# I am so new to this...



## Ckom (Jul 2, 2012)

So... my aquatic plant journey begins. I am going to pick up some dwarf hair grass from my local pet store tomorrow. I have been reading up on dwarf hair grass, proper care, fertilization, and most importantly the safety of my fish as this new plant is added. I read online that it requires moderate to high light, full spectrum. This means to me either a) daylight or b) a full spectrum bulb. Well I have neither of these. 
Questions
1) I have a fluval chi (are links to pictures allowed?) http://pekemom.smugmug.com/Aquariums/Brooke-the-Betta/forum2/1192590367_LEy83-L.jpg 
This tank has built in LED lighting. Will this be sufficient for my hair grass? I assume no so I will continue on with the questions, if this is not the case, please inform me. I would be ecstatic. 
2) How do I supply light to a tank like this? There is no hood and no real way to mount a light. Can I set up something like a desktop lamp with a full spectrum compact fluorescent?
3) How much light does this grass need daily? I read that it is a very easy care plant and generally hardy and resilient to the mistakes that I will likely make.

If you have any care tips or ideas of how to make my tank hair grass friendly please fell free to express them  
(I dont even know if I am posting this in the right place, that is how new I am)


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## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

I don't really know to much about the fluval chi's, what size and shape is it? Picture links are definitely allowed, so that would help. Desk lamp would definitely work, with a spiral cfl in it. Michael on here is really the cfl expert. I will tell you that I have had much better luck with hairgrass in a rich substrate. You might want to add some root tabs beneath them, or better yet, look in to natural planted tanks, or npt's.


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## Ckom (Jul 2, 2012)

The fluval chi is a 5 gallon cube. (I don't know the precise dimensions).I currently have about 3/4 of an inch of substrate. The people at my local shop recommend that I mix a little gravel in there to provide some water moment to the roots of the grass so that they will not rot. I don't know much about root tabs. What is the difference between those and liquid fertilizer? Is there a specific brand of root tabs that yuan recommend?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Welcome to APC!

From what I hear from people with direct experience, the Chi does not have enough built-in lighting for plants. As I recall, there is a lot of glass on the top of the tank. You could position one or more desk lamps so that they shine through the top. Use compact spiral fluorescents in the lamps, and it is best if the CSF are mounted vertically. For this tank I would start off with 13W 6500K. You should be able to get these at any hardware store.

Light is a function of two variables: intensity and photoperiod. Using the CSF will give you enough intensity, now how long to leave them on? Most people run the lights 8 to 10 hours a day. You can increase this to 12 hours if you are not getting enough light, or decrease to 6 hours if you have algae. You can probably leave the LEDs on for 12 hours.

Do you have any substate in the tank now? Probably the best would be Eco Complete or Flourite, about an inch deep. These substrates don't have much nutrients in them, so you will need to fertilize after the plants start growing. Root tabs are good for this, just make sure they have both macronutrients (N,P,K) and micronutrients.

Is the tank in the photo yours? If so, most of your plants are actually terrestrial and will not survive underwater very long.

Small tanks are inherently less stable than larger ones. Make any changes in slow, gradual steps. And don't over-feed!

Good luck!


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