# Growing Eleocharis acicularis?



## pitabread (Jul 14, 2006)

I'm kind of scratching my head over this plant...

I originally got some Eleocharis acicularis a couple months back. I didn't have immediate plans for it, so I plopped it in my 48 gallon (still in the basket), which has 125W of lighting (2x30W T8, 1x65W PC, polished reflector), CO2 injection and regular ferts.

At the time, my 48 gallon was a jungle. I hadn't aquascaped or pruned in quite some time. I tried to make sure that the Eleocharis wasn't shaded, but it wasn't receiving the best possible light. Not only that, but I wasn't dosing enough ferts at the time for the amount of plants in the tank.

At any rate, initially there was a bunch of die-off. I thought it might have had it, but it recovered and soon was looking very green. It stayed like that for a month or so until I decided to plant it.

I took it out from the basket and planted it in my 5.5 gallon nano (27W of light, Eco-complete, Flourish Excel for carbon, plus ferts). It stayed green and had begun growing new shoots after only a week.

But I wanted to try some in my 48 again since I'd just completely re-aquascaped it. Now there was definitely plenty of light and ferts, since I'd removed most of the plant life in there. After planting it, however, most of the existing stems have turned brown. But at the same time, it has put up a whole bunch of new shoots.

Is this normal? There was some initial die-off the first time I put it in my 48, but it recovered and was quite healthy. Then there's almost no die-off in my 5.5, but then a lot more die-off when I put it back in my 48.

I don't get this plant. :noidea:


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

Not sure about the particular plant but I have experienced lots of plants "melting" off when introduced to new waters/substrate especially crypts.

If it's growing back though then its just melting.


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## pitabread (Jul 14, 2006)

Anyone else?


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## bigtroutz (Nov 17, 2006)

I have read on other threads here that Eleocharis spp are very sensitive to Excel. Sounds like thats the problem to me, but thats just a WAG


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I also struggled with acicularis for a while. It seemed if I left it alone it grew the best. If you move it around it slowed down for me as soon as it got settled it sent runners everywhere. 

Mine never died back though. The first die back I chalk up to it being emersed, since thats how most dwarf hair grass is grown. The second die back is beyond me. Mine sometimes didnt grow but very rarely died back. As long as it rebounds than its probably just differences in the tanks that shocked it a little not really anything you can do about that except give it all it needs and waiting.


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## pitabread (Jul 14, 2006)

bigtroutz said:


> I have read on other threads here that Eleocharis spp are very sensitive to Excel. Sounds like thats the problem to me, but thats just a WAG


It's not that, because I'm using Excel in my 5.5 gallon where there was only a little bit of die-off. In my 48 gallon, however, where there was a lot of die-off, I'm using CO2 injection.


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## pitabread (Jul 14, 2006)

slickwillislim said:


> I also struggled with acicularis for a while. It seemed if I left it alone it grew the best. If you move it around it slowed down for me as soon as it got settled it sent runners everywhere.
> 
> Mine never died back though. The first die back I chalk up to it being emersed, since thats how most dwarf hair grass is grown. The second die back is beyond me. Mine sometimes didnt grow but very rarely died back. As long as it rebounds than its probably just differences in the tanks that shocked it a little not really anything you can do about that except give it all it needs and waiting.


That's what I'm doing at this point. The grass in my 48 has put out a lot of runners and I'm starting to see some "green" in the little clumps as new shoots grow in. I guess it could have been stress of moving, but I'm still puzzled as to why that didn't happen in my 5.5 gallon. Oh well, as long as it grows.


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