Dwarf Hair Grass

[aldo_01]

Hi,

I purchased some dwarf hair grass from plants alive about 3 months ago as a foreground for my 35 litre tank. I split it into about 10 small bunches as recommended when planting. 3 months later and i still haven't seen the slightest bit of movement from it at all. I haven't seen any signs of runners growing from it. I have several other plants in this tank and they all seem to be doing really well.

Anyhoo, i was looking for some advice from people who have grown dwarf hair grass. Is there enough lighting for this plant? Is this normal to take so long to grow or is it maybe just not going to happen in my tank and time for me to ditch it for something else?

My tank:

35 litre arcadia arc
Lighting: 2 x 11W (5500 kelvin and 6700 kelvin i think)
Substrate: Onyx sand
Dosing: 1ml Easy life Easy Carbo per day, 0.8ml Pro Fito fertiliser per day

Thanks!

 

[AdAndrews]

personally i havnt tried dwarf hair grass, but i have been told you need high lighting in order to grow it, so even though you have brought another arc pod this may not be enough- pm truckasaurus123 and ask him.

 

[Truck]

there wont be enough light i dont think. in a smaller tank you need more light. although its about 9 gallons and you have 22 watts of light (2.4 WPG) your not actually getting it, because theyre compact lamps which have poor reflection. could do with a bit more fertilisation too IMO

 

[aldo_01]

there wont be enough light i dont think. in a smaller tank you need more light. although its about 9 gallons and you have 22 watts of light (2.4 WPG) your not actually getting it, because theyre compact lamps which have poor reflection. could do with a bit more fertilisation too IMO

Ah right thanks, i figured it might be the lighting. I dont really want to go any higher on the lighting at the moment as i have only just got into the hobby and trying to avoid algae issues at all costs. Plus as i said, all the other plants are doing great with whats available. Do you have any recommended replacements for a foreground plant that would do well with that much lighting?

How much more fertilisation were you thinking?

 

[Truck]

there wont be enough light i dont think. in a smaller tank you need more light. although its about 9 gallons and you have 22 watts of light (2.4 WPG) your not actually getting it, because theyre compact lamps which have poor reflection. could do with a bit more fertilisation too IMO

Ah right thanks, i figured it might be the lighting. I dont really want to go any higher on the lighting at the moment as i have only just got into the hobby and trying to avoid algae issues at all costs. Plus as i said, all the other plants are doing great with whats available. Do you have any recommended replacements for a foreground plant that would do well with that much lighting?

How much more fertilisation were you thinking?

i would try 2 ml of the pro fito

 

[nosoup4you]

With the right ferts and CO2 I would think that the hairgrass would do well in your tank.

 

[aldo_01]

2ml per day? The back of the bottle recommends 10ml per 100 litres per week, so that would be 3.5ml a week (0.5ml a day) in my tank. Will dosing that much not cause any problems?

I'll give it a go if you're sure.

Thanks

 

[RadaR]

With the right ferts and CO2 I would think that the hairgrass would do well in your tank.

Agreed. Especially if planted correctly.

2ml per day? The back of the bottle recommends 10ml per 100 litres per week, so that would be 3.5ml a week (0.5ml a day) in my tank. Will dosing that much not cause any problems?

I'll give it a go if you're sure.

Thanks

That will be fine. Overdosing nutrients does no harm. Why should it? It doesn't cause algae. Only in extreme overdoses can copper trace become lethal to shrimp. However I haven't know this to happen to anyone recently.
Keep us updated.

 

[Truck]

With the right ferts and CO2 I would think that the hairgrass would do well in your tank.

Agreed. Especially if planted correctly.

2ml per day? The back of the bottle recommends 10ml per 100 litres per week, so that would be 3.5ml a week (0.5ml a day) in my tank. Will dosing that much not cause any problems?

I'll give it a go if you're sure.

Thanks

That will be fine. Overdosing nutrients does no harm. Why should it? It doesn't cause algae. Only in extreme overdoses can copper trace become lethal to shrimp. However I haven't know this to happen to anyone recently.
Keep us updated.

i overdosed TPN+ by about 4 times the recommended amount

 

[RadaR]

With the right ferts and CO2 I would think that the hairgrass would do well in your tank.

Agreed. Especially if planted correctly.

2ml per day? The back of the bottle recommends 10ml per 100 litres per week, so that would be 3.5ml a week (0.5ml a day) in my tank. Will dosing that much not cause any problems?

I'll give it a go if you're sure.

Thanks

That will be fine. Overdosing nutrients does no harm. Why should it? It doesn't cause algae. Only in extreme overdoses can copper trace become lethal to shrimp. However I haven't know this to happen to anyone recently.
Keep us updated.

i overdosed TPN+ by about 4 times the recommended amount

According to tropica, we all overdose.
Notice I said extreme

 

[aldo_01]

Excellent! I'll give the HG a couple more months and i'll up the dosage of the fertiliser then. Will let you know how it goes, thanks for your help.

 

[Truck]

Excellent! I'll give the HG a couple more months and i'll up the dosage of the fertiliser then. Will let you know how it goes, thanks for your help.

i would dose 1.5ml of EC as well and see how it goes

 

[aldo_01]

Excellent! I'll give the HG a couple more months and i'll up the dosage of the fertiliser then. Will let you know how it goes, thanks for your help.

i would dose 1.5ml of EC as well and see how it goes

Ok i'll give that a go as well ta. While we are on this note though, i have another question. Does surface agitation make a difference when using products like easy carbo? I currently use a spray bar that is situated just above the water surface, is it best in this position or just underneath the surface? Or does it not make a difference either way?

 

[Truck]

Excellent! I'll give the HG a couple more months and i'll up the dosage of the fertiliser then. Will let you know how it goes, thanks for your help.

i would dose 1.5ml of EC as well and see how it goes

Ok i'll give that a go as well ta. While we are on this note though, i have another question. Does surface agitation make a difference when using products like easy carbo? I currently use a spray bar that is situated just above the water surface, is it best in this position or just underneath the surface? Or does it not make a difference either way?

no, easy carbo cant gas off

 

[aldo_01]

[/quote]
no, easy carbo cant gas off
[/quote]


Ok, thanks truckasaurus. Will keep you all posted on how it goes.