Will my Umbrella Hairgrass grow well?

[Auroraaaa]

I have a bunch of Umbrella Hairgrass (Eleocharis Vivipara) that I got about 2 weeks ago and half of it is turning yellow, I have a full spectrum led light on for 8.5 hours a day in a 10 gallon (6500K, 850 lumens, PAR is 72 at 12") no CO2, I use a fertilizer that has more than %3 of potassium once a week so I don't think it is a potassium deficiency. Is the light too low? Or is it just adjusting to my tank?

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

I have a bunch of Umbrella Hairgrass (Eleocharis Vivipara) that I got about 2 weeks ago and half of it is turning yellow, I have a full spectrum led light on for 8.5 hours a day in a 10 gallon (6500K, 850 lumens, PAR is 72 at 12") no CO2, I use a fertilizer that has more than %3 of potassium once a week so I don't think it is a potassium deficiency. Is the light too low? Or is it just adjusting to my tank?

Whenever you plant any new aquarium plant underwater the focus should only ever be on the new growth. The old growth will always die off.

Too little light is rarely an issue for most of the plants we keep. Often times it is too excessive.

I’ve always found hairgrass does better with a nutrient rich substrate.

[Auroraaaa]

I bought other plants as well and none of the leaves died off. They’re growing new leaves everyday. I found that only my Hairgrass is turning yellow. I use Seachem Flourite Red as my substrate.

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

I bought other plants as well and none of the leaves died off. They’re growing new leaves everyday. I found that only my Hairgrass is turning yellow. I use Seachem Flourite Red as my substrate.

They will go yellow. The other plant original leaves will eventually die.

Hairgrass sends runners so they will be under the flourite and will eventually come up somewhere else.

[Auroraaaa]

So if I give it time it’ll grow back? ����

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

So if I give it time it’ll grow back? ����

Patience is everything in this hobby

Unless you inject co2 then everything just goes wild.

[Auroraaaa]

Originally Posted by Caliban07

Patience is everything in this hobby

Unless you inject co2 then everything just goes wild.

There is also quite a lot of brown algae coating the leaves. Will this hinder its photosynthesizing?

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

There is also quite a lot of brown algae coating the leaves. Will this hinder its photosynthesizing?

When did you sent the tank up?

[Auroraaaa]

Originally Posted by Caliban07

When did you sent the tank up?

about 3 weeks ago. It's done cycling though

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

about 3 weeks ago. It's done cycling though

You are going to have to be very relaxed and patient from now on. The tank will probably get worse before it gets better. It is still very young and you need to establish microbes not only in the filter but especially in the substrate.

[Auroraaaa]

Originally Posted by Caliban07

You are going to have to be very relaxed and patient from now on. The tank will probably get worse before it gets better. It is still very young and you need to establish microbes not only in the filter but especially in the substrate.

All right, thanks for the advice
One last thing, could you help me identify this algae? Could it be Black Beard Algae?

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

All right, thanks for the advice
One last thing, could you help me identify this algae? Could it be Black Beard Algae?

Yes. Bit of green hair and black beard. Totally normal in new tanks, especially on older leaves as they will be decaying in favour of new growth.

It just goes away when the tank matures. Here’s something similar in mine. After I changed the substrate. No point trying to solve it because it will just come back.



Below is the same tank fully matured with black gravel and soil BEFORE switching to sand. No algae. Switching substrates almost completely resets a tank regardless how established your filter sponge is. Especially as far as plants are concerned.

[Caliban07]

And lastly the same tank gain with the sand substate after allowing to re-establish.



This was a while back. Plant growth is even better now.

I didn’t do anything apart from be patient for a few months. It really can take that long, but once it’s mature it’s easy street from there on out.

[Auroraaaa]

I recently just changed my substrate to a dirted substrate. That makes sense! How many hours of lighting? It was originally 9 hrs but I changed it to 6 hrs. Should I gradually add 30 minutes every week? Or should I keep it at 9 hours

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

I recently just changed my substrate to a dirted substrate. That makes sense! How many hours of lighting? It was originally 9 hrs but I changed it to 6 hrs. Should I gradually add 30 minutes every week? Or should I keep it at 9 hours

I use 12 hour lighting periods as this is more natural in terms of the habitats most our plants come from.

If you are going to change it I’d do it gradually.

[Auroraaaa]

My PAR is 95 in air. Do I need to dim it? My tank is 13.5 inches tall

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Auroraaaa

My PAR is 95 in air. Do I need to dim it? My tank is 13.5 inches tall

Well all the science literature I have read on photosynthesis suggests that a lot of photons means a lot of photosynthesis and a lot of photosynthesis requires a lot of carbon molecules. Does your tank have enough Co2 to satisfy the demands created by your PAR? It’s impossible to say. This would depend on many factors. Turning it down would only reduce the demand therefore giving you more chance of success but it would be good to see if you tank can support a PAR of 90. But you would need to give it more time.