Dwarf hairgrass v. Micro sword

[Lowryder]

I was wondering which is better as a carpet? I have a 29g with a 65w light, sand substrate.

 

[mgamer20o0]

both should grow for you. after that it just depends... dwarf hair grass gets a little taller spreads in faster. microswords tend to be a more slower grower but might be a little easier to plant.

 

[neilanh]

personally I like the hairgrass better. There's 2 flavors, e. acicularis and e. parvula. I did the parvula, it grows a little more "grass" like, meaning more blades/leaves to it and it is slightly shorter. Which one are you considering? Hairgrass is a bit more demanding than microswords in terms of lighting an uptake, but they're close.

Microsword has much thicker leaves to it than hairgrass, so it's really up to you which you prefer and what kind of overall look you're trying to obtain.

 

[Lowryder]

I dont know what kind of look I am going for, maybe something like a thick lush "lawn". Also, I have cories who love to play in the sand, will they be ok with a plant carpet that will cover the entire tank?

 

[Markstanfill]

Microswords are slower growers and are more prone to algae, but are easy to grow and come in smaller blade variations to look somewhat like hairgrass. And the cories will get over it. But you will have bare area still for them under other plants, the grass won't grow under larger plants if you have some.