Hey Everyone,
I am continuing my what feels like 3-4 years long project of "fixing" my tank. I had a 55g that was wonderful, then a 75g upgrade that used the same materials. Once every 6 months (up to a year) I would hit the tank with a massive trim and get things back to looking nicer (trim the length, but let the plants fill in areas). Even with a sand substrate everything was going fine. I also had the tank without CO2 and with C02 for multiple years in either configuration without issues. Seeing anubias flower, plants pearling, I want to get back to that.
For a variety of reasons I am now in a solo 29g tank and working on taking those plants remaining from "the big crash" and working to fix the tank.
I have a few plants I am trying to get to carpet, having some issues, but moreso I am posting this to take a deep dive into what exactly is the factors that make these two plants carpet without CO2. Micro Sword
Scientific Name: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Native To: South America
Skill Level: Easy
Placement: foreground
Co2 Requirement: none
Dwarf Hairgrass
Scientific Name: Eleocharis acicularis
Skill Level: medium
Placement: foreground carpeting plant
Co2 Requirement: Will grow much faster with Co2, but not required
I guess the best place to start is by clarifying a few things about these plants. Information wise, I have websites I've looked at and I have the details on the co-op listed above as well as my experience with them.
1. Do they generally grow to the same length? My understanding is microsword is every so slightly shorter.
2. In terms of color, is there *really* going to be any difference?
3. In terms of ease of planting, staying planted, does one have any advantage over the other?
4. Is there any general recommendations for either one of these in regards to planting directions (depths, size, etc) that would be out of the norm? (I lost the first 4 pots because of flow, not planting them deep enough and constant uprooting)
I have gone through about 8-9 pots of the DH right now and I am about to order more (shrimp and otos arriving this week). I just pulled off the dead chunks of anubias, sprayed the rocks with hydrogen peroxide, cleaning the filter every 4-5 days, and I have been keeping a very close eye on the water parameters for dosing Easy Green.
I can.....
Add more plants, add more algae fighting machines (love you Amano shrimp), keep trying to balance things out and stay to that schedule. I was doing well, seemingly winning the fight, but I have more things to get tuned. Lights have been fixed, and as I have said I am keeping a close eye on everything and ensuring the water and plants have everything they need.
I just don't want to keep going through pots of plants, and I do want to do everything I can to keep these guys growing and filling out the carpet. My general preference is for the dwarf hairgrass, especially with amanos as a feature in the tank. In your experiences with the above plants can anyone speak to the differences or quirks between the two?
I can put MS on one side, put the HG on the other and see which one thrives, but I don't think that is the best approach either. I know both of them will grow and do fine, once I get this algae kicked in the teeth again.