I originally purchased this plant as dwarf hair grass but as it grew in I quickly noticed it was not even close to the plant I intended on purchasing.
E. Tenellus is a great carpeting plant for high tech aquariums which has a good supply of CO2 as well as a nutrient rich substrate. Under high light E. Tenellus ‘Micro’ can get fairly tall considering the ‘Micro’ in its name; I believe the ‘Micro’ stems from the fact that the leaf blades are significantly thinner in comparison to regular E. Tenellus.
I’ve also concluded that under high light (60+ PAR) the plant will display beautiful red tips, giving a great contrast to the green that is shown on the lower portions.
My only problem with this plant is under optimal conditions it sends runners very quickly which can be a pain when trying to maintain a specific aquascape. I’ve found that cutting the plant back at least once every 2 weeks will slow down the growth enough so that it is manageable in a desired space in your aquarium.
The current conditions of this plant are as follows:
PH- 7.4 at night, 6.5 during the day when CO2 is on.
Temperature- 74-76
Lighting- 30″ Dual bulb T5HO – 6700k and Rosette bulb (7 hours per day). 24″ Dual bulb T5HO – 6700k and Rosette bulb (2 hours per day during the middle of the 7 hour lighting period)
Filtration- Marineland C220 Canister Filter
Substrate- Flourite Dark, Flourite Red, Flourite Black Sand, Muriate of Potash, Dolomite, Mineralized Top Soil, and Natural red clay from the earth.
Water Changes- X 1 a week
Dosing- Alternate Micro and Macro ( 1 day Micro, 1 Day Macro, etc)
Overall Echinodorus Tenellus ‘Micro’ makes for a great carpeting plant, especially for those seeking a rather unusual carpeting plant as it’s not often seen or sold in local fish stores or among hobbyist.
Hi. How do you trim it? Do you mow it with scissors?
Hey, I simply trim the tops when they get too long for my liking. The plant will eventually lose those trimmed leaves and re-grow newer healthier ones and continue to spread runners.
Kirk