# 10 gallon tank and wanting to maintain Dwarf Hairgrass



## ForAnAngel (Apr 9, 2014)

Ive read the additional posts about how you can maintain and even grow dwarf hair grass, however, I am posting because I was wondering with the equipment I already possess, if it's possible or even likely to give it a try.

It's a ten gallon tank as posted, will be using eco complete black with iron enforced root tabs 6 inches apart, will dose flourish excel and comprehensive, the lighting I have a finnex fugue ray, a planted plus, and a ray2. Deciding which would be best, however don't want to battle algae like a mad man. The ray2 is already almost certainly not going to bother because without pressurized co2, it'll be a green goo ball in days.

Any thoughts with these specs? The other plants will be amazon swords, anubias, crypts, and some other random plants. Mostly-low to medium besides the hair grass.

Thanks


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## jeffturneraz (Apr 28, 2014)

I didn't have success growing dwarf hair grass in my low tech.

I dosed excel and then I dosed the rest of their line using the EI method.

So the tank one day gets nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus.... then next day it gets iron, flourish comp and trace. Then repeat....with excel dosed every day.

Here is the one difference. It's a 20 tall and has low light.

You have 10-12" from light to sub so not sure.

My dhg did remain green, but it wouldn't grow or spread runners. It just remained the same.


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## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

Haven't tried eco-complete before. But using a dirt base of significant thickness, topped with a thin gravel/sand/artificial substrate has always worked for me. The difference between my experience and general advice is that I find good results using higher light levels for dirt low tech tanks. However, I don't add livestock till 2 months later after the plants have grown in, and I plant quite densely at the start. I don't get serious algae issues and the DHG spreads reasonably fast. The same method grows glosso pretty quickly as well. Usual good practices though; good flow, dosing, pruning etc.

This is an example using glosso and a hanging 150w metal halide pendant (!!). Can see runners within the first week of planting. Eventually I moved the tank (5gal) to another desk and continued using a 23w CFL.

















I can understand why the general advice is not to have too much light without CO2, and this works well for most people. However, I find that when plant growth is good, and bio load is low, pushing lighting levels doesn't automatically result in an algae farm.


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## Django (Jun 13, 2012)

I'm using 1" of MGOCPM capped by 1" of sand. I have good light and I'm not bothered by any algae - I even removed the backing from the tank. I always wanted a tank clear on all four sides


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