Dwarf sagittaria carpets

[Adam Swarbrick]

Hello all,

I’ve been trying to grow in a dwarf sag carpet but I have been struggling to keep it short. 

Would a better light keep it shorter?
I currently run a nicrew light on a 12 inch tall tank. Does anyone have any parr data for these lights for comparison to the fluval 3.0?

Has anyone had any luck in training dwarf sag to stay short? I had read that was possible with some stem plants. If it’s possible how many times would you expect to cut it down before it starts to work?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

Heres a picture of the tank in question.

-Adam

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:17 AM, Adam Swarbrick said:

Hello all,

I’ve been trying to grow in a dwarf sag carpet but I have been struggling to keep it short. 

Would a better light keep it shorter?
I currently run a nicrew light on a 12 inch tall tank. Does anyone have any parr data for these lights for comparison to the fluval 3.0?

Has anyone had any luck in training dwarf sag to stay short? I had read that was possible with some stem plants. If it’s possible how many times would you expect to cut it down before it starts to work?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

Heres a picture of the tank in question.

-Adam

I've found that having the patience to trim it usually works best. Love the look of your tank!!

[Mmiller2001]

Just mow it like you mow your lawn.

[Adam Swarbrick]

Thanks both,

I don’t mind getting in to trim, just thought there might be an easier way. With the holidays coming up I thought a new light might be a good gift. 😅

 

-Adam

[Patrick_G]

It’s kind of a misnomer to call it “dwarf” since it gets so tall in an aquarium. Yours look great, and it’s worth a try to give it some more intense light. I’m not sure which Nicrew you have but in my experience the Fluval 3.0 is considerably more powerful than the Nicrews. 

[Adam Swarbrick]

On 11/11/2022 at 5:25 PM, Patrick_G said:

It’s kind of a misnomer to call it “dwarf” since it gets so tall in an aquarium. Yours look great, and it’s worth a try to give it some more intense light. I’m not sure which Nicrew you have but in my experience the Fluval 3.0 is considerably more powerful than the Nicrews. 

Thanks Patrick,

I’m not sure which it is either I’ve had it since I started the hobby a few years back. At the time I just needed something cheap.

What size would be recommended for a 20 long?

Would you guys be worried about algae if I used the 3.0?

-Adam

[Patrick_G]

I think you’ll want the 24”-34” one and you’ll probably have to expect some algae, but you could offset that by adding some more plants or adding Co2. 

[Mmiller2001]

Without CO2 injection, I would save my dollars and get a finnex ALC light. You lose the app, but gain the 660nm red. The 3.0's are just too over priced to only offer an app.

[Patrick_G]

Also consider:

-waiting for the new Aquarium Co-op light that will be released soon. 

-Chihiros WRGB 2, a great high end light that’s only semi affordable but has performance to match the high end lights like ADA. 

[Adam Swarbrick]

I’d love to try out the coops light but I’m in the UK so it’s going to be a while. I think I can get the other suggestions here so I’ll have a look around. Thankyou.

[Rita]

I'm having the same problem! Thanks for this as I was wondering as well. I suspected there isn't a good option besides cutting a little off the top lol.

[Mmiller2001]

Expect 8 inches out of dwarf Sag. Once you start cutting it, it takes off.