# Dwarf hairgrass not growing!



## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

I planted the dhg more than 4 months and it is still not growing or grow very slowly. It's root is going downwards instead of horizontal and seding runners. The rest of plants in the tank is doing pretty well. The DHG is just sit there with some algae on the tip, not growing and not dying either.

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This is the whole tank.
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Here is my fertilizer dosing:
1.5ml ADA Brighty K daily (potassium)
1.5ml ADA Green Brighty Step 2 daily (trace)
0.5ml pfertz Nitrogen 2 time weekly 
0.2ml Seachem Phosphate 1-2 time weekly
2 drops ADA ECA (Iron) twice a week
3/4 teaspoon Seachem Equilibrium daily to maintain 6gH
CO2 1 BPS 1 hours before light on, and 1 hr before light off, ADA drop checker light green at 30 ppm
Light on 7.5 hours every day (on a timer).
Temp: 74F
Water Change: 30% on each Wed & Sunday

Water tested by API test kits:
pH: 7.6 (in the morning before CO2 injection)
pH: 6.8 (at middle of photo period with CO2 on)
gH: 6
kH: 4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20-40ppm
Phosphate: 0.25ppm

Fish: 4 Emerald tetra
Shrimp: 4 Amano, 8 red cheery
Feed every 2nd day


This is the DHG from LFS. Even it is cover by BGA, the DHG is still look healthy and strong.
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## Agent69 (Oct 9, 2013)

Wow that's weird. My dwarf hairgrass grows tall and sends runners all over the place and I don't even dose as much ferts as you do and have never even tested my water. I just have a fugeray by finnex co2 at 1bps and dose pps pro ferts. My guess would be on your lights though


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## Steve002 (Feb 7, 2014)

I would guess your light is inadequate too. Try pulling the light fixture forward to center it over the DHG. It dosn't look as though you can adjust its height. Maybe try adding a temporary CFL to shine on it to see if that helps.


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

mine did the same thing, I adjusted 2 things and it took off like wild fire

I moved my light to be more directly over it, and gave the hairgrass more flow. 5 clumps covered half of my 29g in a month after I did this. Root tabs were a help as well.


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## wade0328 (Jul 10, 2013)

I noticed a difference when I put a power head to increase flow! Started growing more!


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

The light is ADA AQUASKY361 LED light. I think it is too bright and I need to cover up some LEDs to dim it a little. When I check the review of this product, almost everyone agree that it is very bright. If I don't cover some of the LEDs, algae will grow like crazy unless I turn the CO2 injection to 2 bulbs per second. If I do so, the pH swing will be too much for my shrimps to survive. Now I move the light a little foward because rotala at the back do not need too much light.

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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

Anybody else notice some yellowing on the leaves? You might be a bit short on the fertilizers. 

I'm running a groundcover test/increase for a pending remodel of my 125 gallon tank. I've got Dwarf Sag, Dwarf Hairgrass, & Pigmy Chain sword right now in 3 separate little tanks... all dirted with different caps. 

This stuff sat immobile for about 4 weeks then this past month it's turned into a weed. When I did some research it all says bright light and nutrient heavy substrate. Root-tabs etc might help.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

I agree with The V, my plants are a little yellow, especially the DHG. But what kind of fert that I need to does more? My Nitrate is over 20 ppm most of the time (I test it every 2-3 days with API kit). I am not sure if I need to does more Nitrogen. My tank is a little 5G tank, so not too much margin for error.

The root pattern seems not right. It is going down instead of horizontal like others. Here are some close up pictures. How should I fix it?

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By the way, I started to use Flourish Tabs since last Dec. I added 5 pcs into 4 corners and 1 at center. Then I just added another 3 tabs early March.


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

Those are planted to deep


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

I planted DHG in my low tech and figured they wouldn't do much but after 3 months they are starting to spread. I have a bit much for light right now (3 13w CFL lamps) and hoping it continues to grow when I get my new LED fixtures. I also dose metricide.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

I did not plant it too deep. It's root system grows downward by itself, so there is no new shoots come out from the substrate. I wonder why and try to find out how to fix it.


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

You might try grabbing those ones that are poking up and pull them closer to the surface. The only reason I said they were planted to deep, when I initially planted mine, I stuck them a bit deep, and the new runners did the same thing. After pulling the new runners closer to the top of the substrate they started growing correctly. I also found the deeper I placed the root tabs the deeper the roots went, causing the new growth to do the exact same thing.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

Does this weird DHG growth relate to nutrient: lack or excess? I have some hair algae on the tip of the hairgrass. I use Excel to spot treat them, but that should not make the DHG grow like this. Because the runners are moving deeper into the substrate, that is why there is no new grow on the carpet. What is the next thing should I try? Double does the all the fertilizer for 2 weeks and see?


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

I tested this with my tank. On one side of the tank i place the root tabs completely at the bottom of the substrate, and on the other half I placed them between my substrate and sand cap. The DHG that was on the side with the lowest placed root tabs had roots that grew down. The DHG that had root tabs placed right below the current roots grew correctly. Doubling your ferts might cause more algae issues, but that all depends on your current level of dosing. There are root feeders, so they will take little from the water column.


