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For many people, aquarium keeping is about more than fish, aquariums, kits and stands. It’s more than a hobby or a pastime—it’s a chance to branch out and build a real aquascape, complete with live plants, driftwood and other décor. Are you ready to take this next step? Creating a true aquatic habitat doesn’t have to be difficult, especially when you learn more about easy-growing plants like dwarf hairgrass.
Dwarf hairgrass is aquatic grass with bright green, hair-like strands that can grow about 4–6 inches high. It’s a small enough plant to use in a small aquarium, and it’s normally fast-growing and low-maintenance—making it popular with expert and beginner aquarists alike.
There are two species of dwarf hairgrass—Eleocharis parvula and Eleocharis acicularis. They are very similar, but Eleocharis acicularis is slightly curlier and can grow taller. Both types are relatively easy to care for and can look great under bright aquarium lights.
In nature, dwarf hairgrass is found worldwide. It grows in shallow, fresh water with a good light source, like riverbanks.
It’s recommended that you plant dwarf hairgrass in a freshwater aquarium with sufficient lighting.
While it is relatively easy to support the growth of your dwarf hairgrass, aquarium lighting is often key in determining how much and which way it grows. These plants love direct light, and it affects their growth in two distinct ways. If you provide lower lighting, your dwarf hairgrass will reach upward to try to absorb more of it. If you have intense lighting, the plant will be less concerned about growing upward for light and will instead start growing outward—giving you a dwarf hairgrass carpet.
The substrate you use also has a similar effect. For the plant’s roots to spread across the floor of your habitat to create aquarium carpet, dwarf hairgrass needs a fine substrate. If you would like it to stay in one place or grow upward in tufts, you can use a heavier, coarser substrate to make sure the roots don’t spread.
Like its maintenance, planting dwarf hairgrass should be fairly easy. Make sure you have an aquarium with a minimum of 1½ inches of substrate at the bottom. This type of grass likes finer sands, so it is easy for the roots to grow across the aquarium floor. It will also need access to direct light, as it can’t grow in the shade.
Take your first cutting and bury it with the roots fully covered by the substrate and the leaves fully above the substrate. Plant them about 1–2 inches apart to create a nice, dense dwarf hairgrass carpet, or farther apart to create accents around your other décor. Now ensure you provide it with the proper environment—and watch it grow.
Dwarf hairgrass can survive and thrive in a range of conditions, which is one reason it’s so popular. Your water can be anywhere from 68 degrees to 82 degrees, and your pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5. Soft water is optimal, so consider a water softener if you live in an area with hard water. It also requires plenty of light.
Long-term, dwarf hairgrass requires is an occasional trim when the grass gets too tall—however, this can happen quickly with this fast-growing plant. Some people keep it long in the back of the aquarium and trim it shorter toward the front to create a bright backdrop and shelter for mid-level fish.
One of the most common issues people run into is concerns with creating a dwarf hairgrass carpet. While it’s true that this plant is relatively good at spreading across your aquarium floor on its own, it does need some help—usually in the form of trimming. To create the lawn-like effect most people want for their aquascape, you need to trim dwarf hairgrass more often than some other aquatic plants.
Like land plants, regularly trimming dwarf hairgrass can promote plant growth, and trimming the top promotes growth out to the sides. Trimming also helps improve light absorption and nutrients dispersed by the increased water flow through the plant.
If trimming doesn’t provide the results you were looking for, you may want to try adjusting your aquarium lighting, adding fertilizers or CO2 (carbon dioxide).
Supplementing trace elements such as iron and manganese—as well as items like carbon and vitamins—helps provide additional nutrients so your dwarf hairgrass can grow and thrive. Items like Leaf Zone, Flourish and Flourish tabs help fulfill these supplemental needs.
The good news is that as an aquarium carpet plant, dwarf hairgrass propagates itself. If you have the right water quality, substrate and lighting, your hairgrass should spread through the substrate and grow across the bottom of the aquarium.
Because dwarf hairgrass can grow in smaller aquariums and in such a wide range of temperatures, you’ll have plenty of choices for fish who can coexist with it. Guppies, mollies, tetras and danios are all excellent options and tend to be good for beginners, too.
Bottom-dwelling fish—like catfish and loaches—also love aquarium carpet plants like dwarf hairgrass because the carpet provides them with shelter and places to hide. As a bonus, they’ll also help clear algae off the grass. Shrimp can also be an excellent choice for aquariums with dwarf hairgrass.
Try to avoid aggressive fish—like oscars—who might damage the plants by rooting around them. Some species of fish will eat plants, so ensure the species you are adding will be safe with your plants. Be aware that some species of snails tend to eat plants, too, although many of the species sold in our Petco Pet Care Centers can work well with dwarf hairgrass. Stick to peaceful, smaller fish to help keep your aquarium plants looking great—and don’t forget your fish food and supplies.
When growing dwarf hairgrass or any other carpet plant, the main consideration is competition with other plants. If hairgrass gets too dense, it may outcompete the other plants in your aquarium for nutrients, light and CO2. If you notice your other aquatic plants not thriving as well, try thinning out your dwarf hairgrass.
Overall, dwarf hairgrass is a fast-growing, easy-maintenance plant that’s a good choice for aquarium grass—especially for beginners. With the right setup and a little effort, you should have a lively, vivid aquascape in no time.
While dwarf hairgrass doesn’t always need additional CO2, it can help your plant grow robust and thick. A CO2 injection system can help you grow visually stunning dwarf hairgrass and can help your plants grow more quickly. It also allows plants to adjust more rapidly to new environments. However, too much CO2 can be dangerous to aquatic life and encourage excessive algae growth.
All live aquarium plants need CO2, but they can also get it naturally. Plants can also get CO2 from the decomposition that occurs in the substrate.
Yes, dwarf hairgrass propagates itself naturally. As it grows, it shoots off runners from its roots that branch out into the areas around it and then grow into full plants. Eventually, you’ll have a vibrant aquarium carpet connected by a single root system.
You won’t be able to use cuttings to propagate this type of plant—they won’t grow, but you can split the clumps at the root. However, because dwarf hairgrass spreads so quickly, it usually isn’t needed. The way it expands also makes dwarf hairgrass difficult to manipulate and groom without trimming. It will typically grow where it wants to, but luckily, it creates a beautiful carpet on its own once you give it a little guidance.
Depending on the size of your aquarium, dwarf hairgrass can grow a full carpet in as little as 4 weeks. That’s one of the many reasons this aquarium grass is so popular. If you want your plants to grow faster, you can add fertilizer and other supplements, in addition to making sure they have plenty of light and CO2.
