# Getting Eleocharis sp mini to carpet



## Juriboy (Mar 10, 2016)

Hi planted tank folks,

I just need some advice from those who have successfully made Eleocharis sp mini to carpet in their planted tank(s). I have planted Eleocharis sp mini in my tank 2 weeks ago and it seemed mine is taking awhile to acclimate and the spiky leaves gradually turning brown. The leaves that turned completely brown formed some thread/hair algae on it. I only have a few that seemed to have carpeted on my substrate. So I spoke with a friend who works in one of our LFS and was told to trim my Eleocharis sp mini as near to the substrate as possible to get rid of the algae. Also, this will prompt the plant to propagate and would start to carpet... 

Is this true? 

Any tips or techniques that you guys may share to get the plant to carpet?


Here's my setup:
Tank Size: 50G Long (36x18x18)
Light: 2 39W T5 HO
PAR: 50-55
Injecting Pressurized CO2 from in-line diffuser
Fertilizers: Flourish, Flourish Trace, Potassium and Iron
Filter: Hagen Fluval 206
2 mini power head on each end of the tank


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## wmnash (Dec 14, 2015)

Your friend speaks the truth. Also, remember it's common name is "hair grass" and just life regular grass it needs bright/strong light to thrive. Good luck.


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## devilduck (May 9, 2012)

I've had success with it in the past. they need good light, good co2 levels , and nutrient rich substrate. Trimming helps but not required.


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## Juriboy (Mar 10, 2016)

wmnash said:


> Your friend speaks the truth. Also, remember it's common name is "hair grass" and just life regular grass it needs bright/strong light to thrive. Good luck.


Thank you!  Alright, i'll be patient and wait for it to propagate then...



devilduck said:


> I've had success with it in the past. they need good light, good co2 levels , and nutrient rich substrate. Trimming helps but not required.



Hi @devilduck, would you reckon 50-55 PAR is enough light?


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## devilduck (May 9, 2012)

Juriboy said:


> Thank you!  Alright, i'll be patient and wait for it to propagate then...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes that should be more than sufficient!


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## eklu65 (Mar 3, 2011)

Hair grass is a plant that benefits from the dry start method greatly. I'd never try a carpeting plant again without a dry start, it just simplifies everything. Also, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable doing a massive trim like that before the plant has really established a real root system. Two weeks isn't really enough time for a strong root system to develop. If algae is developing, it could even be a sign that co2 isn't quite high enough.


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## Juriboy (Mar 10, 2016)

eklu65 said:


> Hair grass is a plant that benefits from the dry start method greatly. I'd never try a carpeting plant again without a dry start, it just simplifies everything. Also, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable doing a massive trim like that before the plant has really established a real root system. Two weeks isn't really enough time for a strong root system to develop. If algae is developing, it could even be a sign that co2 isn't quite high enough.



Hi @eklu65, i never thought about doing a dry start method though Ive seen videos where they actually plant carpeting plants and let it sit for a day or 2 before completely filling the tank with water. IMO, I think my CO2 is just enough and im worried that increasing it a little bit more could cause my fishes to gasp air on the surface. Drop checker is showing lime green and it stays that way even in the morning. I just hope I didn't trim it too early though I am starting see new growths on my hair grass  thanks for input though. Really appreciate it!


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Be patient it has only been 2 weeks. Took my carpet many weeks before it really started to spread. Die-off is normal especially if you purchased emersed grown DHG. If some of it is turning brown I would also just trim it right down. Dying parts lead to algae which leads to more issues. Many people immediately trim hair grass right after they plant it.

What substrate are you using? What other plants are in the tank / are they doing well? The latter can be a good indicator if you are on the right track here...


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## Juriboy (Mar 10, 2016)

klibs said:


> What substrate are you using? What other plants are in the tank / are they doing well? The latter can be a good indicator if you are on the right track here...


Hi @klibs, I am using BorneoWild 2 Plant Soil substrate with SERA Floredepot and BorneWild Bacter Crystal as its base. I hope I did the right thing on my substrate as this is my first planted tank.

All my stem plants are doing extremely well and they are growing in an incredibly fast rate.

I am seeing new growth on my DHG. So I guess I just need to be patient and see how things will go in the next few weeks.


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Just wait it out if you have stem plants blasting through the top of your tank in a week or two then DHG will spread. Once you see blades start to pop up everywhere you know you're on the right track. It takes time though - months at least to get a lush carpet.


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

Juriboy said:


> I am seeing new growth on my DHG. So I guess I just need to be patient and see how things will go in the next few weeks.


Hi @Juriboy, how did your hairgrass turn out? Did the algae die down and did it start to carpet?

I'm two weeks in and having trouble with die-off and algae growth. Hoping there's a light at the end of the tunnel.


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