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

The job of the roots is seek out nutrients so this makes sense.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

But I inserted my 3 root tabs just below the ADA soil in a triangular position at the front, knowing that stem plants at the back don't need root tab.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

any more advice or suggestion?


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## tetra73 (Aug 2, 2011)

mheat said:


> But I inserted my 3 root tabs just below the ADA soil in a triangular position at the front, knowing that stem plants at the back don't need root tab.


With ADA soil, I doubt that you need any root tabs at all. Your phosphate is TOO LOW. Try under 5ppm. To get them spread, you must trim them HARD, down to very close to the substrate. You need water flow over them. I am not sure why you need to dose Seachem equilibrium daily since GH does not fluctuate daily. I only add them with my water change, that's it. Dose about .5ppm of iron and I don't see why you need to dose iron twice per day. Try to increase your CO2. I just can't figure out how people can pump 1 bps of CO2 in their tank, not that it can measure anything. I am using a 10lb CO2 tank and I need to refill it once every 3 month. My CO2 level is around 40ppm+ using the kh and ph chart. Borderline OK to gassing my fish...


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

Some clarification:
- Use Seachem Equilibrium to raise GH to 6 (tap water is 0) during water change
- Use 2 drops of ADA ECA (iron) 2 times per week as recommended
- ADA soil is 10 months old, so use some root tab to boost DHG growth
- API Phosphate test kit is not very accurate, maybe I should increase it a bit.
- I am using the ADA CO2 bottle which last about 3 weeks, very expansive. I have no space for the 5lb tank

As you see my picture, the DHG is already very short. It had some hair algae on the tip, and I trimmed it 4 weeks ago. It just stay the same, not growing, not sending runners, and not dying. I pulled a few DHG up last night, and I see the root are healthy. Rotala at the back are growing very fast. Strange.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

This is the cell tissue cultured DHG that I bought and planted 8 months ago. 
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I pull out some of my DHG and found out the root is very compact on each grass, and they are not sending runners as normal. Why is that while other stem plants are doing fine except the Blyxa Japonica? I need some help. 
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## agro (Nov 29, 2013)

How old is substrate? I get this when using inert. Or flourish tabs, work fine with osmocote tabs.


Not lights either, i have a tank with a ray 2 like 6 inches over vsubstrate and its growing fine


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

I'm not sure if I buy the fert/light inadequacy story. Hairgrass is a hardy plant that thrives in even the lowest tech tanks. Increasing water flow is the only thing that really makes sense to me. Other than that, just have patience! Owning plants != owning a pet.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

Substrate is ADA Amazonia II and it have been used for 1.5 years. Tank parameter can be found in the first post. Just wonder after 8 months of growth, my DHG is still so thin and short. I found that the growth at the front which is under the outlet of my AC30 filter is much slower then those at the back of the tank. Does DHG not like strong current?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You probably don't have 30 ppm of CO2, but closer to 20 ppm. A .8 drop in pH means an increase in ppm of CO2 by a factor of 6.3. Assuming the CO2 ppm drops to about 3 ppm overnight, you would have about 20 ppm with the CO2 on. The drop checker isn't nearly accurate enough to tell you you have 30 ppm. At best it can tell you you have between about 15 and 45 ppm. I don't know if this is keeping the hairgrass from growing well, or not.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

Many people said they don't even need CO2 to grow DHG.


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

mheat said:


> Many people said they don't even need CO2 to grow DHG.



Yes, this is completely true.


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## Okedokey (Sep 2, 2014)

Im suggesting an iron deficiency.


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## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

If you have a coarse substrate above a fine substrate, the DHG may use the lower, finer substrate as a base instead. Other than being slower to spread, I find it not that picky when it comes to fert or CO2, so not sure what to suggest in your case.







(Grown in dirt w/o CO2)


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Does make you wonder if it is the substrate particle size.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

XiaoZhunang: Your DHG root system looks normal, but my DHG root system is complete different. I am thinking it is some kind of nutrient deficiency too, but just don't know which one.

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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

I pull out more DHG. Most of them do not send out runners, and have large root system. Only one of them looks normal

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## vinizuh (Sep 17, 2014)

Your top layer of substrate is too large. I have flourite black and black sand and my DHG carpeted fast in the sand. Once it reached the flourite black, the runners had trouble getting a hold on the substrate and took longer to carpet.


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

think about it, the plants need to get established before they can send out runners. I would think having a large root mass is a good sign. I agree on the top layer being to big/thick for them to spread as well.


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## mheat (Apr 24, 2013)

My substrate is ADA Amazonia (normal). I see many people get good result with this one, and no need to use the powder one. I am thinking it could be phosphate deficiency, but even I use flourish root tab every 3 months, and I still not get a good result. Now I am pulling out my DHG and try the glosso as carpet plant. I have more luck with stem plants.


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