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.