Does Teo sell dwarf hairgrass?

[joe]

Got some hairgrass from Teo many many weeks before but they grew to quite long (>4inch). So I guessed I got the long variation of hairgrass.

So I'm wondering if Teo does sell the dwarf hairgrass? If have, how to tell him?

[hwchoy]

I think this is considered "dwarf". The others grow to at least twice as long and some will have young plants growing from the tip of old leaves, very messy.

[joe]

Wah who bluffed me? ... I was told in this forum that 4 to 5 inches considered the long hairgrass liao ... kekkeeee ... guessed Teo did sell me the correct thing [:]

[hwchoy]

I have seen those long ones in the longkang, around 9-inches upwards, plus babies coming off the tip! anyway if you don't want to be like me, suggest you start controlling the spread of the grass, like using perspex in the gravel to stop the runners from spreading out of control!

See my messy hairgrass when it was NOT VERY DENSE! Now it is so dense nothing can reach the gravel, and is about 5-inches tall. I can't even shove fertiliser into the substrate because cannot make a hole through the mass of roots [] but it's a haven for shrimps to breed

[PeterGwee]

Nice tank uncle choy!!

[joe]

hwchoy, nice tank mah ... i'm using this for my shrimp tank, so its perfect lah!!! [] []

[hwchoy]

peter, that's because you can't see the BBA

anyway, right now I'm just letting it be, acutally quite natural looking, although not beautiful, and the grass harbours lots of microorganism that is feeding the licorice gouramies and boraras.

I would comment that if you are sick of foreground plants like glosso rotting on you because they get too thick, then grass is a good alternative because they don't layer on each other so there is no "underlayer" to rot. however they grow in burst, so when the leaves are old and yellowish they look quite yukky (and most with fluffy BBA on the tip), but when the new leaves sprout (somehow they synchronise) it will be quite nice for couple of weeks [:]

Very low maintenace.

[hwchoy]

er joe, if you want to BREED shrimps, this is OK. if you expect to SEE them, then maybe must reconsider

[joe]

----------------
On 7/14/2003 11:48:45 AM

er joe, if you want to BREED shrimps, this is OK. if you expect to SEE them, then maybe must reconsider
----------------

Hmmm this never crossed my mind Trying to grow the hairgrass sparsely by using low lights lah. Xmas moss and java moss should help to bring those shrimps out

[Simon]

choy, why is it that you have not submitted your tanks for the competition??

[bluezing]

nice tank.plain and simple.see oredi very relaxing.

[hwchoy]

Simon, I am very disappointed with you. Just because the economy is sluggish doesn't mean we have to lower our standards kekekekeke. No lah, just like in the fashion ads, the models all look damn chio in the pics, but when you go near to them you'd wish you have a six pack of Corona with you! hahahaha []

watch for my next post about Mutant Ninja BBA [:]

[hwchoy]

----------------
On 7/14/2003 12:03:09 PM

Hmmm this never crossed my mind Trying to grow the hairgrass sparsely by using low lights lah. Xmas moss and java moss should help to bring those shrimps out
----------------

don't think it will work, when light intensity is low the grass become yellow and breaks off easily, lagi messy. Oh I also inject CO2 quite aggressively (although fishes are fine), quite interesting to see grass pearling. BTW I have 108W PL for 80×45×30 cm (about 3.8W/gal).

Also because the grass actually produce O2 at their base (if not in the runner), they actually aerate the mass of grass at the bottom so the shrimps and what have you have a good time there, and probably also keep the substrate healthy.

[geoffrey]

Choy, I like your tank. Do we get to see it from the front?

[joe]

----------------
On 7/14/2003 1:37:23 PM

don't think it will work, when light intensity is low the grass become yellow and breaks off easily, lagi messy.
----------------

dats what i thot so too ... interestingly, the hairgrass in the 1ft cube tank (with 9W lights) has not grown yellow and in fact, growing and spreading its runners after one month [:]

[hwchoy]

Well, if you insist


This is in early 2003, about 6 weeks after a COMPLETE trim down. These grasses are unstoppable so be forewarned. I let the lotus float hoping it will flower again, since then I have trimmed it down and it is now submersed again. The Blyxa was evicted by the hairgrass, moss melted because of heat, but a new clump of Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae planted in the right back corner (the only patch of gravel left exposed at that time!) has since flourished into a 25-inch monster. I must have mixed chicken poo with the JBL fert, which is about 20 months old with no addition of fert sticks.

if you want a closer look go to the album (link below), it is in the "temporary" album. click on the pic for the full size picture.

[chua]

chow,
can we cut away the creeper or things like that to prevent the hairgrass from spreading to some undesirable places.
Thks

[hwchoy]

the runners goes under the gravel some as deep as 1-inch below, so to stop them spreading you have to use a plastic/perspex strip, 1-inch wide, and put it edge-wise into the gravel, make sure it is glass-to-glass otherwise they will escape through the gap.

[chua]

isn't there any other easier way? If not, where can we buy this plastic? me don't want my hairgrass (planted a few days ago) to spread like wildfire.
Thks

[hwchoy]

This is the method I saw Nature use to rein in his vals, so should work for hairgrass. Will not work for surface runners like glosso as their runners run OVER the gravel and climb over obstacles.

You find some easier way you let us all know [:] the plastic, don't know, maybe can ask Nature.