# Hair Grass going brown



## ethoscraig (Jul 13, 2012)

Well I am pretty experienced with fishkeeping, I have had a few plants in tanks like amazon swords and java ferns. But never really set up a planted aquarium.

Anyways I took the plunge and set up a 40gal planted aquarium. Just going to put tetra's and some bolivian rams in about a months time.

Anyway I have a fair few species in the tank which I planted a few days ago that seem to be going well. But the hair grass which has some brownish strands on it to begin with seems to be getting slightly worse.

The tanks params currently are

pH 7.2
gH 4 dGH
kH 3 dKH
Ammonia nil
Nitrite nil
Nitrate 5ppm
Iron .25ppm
Phosphate .1ppm
co2 16ppm
oxygen 10ppm

Im using Seachem florish for ferts just dosing 1ce per week. But I'm only 3 days into the regime.

Also for the lights its currently only got 1 WPG with a 40watt t8 Light. I'm still waiting for my T5HO light to come in, that has x2 54 watt bulbs in it, which should bring the tank upto around 2.75 WPG roughly. I ordered it 2 weeks ago but they sent it to the wrong address. Its suppose to arrive now in about another 5-7 days 

The tank also has a CO2 injection system. Just a little fluval 88g one. The area it is in, I had to go a small discrete system

The substrate is seachem flourite with a little bit of crappy gravel mixed in that was already in the tank.










All the other plants seem to be settling in fine. But the Hair grass looks like its getting ever so slowly worse. When it came it already had brown strands. The plants spent 2 days in the mail in pitch black. But they seem to be recovering where the hair grass is not. That photo is 3 days in too, where I'm currently at.

Any idea's on what I can do to make it lush green again until I get the T5HO lighting? I'd hate for the Hair Grass to die off. Because I have to get plants sent by mail. There is only 1 LFS in town, and all there plants are covered in diatoms. And they don't have any hair grass either.

Id really love to hear some suggestions to what I can do. I'm pretty new to this planted aquarium scene and I really love the hair grass. Thanks!


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## Travis.808 (Apr 2, 2009)

Hey hows it going? This plant needs high lighting. 1wpg is on the low end of low lighting I would start with at least 3wpg if not a full 4wpg. This should get that stuff green and growing, good luck.


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## ethoscraig (Jul 13, 2012)

Ok cool. Thanks for that. Do you think the plant will last until I get the High Output lights in?


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## sandeepraghuvanshi (Feb 22, 2007)

When you purchase plants they are often grown emersed in nurseries.
They lose their emersed leaves when submerged in aquarium, as the plant adjusts itself.
After some time new leaves will come out.


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## Travis.808 (Apr 2, 2009)

Whoops, yeah, that too! ;p


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## ethoscraig (Jul 13, 2012)

Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for that. It looks a little bit lusher today actually. It should start going really well when I get the high output lighting setup. I cant wait.


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