Stargrass has the ability to grow up to 24 inches tall with elongated leaves growing from the stem of the plant. This leaf pattern of growth bushes out and resembles a star — hence the name, Stargrass. When grown emersed, it does have the ability to flower with a blue or white flower above the surface of the water. A lot of times this plant will grow in a dense mat which can end up being disturbed and float up to the top of the water where the flowers will bloom. For me this only happened in an extra-large tub outside during summer.
Some of the benefits of keeping this plant, aside from its beauty, are like any aquatic plant — it provides oxygen, absorbs excess nutrients preventing large algae outbreaks, and of course offers shelter for small aquatic organisms. Since this plant grows so rapidly it will definitely help control algae outbreaks by absorbing the excess nutrients in the water and soil as it grows lush and thick. The dense growth also provides plenty of lush hiding spots. Small fish fry and shrimp love it and the increased surface area for detritus.
One of the main problems people seem to have with this plant is that it is super fragile. The stems can break easily when trimming, catching a fish, or even during simple maintenance. Not much can be done about this other than taking extra care when handling it and working around it the best you can.
The fragile center stem of Stargrass — easily broken during maintenance.
Another common problem with this plant is leggy bottom growth. Since Stargrass grows so rapidly, sometimes the top of the plants can grow large and block the light to the leaves along the bottom of the stems. To combat this you can increase lighting, increase CO2 if used, and make sure to keep the tops trimmed so more light can reach the bottom of the stems. This plant does require a decent amount of work to keep it happy, healthy, full, and beautiful.
Large top growth that can block light to the base of the plant and its lower leaves.
So to sum it all up: in order to outsmart your Stargrass and keep it thriving, ensure it is in an environment with minimal water movement and the tank is inhabited by smaller fish that won’t destroy or disturb it too much. Take special care when trimming or performing tank maintenance, trying to avoid damaging the brittle stems. High lighting and good water conditions will be enough to sustain this plant, but it will grow even faster and fuller under CO2 or with fertilizers. This beautiful bushy-growing plant will provide plenty of hiding spots as well as add an interesting new look to any aquarium.
These beautiful bushy growing plants will provide plenty of hiding spots as well add an interesting new look to any aquarium
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