The Cyprus grass looks great not only in the garden pond and in the pot in the room. It is so flexible and water-loving that it can even be placed in the middle of the aquarium. However, this hydroponics requires a certain background knowledge.
Is Cyprus grass suitable for aquariums?
The Cyprus grass Cyperus helferi is well suited as an aquarium plant because it lives underwater, grows slowly and can tolerate temperatures of 20 to 30 °C. The plant should be placed in the middle ground of the aquarium and is easy to care for.
Open, bright and warm aquariums
Aquariums that meet the following location parameters are generally suitable for culture:
- open
- 15 to 30 °C warm
- bright (preferably sunny part of the day)
- pH value between 5.0 and 9.0
- Capacity: 25 liters to unlimited
Cyperus helferi – the perfect type of Cyprus grass for the aquarium
In addition to other species, Cyperus helferi is particularly recommended for aquarium culture. This species comes from Thailand and lives underwater. It has long, narrow leaves and a small root system. The leaves do not start to rot when they come into contact with water. This species can grow up to 35 cm high and 25 cm wide.
The optimal location for this Cyprus grass is in the middle ground of the aquarium - ideally as a solitary plant. The temperatures should be between 20 and 30 °C. Usually this species can survive for a long time without care - it grows extremely slowly.
Putting the Cyprus grass in the aquarium
If you have chosen a Cyprus grass other than Cyperus helferi for aquarium culture, you should note this:
- Spread pebbles at the bottom of the aquarium
- the roots hold on there
- Leaves of the plant should not touch the water
- or. Water level not higher than the leaf tufts
If necessary, remove, fertilize and cut disturbing roots
Fish like to swim through the thread-like roots of the Cyprus grass. Sometimes it grows so much that it creates a whole 'forest'. If this bothers you, you can shorten the roots, divide the plant or shorten it in height. A conventional aquatic plant fertilizer (€19.00 at Amazon) is sufficient. If you want to get offshoots, you just need to cut off the leaf clusters and place them upside down in water.
Tip
Don't be surprised if the Cyprus grass hardly grows noticeably in the aquarium in winter! The incidence of light is usually too low in winter, so that the Cyprus grass goes into a dormant phase.
