Each owner of the aquarium tries to make it beautiful, convenient and useful for the inhabitants. And the eleocharis, or tiny Sitnyag, is exactly that groundcover that will create a beautiful green lawn. And although it is quite whimsical, your efforts will pay off. In the article we will talk about how to care for this weed in the aquarium.
Eleoharis mini
A tiny Sitnyag, dwarf, Eleocharis parvula and Eleocharis parvulus are different names for a plant that aquarists love. In the genus Eleocharis of the Osokov family, there are about 100 species. The peculiarity of these plants is the absence of leaves, and the thin hairy green plates that form the lawn are stems.
The plant has a developed horizontal rhizome. Most of the representatives are inhabitants of small swamps.
In the aquarium, they use a tiny Sitnyag (Eleocharis parvula), needle (Eleocharis acicularis) and sprouting, or palm trees (Eleocharis vivipara).
General biology
The birthplace of the tiny Sitnyaga is North America. This is a plant with stems 3 to 7 centimeters high, which in bunches (rosettes) of 6-8 pieces extend from a horizontal filiform rhizome. Under favorable conditions, the rhizome grows rapidly in the ground.
And since the plant propagates by soil shoots from the rhizome, a tiny Sitnyag (photo below) quickly colonizes the space and creates an elastic and dense carpet.
From June to October, spiral-shaped bisexual flowers and then white fruits appear on the stems of the plant. Flowers, fruits and stalks of fish do not eat.
Conditions of detention
For a good development of the plant, the optimum water temperature in summer is 20-24 ° C; in winter, it easily tolerates a decrease in temperature to 12-16 ° C. The main thing is that the water is as transparent as possible.
Water hardness should not be higher than 15 ° dGH, acidity - from 6.2 to 7.5 pH.
An important condition is the presence of oxygen in water at a concentration of 12-15 mg / l.
A tiny Sitnyag is afraid of fouling and plaque on the stems. Therefore, the purity of water and its replacement, cleaning the soil are prerequisites for the comfortable existence of grass.
Lighting Features
If the aquarium is large, then a tiny Sitnyag should be planted in the center, and if small, in the foreground.
The cotton tree grows well in both natural and artificial lighting. Plant growth is seasonal, so daylight hours are desirable for at least 14 hours. In this case, direct sunlight for syntag is undesirable.
Sources of artificial lighting are exclusively fluorescent lamps. Intensity - no more than 0.5 W / l. With additional lateral illumination, plant growth improves markedly.
Soil requirements
The tiny Sitnyag well takes root on the soil of sand and clay, with the addition of garden soil. The rhizomes of the plant are horizontal, so a soil thickness of 2-3 centimeters will be sufficient.
Mineral bait is optional. But with soil poverty in the aquarium, the use of fertilizers is still required in accordance with the instructions.
An important condition is the access of oxygen to the roots. To do this, it is important to monitor the density of the cover - if the cotton ball is highly compacted, nutrients become insufficient. This leads to inhibition of the plant.
Planting and thinning
Planting a plant is even for beginners. Tufts of cotton syrup along with soil are planted at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from each other. To ensure the safety of fairly fragile stems, it is better to use tweezers.
Even if only one bush is planted, soon the rhizome will give rise to new shoots. If the conditions are favorable, the Sitnyag quickly grows, colonizing the entire space. Do not allow too much density, the cotton thinned out, removing the bundles. At the same time, it is necessary to act carefully so as not to tear out all the rhizome.
The secret to the beauty of the lawn
It is worth noting that Sitnyag is not a plant for lazy aquarists. A neat green lawn out of it takes time and attention. To give neatness, he is sheared. And there are two ways to do this:
- Thinning - correction of the height of the bushes is carried out with scissors that are held almost vertically. So horizontal lines of mowing will not be visible, and the entire lawn will retain the necessary height. This is a supportive procedure.
- Haircut “to zero” - in this case, the stems are cut so that there are only stumps up to 2 centimeters high. After this procedure, the plant will start up a lot of lateral soil processes. But only under the condition that the stems of the cotton ball were well developed, and the rhizome is rooted. This procedure is relevant when you need to completely update the lawn in the aquarium.
Compatibility with the inhabitants of the aquarium and reproduction
Thickets of tiny eleocharis are not considered fish as food. But representatives who dig the soil can cause significant damage to the plant.
A variety of decorative shrimps look most impressive against a backdrop of cotton fabric. In addition, shrimp can not damage the roots of the plant, and they themselves feel very comfortable in their thickets.
Tall green and sprawling crops cannot be the “green” neighbors of a tiny Sitnyag. They will close the light vital for the development of weed.
For propagation of the plant, individual bushes are separated and transplanted. It is important to remember that Sitnyag is very susceptible to changing places and may get sick or wither the first time (up to 2 weeks).
You can buy a plant in all stores that serve aquarium lovers.
