Eleocharis Belem, also known simply as Hair Grass, Japanese Hair Grass and a multitude of other names, is a carpeting aquarium plant that has been used for years! Typically used to grow a carpet for aquascaping, this form of hair grass is similar toEleocharis Parvula, butwith a slightly curved tips. Its low growth is compact and great for nano aquariums to long tanks and more. Hair grass is considered an easy care aquatic plant and is suitable for low tech planted aquariums or setups without CO2. While it isn’t required, adding CO2 will significantly boost growing rate and plant thickness! So, if you want an aquarium carpet fast, consider adding it.

Additional care includes good tank lighting, nutritious aquasoil and a liquid aquatic plant fertilizer. If you’re using sand, consider adding some root tabs to provide micro and macronutrients. Planting is easy and can be done by separating into small portions and using aquascaping tweezers! Space each portion an inch or so apart halfway into the aquarium substrate. Once your hairgrass is mature, it will need regular trims to maintain low, uniform growth! Hair grass plants grow through runners but Eleocharis Belem isn’t as invasive and will be easier to maintain.

The image belowfeatures an Ultum Nature Systems 75P planted aquarium tank utilizing Eleocharis Belem.