# Eleocharis Parvula growing downwards



## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

Hello,

my dwarf hairgrass instead of growing upwards in groing up then bents and grows down kind of like a rainbow. My tank is 40L, substrate is potting soil, I used EI method for fertilizers, 38w compact fluorescen lamp 6 hours a day, DIY CO2 and seachem excel. 

Why is it frowing this way? Is it trying to propagat?

Thanks


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

As I understand it, that's the normal way of submersed growth of E. parvula:
http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages...ages=151810907,151810961&formats=0,0&format=0
http://www.flowgrow.de/pflanzen/Eleocharis-parvula-257.html


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

I have E. parvula - in a 1 liter tank with high light it grew very short (i.e. 1 inch) and straight up. I changed the lighting to a 'warm' bulb (i.e. a bulb that wasn't full spectrum) and it started growing to 2 inches in height, but still straight. In it's current grow-out location it's still growing higher than it originally did.

I also had E. parvula from a local club member that grows 'weeping' like yours - they look like different plants.

I also have Eleocharis sp. 'Belem' which in my opinion looks very much like the weeping-pattern E. parvula. I'm suspecting the E. 'parvula' that's out there may be two species......but that's all speculation.

I can try to post pictures in this thread of my stuff if the original poster doesn't mind.....


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## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

hooha said:


> I can try to post pictures in this thread of my stuff if the original poster doesn't mind.....


Yes please go ahead


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

hooha said:


> I have E. parvula - in a 1 liter tank with high light it grew very short (i.e. 1 inch) and straight up. I changed the lighting to a 'warm' bulb (i.e. a bulb that wasn't full spectrum) and it started growing to 2 inches in height, but still straight. In it's current grow-out location it's still growing higher than it originally did.
> 
> I also had E. parvula from a local club member that grows 'weeping' like yours - they look like different plants.
> 
> I also have Eleocharis sp. 'Belem' which in my opinion looks very much like the weeping-pattern E. parvula. I'm suspecting the E. 'parvula' that's out there may be two species......but that's all speculation.


 Oh... once again an ID case. Sub- and emersed cultivation of "Straight parvula", "weeping parvula" and 'Belem' under same conditions would be interesting. For species determination spikelets / fruits would be needed. 
Is it possible to trace back the origin of the E. parvula in the aquarium hobby? Are there publications or so?


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

doesn't it seem like every plant has an ID issue? 

I'll try to get pics this weekend and post here. The Belem and the straight parvula are growing in the same tank. I suck at emersed growth, but I can see what I can do


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## Jaap (Jun 24, 2005)

isn't this plant suppose to grow fast? It doesn't seem to grow runners so that the tank will fill up. There is good light, CO2, and estimative index fertilizing. The only thing not good enough might be the substrate. I thought that by now, after a month I planted them, I would have seen some runners.


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

hadjici2 said:


> isn't this plant suppose to grow fast? It doesn't seem to grow runners so that the tank will fill up. There is good light, CO2, and estimative index fertilizing. The only thing not good enough might be the substrate. I thought that by now, after a month I planted them, I would have seen some runners.


About mid-May I planted up number "plugs" of Eleocharis "dwarf" 'belem' and a normal but shorter growing type (supposedly a cultivar Cavan Alan had been sharing around) in a new (but cycled) 60P set-up. Only in the last week or so have runners finally starting becoming prevalent. I was wondering about the same thing as you 10 or so days ago at about the 1 month mark, then boom! Almost over night the runners started shooting everywhere. I'll bet you're only a week or so away from them yourself....


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

these are the best pictures I could get this weekend - sorry, my camera skills suck 

this is what was given to me as Eleocharis species 'Belem' - note the finer leaves and 'weeping' leaf pattern. Beside it is Liliopsis mauritanus (or something like that)










This is Eleocharis parvula. With the current growth conditions it's been growing about 2 inches in height and straight. Much coarser leaves as well.....


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

hooha said:


> doesn't it seem like every plant has an ID issue?


 Indeed  
This thread deals with the same issue: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...s-discussions/63330-dwarf-mini-hairgrass.html 
There is also the name E. minima in the aquarium hobby: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plant-id/59650-eleocharis-minima-eleocharis-parvula.html
How about connecting the related threads to an Eleocharis discussion thread?


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

I actually have 3 other species of Eleocharis in that tank and took pictures - was going to start a Eleocharis discussion thread  The other 3 are very distinctive in size, these two seem to be often mistaken for each other.....




back to the original poster - the point I was try to make with the pics is that it may be a different species of Eleocharis in your tank, with what you're seeing being its normal growth pattern.....


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