquarium, so I hope you guys can help me. I have a 20g planted tank and it's only 1 month old. Some of the hair grass is dying.

Tank size is 30Lx12Wx12H, I'm using ADA aqua soil with power sand at bottom. The substrate is 2 inch height. I have a DIY co2 pumping 1 bubble every 3 seconds. The lighting system is one 24" T5HO bulb (with reflector) placed 2 inch above water which I keep it on for only 8 hours a day.

I have 3x siamese algae eaters, 20x cardinal tetras and 9x ghost shrimps in the tank at the moment.

Currently it's planted with hair grass, baby tears, and java moss.

Nitrate and nitrite are around 0 to .5, PH is 7. Water tempter is 76 degrees.

I do use fertilizer once a week. Currently, there are some green algae on the driftwood. I notice there are some brown algae spot growing on the glass which I clean them every 2 days. some baby tear leaves and grass have brown algae on them and I'll try to cut the tips. Currently, I change 20% water once a week.

I see some grass shooting new runners, but about 40% other grass just turns brown. I bought a new pot of grass, after 3 days, nearly 70% will turn brown. What am I doing wrong?

Also, regarding the algae issue, should I keep the light on for a shorter time?

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Your setup sounds similar to mine in that i too have diy co2 2-3sec. per bubble and t5 ho lighting. I have just plain Tahitian moon sand as substrate though. My dhg died off at first, about 40% turned yellowish brown but after acclimating to submerged it did fine. My lights are also on about 8hrs a day. I would think because your dwarf baby tears doing ok so would the dhg? Wish i knew more so i could help.
The only problem i have now with my dhg is when my male bnp decides to uproot a few clumps, which is a nightmare cuz of the runners. Sorry i couldn't help.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

My DHG was the same after the initial planting.. It will yellow and brown but in about a month or so, it should be acclimated and bounce back nice and green. ADA aquasoil is a great substrate packed with nutrients, so there shouldn't be any deficiencies. Your lighting and co2 sound fine as well. The brown algae are just diatoms and that's common in new tanks. They should subside on its own. Also IME, Otos love to munch on them.

 

[Rivercats]

You can also use nerite snails for diatoms if oto's aren't an option for you. They can't breed in freshwater so you won't get a population explosion. They are also the only algae eater that can eat green spot algae. Nice little guys to have around. I have about 40 in my 220g.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Nerites are cool... that is until they start laying those annoying little white eggs EVERYWHERE! They made my driftwood look like a sesame bun! But if you can get around being annoyed by that, which I couldn't, they're a great addition to a tank

 

[Alex L]

It's good to hear that some DHG do turn brown when they are first planted. Thank you very much for your replies.

 

[Rivercats]

Nerites are cool... that is until they start laying those annoying little white eggs EVERYWHERE! They made my driftwood look like a sesame bun! But if you can get around being annoyed by that, which I couldn't, they're a great addition to a tank

That is so wierd, I have alot and in the beginning about 2-3 weeks in I got eggs but I wouldn't say a ton. The glass magnet just popped them off and I just popped off the ones on the DW but ever since then I only get a few here and there and not too often either. Maybe I didn't get many females... cause you got them all

But I still like having them in my tank, I've got Olives and Tigers.