# How to get dwarf hairgrass to carpet



## Deng09

I have a 10 gallon dirt tank. I have diy co2 running, and 2 of these 10 watt bulbs in the original hood: http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/5050-mini-compact-fluorescent-lamp.htm 

I put in some dwarf hairgrass about a month ago and it hasnt done much of anything. Most of it died off, and the stuff that remains slowly grows taller if I trim it, but doesnt send runners. My stems plants grew like crazy and so did my crypt, but I cant get this stuff to spread at all. 

Does anyone have any advice? Do I need more light?


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## Cardoc

I have a high tech 55g tank and I got a few runners, but it was impossible to keep clean, so after about four months I took it out of the tank, it needs strong light and co2, but still will not grow that fast.


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## Monster Fish

You have the right conditions to get it to grow. To get it to spread, plant it in small clumps with 1-2 plants per clump. Position the clumps in a grid or checkerboard pattern and it should spread faster for you. Don't be tempted to trim just yet. Let it produce a few runners first before trimming.


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## OVT

The bulbs you are using are for Marine tanks, not for freshwater plants.
These bulbs (should be) better:
http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/colormax-mini-compact-fluorescent-lamp.htm
or any bulbs that fit into your hood at ~6,700K


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## Barbgirl

I've used the 50/50 bulbs for growing easy plants such as moss and some stems for a while and they love it. Not sure if it strong enough for hairgrass though. 

Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2


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## scapegoat

you just gotta let the plant go... I planted in clumps of, probably, 20, because I'm too lazy to separate them all out. They're tossing out runners now, but still not nearly close to filling in.


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## jester56

I have a couple of big clumps in my 50 that have been there about six months. I've had to trim them down because of a BBA problem. Had the same slow growth problem, though. Then, about three weeks ago, it went crazy. Started sending out runners and growing like it never had. I use CO2 and Excel, with root tabs. I guess patience has been the key. I wish I had known about breaking them up and planting them in a grid as I would have done that...


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## MarkM

I read about starting DHG dry on the Barr Report and have a batch started this weekend. It is supposed to reduce the start time exponentially. I have a tray with a 2" lip filled to 3/4 inch with potting soil. I bought a 4x4" section of the grass and cut it up into 1/2" squares and planted it in the soil. Saturated the mix so that the water fills the soil but does not cover the plant. I have a normal desk top florescent lamp on a timer above it. Also, the tray is placed near a window with lots of sun. I am supposed to see fantastic results in two weeks, we will see.


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## GeToChKn

what kind of gravel, and DHG loves root tabs. It's been a few months in my tank with Netlea Aquasoil, root tabs, excel, 2x13w Home Depot CFL lights and I have runners going everywhere. It will probably take 6 months to fill in, but it's getting there and low light and now CO2, I expected that.


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## roncruiser

I have Dwarf Hair Grass growing and sending out runners in a 2 gallon bowl. No Co2. 5000K 19W CFL @ 8 hours per day. Substrate is Amazonia. Not fast but steady growth. Initially, I believed I would not have any success with DHG. Good luck.

Ron


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## Couesfanatic

Anyone have pics?


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## OVT

Couesfanatic said:


> Anyone have pics?


I think mine needs a bit of trimming:


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## Deng09

OVT said:


> The bulbs you are using are for Marine tanks, not for freshwater plants.
> These bulbs (should be) better:
> http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/colormax-mini-compact-fluorescent-lamp.htm
> or any bulbs that fit into your hood at ~6,700K


Before I buy these, are there any other bulbs that would be even better? Hopefully that would fit in the same fixture as these.


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## minicrazy592

You need to start off with something like this and plant a lot of them in addition to the lighting aspect.


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## Optix

all you need is patience

it can grow in low-high light...co2 or no co2...a lot of ferts or very few (though ferts should almost always be "high" for most tanks)
DHG is a very low maintenance/easy plant

i grow some in a window sill in 2 jars and a vase from 3 sprigs

the vase only gets indirect sunlight so it took a solid 6months before it filled in (and its very tall ~4")

in my jars that get direct sunlight (no co2) it took about 2months to fill in and it is short ~1"

I just moved it over to my high light/high co2/high fert tank and it hasnt done much (a few runners here and there in a months time)

but in a few months it will spread like crazy

PATIENCE is what you need...it starts out slow and then explodes with growth


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## chew

I think optix is right about the high ferts. My hair grass took off after about a week and slowed down a lot when I stopped ei dosing. Even without co2 it was doing fine but now with high co2 and no ferts it's starting to yellow


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## In.a.Box

High co2, no ei is your problem. Not enough plant food to drive the plant.


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## Deng09

Right now I just have the dirt substrate and no ferts. There are some root tabs in the dirt as well. Should I be dosing with ferts? 

And I bought the stuff that comes in the bags at petsmart. It looked nothing like the very long grass that was pictured by someone else in this thread. Is this a different type of hairgrass?


