Dwarf hairgrass browning in a cycling tank

[Lioness]

Hi all,

Seeking some guidance here. My 120-gallon planted tank is nearing the end of its cycle - plants have been in for four days now. I've got a layer of Tetra Complete substrate at the bottom, topped with a layer of fine black gravel. Root tabs are evenly distributed, and the tank is co2 injected to about 30ppm.

Currently, lights are on for six hours a day, from 10am to 4pm, and the tank also gets some natural sunlight. Co2 is running for five hours, from 9am to 2pm. Plan is to increase these hours in a couple of weeks once the plants are more established. Fertilising with Seachem Flourish every 3-4 days.

Everything seems okay, except some of the dwarf hairgrass - the Tropica "1-2-Grow" - has browning leaves. I've attached some pics of the issue. There's some algae in the tank, visible in the pics, but I'm not too concerned about that for now, given the tank's still cycling and I'll be adding some algae eaters soon. I've read some conflicting info online about browning dwarf hairgrass. Should I be increasing the light and co2? I'm okay with potentially increasing the algae problem if it solves the issue, as the algae will be temporary.

Thanks.

[willie32]

I think what you're seeing is more likely diatoms, rather than an issue with the plants themselves - they tend to appear and disappear in most new tanks.

Considering adding some fast-growing stem plants to the mix; they'll not only help with the algae, but also give you the option of introducing fish sooner, potentially allowing for a silent cycle.

[Lioness]

I think what you're seeing is more likely diatoms, rather than an issue with the plants themselves - they tend to appear and disappear in most new tanks.

Considering adding some fast-growing stem plants to the mix; they'll not only help with the algae, but also give you the option of introducing fish sooner, potentially allowing for a silent cycle.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. However, I've had diatoms in previous tanks during the cycle, and to be honest, this looks different. The actual leaves on the dwarf hairgrass seem to be turning brown and almost melting away. I'm dealing with some hair algae as well, which is a bit of a nuisance, but I'm more concerned about the hairgrass at the moment.