Tall Grasses?

[Morgandy]

Hey guys,

what kind of grasses/macro will grow really tall, like up to 12-16"? And where would I get some? I want a more diverse planting than I have now.

thx!

 

[Samala]

Hmmm. Some of the macros will get that tall if they like your lighting and have the nutrients to grow. I have some Halymenia (a red) that is growing up to the top of the tank. It isnt really strong stuff though, so it does fold over and move a bit. Halimeda (a green) may also grow that tall, though my colonies havent stretched that far yet. Ulva might as well, though, again, kind of a mobile macro and may not be really loved for a hitch. Sargassum (a brown) should also get that tall.

Seagrasses.. manatee (Syringodium) and shoal (Halodule) will get that tall. In my tank they are definitely reaching up to 10" at the least. Manatee is going to the surface and then breaking off, at about 12".. in the wild they can get up to 24" long. Turtlegrass is hard for me to get good growth out of, but should also grow to the height you're looking for. Lighting is key for all of these.. MH or super lots of PC.

Sources.. billsreef.com, floridapets.com.

>Sarah

 

[Morgandy]

Sarah, are these in with your ponies? What kind of lighting do you have?

thx, knew you'd have good info!

 

[Samala]

All of them were in with the SH, yep. The dwarfs were in heaven while I had them, all the plants were small enough to make great hitches for their small size. I've been babysitting some juvie erectus for the past two weeks and they loved the seagrasses for hitches. Shoal grass is a little thin for them, but they would just grab a couple of leaves instead of one. Turtlegrass they'd grab one. Halymenia they would play in since it moved in the current a bit. They were big fans of Caulerpa prolifera (which stays short though.. up to 6") for hunting grounds.

I've got a 130w of daylight 6700K PC's over the tank, a 20long. The typical seahorse tank, really tall, might require even more PC's or an MH spot to get the light all the way to the bottom. Which tank are you aiming for? The 65gal?

>Sarah

 

[Morgandy]

So cute where you say they would 'play' in the halymenia!! I took out all the caulera last year with all the 'catastrophic' warnings about it, but have ordered some that will put back in next week. I also have 2 good size clumps of turtle grass right now. Yes, it is the 65gal, which is about 18-20" deep I think. I really don't want to go MH with it. I have PC's right now (bulb replacement needed.

I'll check out the sources you mentioned.

thx!