About the species

Utricularia graminifolia belongs to the bladderworts and is one of the few carnivorous plants in the aquarium hobby. The species name means with grass-like leaves, and the fresh green foliage forms a two to eight centimetre mat over time that looks like a small lawn. In the wild it grows in nutrient-poor places and catches tiny water creatures in microscopic bladder traps, which it develops after a while in the aquarium.

Facts

• Latin name: Utricularia graminifolia
• Plant type: Carpeting plant
• Origin: Asia
• Height: 3–10 cm
• Growth rate: Medium
• Position: Foreground

Light requirement

Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.

CO₂ & nutrition

Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.

Planting

Divide the contents into many small tufts and place them two to three centimetres apart across the whole area. The more tufts you split it into, the faster the carpet knits together. Use tweezers and press the roots down without burying the leaves.

Rinse all the gel off in lukewarm water before planting, otherwise it can cause bacterial cloudiness. The cup holds many small plants — divide them up and plant them in several portions.

Care & propagation

Trim the carpet with curved scissors once it starts building upwards — that keeps it low and dense and stops the lowest shoots dying from lack of light. Siphon off the clippings right away, otherwise they root where you do not want them.

Position in the aquarium

Its low mature size makes it a foreground plant. Place it right at the front where nothing shades it, and let it form a continuous surface in front of the taller plants.

Difficulty level

🔴 Advanced — requires strong lighting, added CO₂ and careful fertilisation.

Delivery format

Delivered as 1-2-Grow! — a laboratory-grown cup holding many small plants in nutrient gel. Because the plant is cultivated in vitro it is completely free of snails, algae, planaria and pesticides, which makes it the safest choice for a shrimp aquarium.

Recommendation

A foreground carpet for the experienced aquarist — it wants soft water, stable CO₂ and patience while it establishes. Divide the cup into many small wads and press them down closely, and the carpet knits together considerably faster.