The basic plants for creating “lawns” in the aquarium include Eleocharis. It is from the family Cyperaceae, which are monocotyledonous plants of the class Cyperales. Genus Eleocharis includes more than 100 species and it is very difficult to tell them apart to distinguish them. So figure out what specific species we have in the aquarium, is quite difficult and the only thing left to do is to trust the label that comes with to the plant.
For us, the most common are Eleocharis parvula and acicularis (still Eleocharis vivipara, but the latter is not suitable for the “lawn”). There is little difference between them, it is mainly a matter of height of growth. Well internet sources also contradict each other on this, somewhere it is smaller parvula (3-7 cm) and larger acicularis (10-15 cm), somewhere exactly the opposite.
In nature they are found on the banks of rivers and lakes in muddy environment. They grow mainly in unshaded areas, not very deep. Such conditions should also be observed in the aquarium – i.e. sufficient nutrients in the bottom and sufficient lighting.
The plant forms very thin stems, resembling needles that grow out of the crawl with the roots. What few people know is that Eleocharis has no leaves. These are reduced into sheaths, which we can see as little scales in the lower of the stem.
As long as the plant thrives, it can use the crawlers to to create fast, continuous lawns that are very impressive. Caring for such a lawn is quite challenging, especially for two reasons: the dying stalks are in the green lawn are quite visible and distracting and are labour-intensive to remove.
The second reason is the algae; by forming a continuous coverage of the bottom, it traps all the debris from feeding debris to detritus, which is a breeding ground for algae. It is therefore necessary to Eleocharis should be properly drained regularly at water changes and gently raked. It has worked well for me to trim it once in a while. This encourages the plant to grow further and also to grow more densely. and more compact shape.
Personally, I like it best as a monoculture, i.e. not to mix it with other plants. On the forums it is often written about use in combination with Riccia fluitans. But my experience is that at first it works well – carpet of carrion and where Eleocharis sticks out. Over time, when it thickens Eleocharis and also Riccia, it looks to me like a hard green clump…
Finally, the obligatory recommended water parameters: pH 5-8, 2-15 °dKH, 15-28 °C (Not recommended for E. acicularis temperatures above 24 °C in the long term, as it is a plant Aciculicus is a temperate plant – it grows here too.)