# emersed to submersed



## efish (Apr 23, 2006)

So i've been growing emersed HC and Dwarf Hairgrass for about a month and a half. HC is finally starting to grow in nicely and the Hairgrass is spreading runners in a couple of directions (need to change/clip a few). 

My question, is how to do the conversion from emersed to submersed. I want to give it at least another 2 weeks to get the HC a little fuller. But here are my specs now.

5.5G with 18W's on for 13 hours/day. 2x weekly spraying of strongly diluted ferts (NPK), 1x weekly spraying with just water.

So should I just dump in 5.5G's of water and cut lighting period all in 1 day or will that hurt plants? I was thinking of adding water slowly over a week and cutting lights slowing to 8 hours a day. 

TIA


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## sadistic-otaku (Feb 2, 2008)

I filled it up slowly over the week, and added Excel too. I think plants go through the 'meltoff' phase because they don't get as much co2 from the water as they do from air.


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## efish (Apr 23, 2006)

sadistic-otaku said:


> I filled it up slowly over the week, and added Excel too. I think plants go through the 'meltoff' phase because they don't get as much co2 from the water as they do from air.


I plan on using DIY CO2. I guess I'll just start up a bottle as I fill the tank. 

What about lighting?


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## ItsDubC (Feb 5, 2008)

I would suggest changing as few of the variables as possible. Plants will be vulnerable in the transition phase from emersed to submersed growth, so I wouldn't change the photoperiod until the plants have had some time to adjust.


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## JHipkin (Dec 18, 2004)

I did the same thing. HC and Dwarf sag. When it was ready I filled it up with water and pounded the CO2. No problems so far.


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## jimsuy (Jan 25, 2008)

hi.. can you post sa pics of your emerse HC? what substrate did you use? tankz.. im newbie..


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## max23 (Feb 27, 2008)

here is the http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/58677-emersed.html


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## efish (Apr 23, 2006)

ok, so a long time has passed and i should have updated a while ago, but all the HC died. The hairgrass did well, and it growing in slowly. 

Any suggestions for another foreground plant in a 5.5G?


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## welchrock (Jun 12, 2008)

what do you think killed the HC? the transition from emersed to submerged?

if you were to do it again what would you have done differently?

(happy friday everybody!)


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