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croys/bottom feeders IMO wont fit in your tank well not any that i know of but anyway they prefer gravel.

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

"Eleocharis parvula" Thats the one I was reffering to..

I've never heard microswords referred to as hairgrass. I'm pretty certain dude_dude would be talking about at least one of the Eleocharis species and probably either Eleocharis acicularis or parvula.
I never managed to keep hairgrass growing long term. A field of grass in the tank would look great to me but the hairgrass would barely survive. If I was really really lucky it would send out 1 new shoot of grass before it died off. I've tried to grow it 3-4 times now under all sorts of light levels with and without co2 in various tanks. Same as java moss. Those are the 2 plants that no matter how much I try to set the tank up for them they don't grow if they even survive. It must just be my hard water. Planting it is still the same as frank said for microswords. I generally break it into 3 clumps though and then weigh those down. Planting each individual plant always killed it off sooner than leaving it together.

Last edited by sham at 10-Jul-2005 14:50

if you do do hairgrass can you cut it shorter like mowing the lawn to keep it a certain desired length then it would look like a little field of grass in the tank???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
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The plant pictured in Frank's link looks like Lilaeopsis brasiliensis to me, while I was referring in my answers to Eleocharis parvula, which is what I would normall call hairgrass. Actually, I would normally call it Eleocharis parvula as it saves the confusion.

Which one were you asking about Dude_dude?

Hi,
Micro Sword, or "Hair Grass":

[link=http://www.azgardens.com/images/3root8.jpg]http://www.azgardens.com/images/3root8.jpg" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

Commonly sold in 2x2 inch mats, or larger.
In some LFS's or places like PetsMart, etc it is sold in
small plastic pots.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

There is only one scientific name in Latin which is Cladophora aegagropila. Marimo ball is the most common name as far as I know but some refer to them as moss balls although it's not really a moss but actually a type of algae.

Ah, thanks

So.. Were they called Marimo balls? Or am I confused ( or are there many different names or is there only one name, "Moss Ball" )

Last edited by dude_dude at 10-Jul-2005 06:31

Indeed, cories would not be a good idea if you're planning of using moss balls as they will just make a mess out of it. Rooted cover plants like glosso are ok as they cannot uproot them, although they do prefer gravel. Any other bottom feed who moves the gravel would do the same.

But it would certainly work with amano shrimps. They will scavenge for food but will not disturb any plants.

is it? I want a plant for my 5g with an 11 watt light above it.. Will hairgrass work? if so, is it easy to keep/maintain?

What other plant(s) would you reccomend for that tank?

hmm, I might try those balls Would it be like a sponge? Would cories/bottom dwellers prefer it to gravel or sand?

I might try some.. What is the common name? Marimo balls or something?

Regarding moss balls, you don't have to keep them as balls. Some aquarists flatten them and attach them to wood or as ground cover. Just a thought.

As for hairgrass, it's not uneasy, just slow and they do have the tendency to float until they anchor themselves, I would suspect it's more so if they're sold as mats. Using tweezers, I get few, if any at all, floating and just replant them. Did I mention they are slow growers?

Oh, so I was thinking of the right plant

Well our hair grass is sold as pots.

hmmm.. Mats? I thought hairgrass was the stuff sold in pots? im thinking of the wrong plant! :%)

Anyway, I'd like one of the small anubius species but I cant find them here. Moss balls look a lil bit man-made for me jmo.. What species of Java fern would you reccomend? &amp; is java moss esay to control?

Thanks

hw abt the never ending java ferns, anubias nana, java moss???

Hi,
Hair grass is ususally sold in small matts. Comming in
2, 4, 6, and sometimes 12 inch mats of grass, almost like
sod. Generaly speaking, you can lay the mat on the top
of the gravel and weigh it down so the small roots take
hold or, you break the mats up, and plant the individual
plants with tweezers. You take the plant, and push it
gently into the gravel so, like val or sag, the crown of
the plant is just showing at the gravel surface. Think of
each plant as if it were a single val plant. The roots
burried in the gravel and the crown of the plant,
(where the bottom of the plant turns to roots) is exposed.

When planting with tweezers, leave about a 1/4 inch between
plants and let them grow into the spaces.

Personally, I've not had good luck with hair grass. The
root system is so small (1/2 inch or less) that the whole
mat eventually lifts off the surface of the gravel. Or,
the gravel grains were too large. I suspect that the
plant would anchor best in sand or very small grained
gravel. Additionally, in a larger tank, it needs
bright light, 3+wpg, however, in a shallow 5G tank, your
2wpg might be ok.

Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 09-Jul-2005 08:29

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

What do you think of a Moss ball?.


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