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## 82nd_Airborne

+1 for patience
I have a mass of dhg that is growing in my 3 gallon picotype with a finnex fugeray, no co2, no ferts. It took it a month or so to start sending out runners, and probably 2 months to really get with it. Now I have to thin it out about every 2 weeks.


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## Jimmyblues

*Getting Dwarf Hairgrass To Carpet*



Deng09 said:


> I have a 10 gallon dirt tank. I have diy co2 running, and 2 of these 10 watt bulbs in the original hood: http://www.aqueonproducts.com/products/5050-mini-compact-fluorescent-lamp.htm
> 
> I put in some dwarf hairgrass about a month ago and it hasnt done much of anything. Most of it died off, and the stuff that remains slowly grows taller if I trim it, but doesnt send runners. My stems plants grew like crazy and so did my crypt, but I cant get this stuff to spread at all.
> 
> Does anyone have any advice? Do I need more light?




Two watts of light per gallon is barely enough to get dwarf hairgrass to carpet. At least 3 watts per gallon is good, and four watts per gallon is even better, as it will allow for much faster growth.

You also don't say what type of lighting you are using. 

A dirt substrate should be OK for growing dh, however, sand is much better. I have also read of several people who said that they could not get dwarf hairgrass to carpet in tanks with ECO Complete or Fluorite. I have had the same experience. 

It appears that these substrates (while great for non carpeting types of plants) are too heavy and prevent carpeting plants from developing new root systems.

I have, however, found that dwarf hairgrass does exceptionally well in sand substrate.

I have successfully grown dwarf hairgrass in several planted aquaria, using DIY CO2, T-5 (6700K) linear fluorescent lighting, and Flourish fertilizer plant tabs. In fact the growth was explosive, and the entire tank bottom carpeted within a month of my adding some dwarf hairgrass plantings from another tank.


The only problem with growing dh in a sand substrate, is that in the long run after about a year the sand substrate compacts and makes it impossible for the dwarf hairgrass to throw out new runners.

So the once explosive growth that you experience with dh stops and the plants gradually lose their lush green color and eventually die off.

Most fish keepers see photos of new tanks with recently carpeting plants that look spectacular.

However, over time the eco system in the tank leads to some algal growth (some of which can be very problematic such as black brush algae) and the tank will take on a very different look as plants grow and change the overall appearance of the aquarium.

Because of this, it is not uncommon to hear of many a fish keeper rescaping their aquarium
every year or two. This is true of all different types of plants.

A few years ago I decided to keep Anubias Barteri Var. Barteri exclusively.

I have also found that the best way to maintain these plants in an aquarium is to 
keep them potted so that they can be easily removed once or twice a week and given
additional liquid fertilizer.

I remove the plants and let them soak in a bucket filled with a few inches of tap water and a capful of liquid fertilizer. 

This allows for rapid growth without a lot of algae growing on the leaves of the plants.

Based on what I have experienced regarding hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil) , it is not a good idea to add liquid fertilizer to your aquarium's water column, because
the algae spores in the water will quickly feed on the liquid fertilizer before your plants do
and you will end up with green water.

Moreover, if you are using a high tech lighting system (T-5 HO, CFL, LED HO, Metal Halide)
and injected CO2, you should also have a UV sterilizer, since this will help greatly in reducing algal blooms, because most of the free floating spores in your tank's water column will be irradiated by the UV sterilizer.

It is also a good idea to keep hardy plants that can compete with each other, instead of 
a combination of hardy and less hardy plants, in which the weaker plants will eventually die off.

Plants also give off harmful chemicals to poison other plants (allelopathy) as part of their competition to survive in the eco system. If you are using dwarf hairgrass in an aquarium with many other types of plants that will prevent light from reaching the dwarf hairgrass, this will also limit its growth.

The most important issue here is that if you want your dwarf hairgrass to carpet, you must change the substrate. And you must be prepared to do so every year or two, when the sand
substrate compacts to the point where it prevents the dh from throwing off new runners.

Many fish keepers have found that it is simply not worth the aggravation of maintaining 
dwarf hairgrass because of this. However, if you are willing to go to the trouble, a room full of aquariums with lush carpets of dwarf hairgrass can be truly spectacular.

Especially if the tanks are dedicated to the dh and nothing else. Dh will grow to about six inches in height, and when you trim it back will become fuller. You will end up with a thick carpet of dh (micro sword is the same way) that will use up fish waste and excess foods as fuel to grow. 

You never really have to vacuum the dh, and it is wonderful for fry to hide in after they are born, since there is an abundance of food available sitting at the bottom of the dh.

I have had guppy fry hide in dh for weeks after they were born, suddenly surfacing after having grown some, and then feeling safe enough to be able to wander around the aquarium.

Microsword and Baby Tears also offer similar benefits once they have carpeted.

These plants also do well in a sand substrate, however, will not carpet using a heavier substrate like Eco Complete or Fluorite.

Any fish keeper whose intent is to grow carpeting plants should become aware of this.


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