TankBud

Eriocaulon setaceum

FreshwaterStemCuttings

Eriocaulon setaceum (Eriocaulon setaceum)
(c) Jesse de Vries, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ required
Temperature
68–86°F
20–30°C
Max height
11.8 in
30 cm
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Midground
Type
Stem
pH
4.5–7.0
Hardness
0–4 dGH
Spread
3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Eriocaulaceae
Origin
Tropical Southeast Asia and northern Australia

Overview

Eriocaulon setaceum is one of the harder aquarium plants, a stem plant for soft-water, high-tech tanks only. Its whorls of hair-fine leaves make each stem look like an underwater bottle brush.

Did you know

Eriocaulon setaceum flowers without leaving the water. It pushes its little button-shaped flower heads up on stalks from the submersed stem.

Caring for Eriocaulon setaceum

Plant Eriocaulon setaceum as a loose midground group over a nutrient-rich, acidic substrate. Set it where the whorls can be seen against plainer neighbors.

It needs strong light and CO2 around 30 mg/l. Keep the water very soft and acidic, with hardness of a few degrees at most, at 68 to 86°F (20 to 30°C). Fertilize the water column consistently, since it feeds through its leaves as well as its roots.

It grows at a moderate pace but responds poorly to trimming. Rather than topping it again and again, replant short cuttings of 5 cm or less and discard tired lower sections. In hard or lean water it stalls and disintegrates rather than limping along.

Good to know

Eriocaulon setaceum is a member of Eriocaulaceae, the pipewort family, described by Linnaeus. The epithet setaceum means bristle-like and refers to the hair-fine leaves, which reach about 5 cm. Its elongated stem makes it an oddity in a genus of squat rosette plants.

In the wild

Eriocaulon setaceum grows fully submersed in stagnant and slow-flowing waters across tropical Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Its home water is typically shallow, warm, very soft and acidic. Unlike almost every other pipewort, it has no emersed form and cannot be grown above the surface. It behaves as an annual in seasonal pools, flowering and setting seed before the habitat dries.

Common questions

Does Eriocaulon setaceum need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Strip the leaves from the lower part of each stem, then push the stems into the substrate one at a time, a little apart.

Does Eriocaulon setaceum need CO2?

Yes. Eriocaulon setaceum needs injected CO2 to grow well, and it usually struggles without it.

How much light does Eriocaulon setaceum need?

Eriocaulon setaceum needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED. In weaker light its stems stretch and drop their lower leaves.

Does Eriocaulon setaceum need root tabs?

They help. Eriocaulon setaceum takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.

How do you propagate Eriocaulon setaceum?

Eriocaulon setaceum propagates by cuttings. Cut off the top of a stem and replant it, and the stump left behind grows new shoots.

How tall does Eriocaulon setaceum grow?

Eriocaulon setaceum grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.

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