# Dwarf Hairgrass is browning -- Any advice?



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

how long ago was it planted?


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

planting it in such large clumps might be part of it... you really want to split plants like DHG into tiny clumps when initially planting

given your tank is only 2 weeks old it might be just a bit of die-off after initial planting. Again, this may be due to planting it in larger clumps. you should have split into tiny clumps of 5-10 blades at the most. this sucks / is a huge pain to do / takes forever but will produce the best results and fastest / most even carpet. 

if it continues to die with no signs of new growth (roots growing, new blades popping up) then i would be worried. in the last pic it looks like it has started to send out runners. if this is the case then you will probably be fine because it will just continue to fill in and replace the pieces that have died.

basically if it has already sent runners like shown in the last pic that are ~1 inch away from the mother plant then you will be fine. basically DHG either spreads or not. if DHG is spreading you are fine.


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

Awesome, it is definitely spreading. Hopefully we don't get much more browning and there's nothing to worry about.

I blew it with the planting--didn't realize the 5-10 blade rule. I would have happily broken them up more I was having so much fun.

Thanks for the response.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Another thing, I agree with Klibs it might be some intial die-off, but you getting 0 nitrates is a problem. Nitrates provide nitrogen which is a really important nutrient for plants, and having 0 will affect not just your DHG but all your plants.
Have a look into fertilising regimes, particulary PPS-Pro and EI dosing. Your tank is high-tech because of CO2 injection, and will need to be fertilised sooner rather than later.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Could also be ammonia burn. Is that ADA Aquasoil?



Scottacus said:


> My LFS says that it's browning because my HOB filter is pushing too much water down onto it.


Unless the current has it laying down flat as a pancake, this has absolutely nothing to do with it.


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## Mr. Bean (Jul 10, 2016)

Two observations from a fellow hair grass grower:

I agree with one of the other comments, that you'll get some die off in the first few weeks.

1. I found the use of root tabs dispersed throughout the substrate to be highly beneficial to hair grass growth/color. I use Niloc's capsules which are powdered clay with micro nutrients. Need to add new ones, I do so after about six months. It'll obviously also benefit any other rooted plants you have.

2. I also found trimming really encourages growth and spreading. I let my new grass go for a month or so and the blades started looking faded/brown. I trimmed it back by about half its height, added the root tabs and viola...it turned into a green carpet within months. I trim it about every couple of months and its very healthy.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

1bpm CO2? I might would try and up this.


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

I agree that this is probably just bruised/damaged stems from transport and planting. 

I also agree that you should let your nitrates go up more. Plants gotta eat!



burr740 said:


> Could also be ammonia burn. Is that ADA Aquasoil?


Not sure about this. In my experience, DHG is a nutrient pig and very pollution hardy. 

DHG also loves root food. Put some root tabs in between your plugs to seduce it towards the empty areas.


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

Bananableps said:


> I agree that this is probably just bruised/damaged stems from transport and planting.
> 
> I also agree that you should let your nitrates go up more. Plants gotta eat!
> 
> ...


I do have ADA aquasoil. I didn't do a great job of changing the water every day for the first two weeks. I had to travel a lot and had a couple 4 day runs with no water change. Ammonia got up over 1ppm.

When should I begin adding root tabs? 

Also how do I get nitrates up? I was hoping to see some cycling by now but it's all ammonia all day!


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

Scottacus said:


> I do have ADA aquasoil. I didn't do a great job of changing the water every day for the first two weeks. I had to travel a lot and had a couple 4 day runs with no water change. Ammonia got up over 1ppm.
> 
> When should I begin adding root tabs?
> 
> Also how do I get nitrates up? I was hoping to see some cycling by now but it's all ammonia all day!


Oh duh, sorry, forgot it was a new tank. My bad.

Just gotta wait. Seems like you're doing everything right so far. Forget about the root tabs for now (I think).


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

classic LFS giving nonsense advice

i would not worry about root tabs since you are using aquasoil... lots of nutrients in that stuff... especially when its brand new


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

OK, I'll chalk up the browning to transplant damage and not worry about it. I'll also keep playing the waiting game with the nitrites/nitrates. 

Thanks very much for the responses, everyone.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Get your nitrates up by fertilising. Aquasoil actually provides an almost non-limiting supply of N initially. But you will need to cover all the other nutrients so still look into fertilisation. If you don't mind spending some dough, and want the easiest way possible just follow the ADA fertiliser line.


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

Opare said:


> Get your nitrates up by fertilising. Aquasoil actually provides an almost non-limiting supply of N initially. But you will need to cover all the other nutrients so still look into fertilisation. If you don't mind spending some dough, and want the easiest way possible just follow the ADA fertiliser line.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Should the nitrates be going up on their own at this point if I have aquasoil? I am fine with fertilizing down the line, but I didn't think I would need to do so in the first two weeks.


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

I didnt see mentioned what size the tank is. 

Also, I'm surprised this was glazed over, but what do you mean " 1bpm " on the Co2, This looks like its between a 10 - 20 gallon tank. you need to be at around 2-3bps ( Bubbles per second ) of co2.

This looks like a Co2 deficiency to me.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Scottacus said:


> Should the nitrates be going up on their own at this point if I have aquasoil? I am fine with fertilizing down the line, but I didn't think I would need to do so in the first two weeks.


Yeah they should cus of the cycle. You probably are fine with not fertilising for a while but I prefer to start sooner rather than later just to make certain I am not starving the plants of anything.
Also Aquasoil won't provide everything your plants need, it is mainly rich in N.


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## HannahFergusonFan (Dec 13, 2016)

don't worry they rot when planted that's normal they will grow back.


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

HannahFergusonFan said:


> don't worry they rot when planted that's normal they will grow back.


Good to know, thanks Hannah. It's gotten a bit worse since posting and I've been worried about it. 

And Sean W., you're spot on. It's a 15GAL tank. I upped the CO2 yesterday just in case.


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

Sean W. said:


> This looks like a Co2 deficiency to me.


I don't think it would be putting out healthy green runners if there was a CO2 problem, no?


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## Sean W. (Oct 12, 2013)

Scottacus said:


> Good to know, thanks Hannah. It's gotten a bit worse since posting and I've been worried about it.
> 
> And Sean W., you're spot on. It's a 15GAL tank. I upped the CO2 yesterday just in case.


Guarantee that if you upped the co2 to 2-3bps, it solve everything.

(hightech) Plants need 3 things, good light ( which you have ), good nutrients ( which you have in your premium substrate ) and Co2 ( which you had very little of).

Up the Co2, make sure it comes on an hour before the lights and turns off half an hour before the lights go off, and have it around 2-3bps and you will be golden. If you arent already at a 8+hour photo period, I would ramp up to that quickly, but not overnight.

Also, if you dont have any fish in the tank right now, BLAST the co2, up it to 4+bps, that will keep any algae from growing.

Try to get your tank cycled as quickly as possible, borrow bio media from a friend to put in your filter if you can.


Anyway, thats my $0.02  good luck!


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## Scottacus (Oct 30, 2016)

Sean W. said:


> Guarantee that if you upped the co2 to 2-3bps, it solve everything.


After 5 days the dwarf hairgrass is really taking off. The algae is still hanging around but I'm just happy the plants are doing well at this point. Thanks for the advice.


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