Want a lawn rather than a meadow? Eleocharis sp. 'Mini' is the shortest hairgrass in the hobby — fine blades that stay one to two inches tall and spread by runner into a dense, even carpet. Standard Dwarf Hairgrass grows taller and looser; this one stays flat. This is the sterile Vitro Culture® (tissue culture) format.
What You’ll Receive
One 4-inch Vitro Culture® bag containing multiple healthy clumps of Eleocharis sp. ‘Mini’, carefully grown in sterile gel and ready to plant in your aquarium.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Dwarf Hairgrass 'Mini', Mini Hairgrass
- Scientific name — Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'
- Also known as — Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini', Eleocharis sp. 'Belem', Japanese Hairgrass, Belem Hairgrass
- Origin — Cultivated dwarf form
- Placement — Foreground carpet
- Shipped size — 4-inch Vitro Culture® bag, multiple small clumps
- Mature height — 1–2 in
- Suits — 5 gallons and up
- Growth rate — Medium
Care
- Difficulty — Intermediate
- Light — Medium to high. Strong light is what keeps it short and tight
- CO₂ — Recommended. It carpets far more evenly with it
- Water — 68–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5
- Substrate — Required. Root feeder — nutrient substrate or root tabs
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Dry start works well
- Propagation — Substrate runners
Grower’s Notes
- Split the cup into many small clumps. Divide into portions of a few blades each and plant them an inch apart. One bag gives five to eight plantable portions. Planted as one lump it takes months longer, because runners only travel into open substrate.
- Light must reach the substrate. This is the single thing that decides whether it carpets flat or stretches upward — a hairgrass shaded by taller plants grows long and thin.
- Trim the carpet once established. Cutting it back with scissors encourages denser runner growth rather than height.
- Expect the emersed blades to melt back after planting. New submersed growth comes from the runners, not the original blades — leave it alone through the transition.
- Rinse the gel off completely before planting or it clouds water and feeds algae in the first weeks. Also available bare-root and as a bulk pack for large carpets.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Dwarf Hairgrass Care Guide.
Notes
- Photos shown are representative. Actual plant size and density may vary. For best results, separate and plant small portions evenly across the foreground to encourage fast spreading.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this tissue-cultured dwarf hairgrass for arriving "healthy and green" with "strong root structures." Most found generous quantities per cup, enough for small to medium tanks. Some experienced initial melting before regrowth. Shoppers noted fast shipping and pest-free cultures. A few mentioned portions smaller than expected, though quality remained consistently high.
- Grass arrived fully grown. Pleasantly surprised by the maturity when it arrived.
- Received two cultures and both were in very good condition. Cultures seem to be thriving.
- Well developed with strong root structures. Excellent buy.
B
Arrived in great condition. Can’t wait to see them grow
B
Included with other plants I ordered was this tissue culture. Very vibrant green on color and bunched well! Just gently rinsed off gel and they were ready to be added to my tank! If you're a first timer at planting them, like myself, be careful as the bunches can fall apart (100% user error there). No "melting" or dying off and I've had then for almost a week! HIGHLY recommended, but if you can't wait for the hairgrass to carpet I would order 2 to 3 of these tissue cultures.
M
I was very pleased with my order. Got 2 pks of the tissue culture to do my 5 gallon and had just enough. Mine came in a baggy with gel. Every blade was healthy and the roots were in great shape. Sperated well. 2 days in New tank and they seem to be doing well. Along with my other plants I ordered. Everything pest free and healthy
J
These plants took six days to arrive and were delayed by USPS during a very hot period in July. I was worried. They were separated from the gel when they got here buy otherwise in good condition. They’re in my new tank and look very healthy.
I
These plants arrived quickly and look very healthy. We are doing a dry start so that’s really all we could ask for! Would order again.
G
Ordered early in the week and recieved them by the weekend. The cup came looking incredibly healthy and green and was an amazing portion size for the price! I will definitely be ordering plants here in the future!
K
Came very well packaged and preserved! looks great in the aquarium, can't wait to see it grow into a nice carpet!
K
Very happy with the size and quality. Arrived a little yellow on some strands but very green overall. Great plant to add to your aquarium.
S
Dwarf was in great condition, great quality for the price! The only reason I am giving this 4 stars is the quantity... it’s too much! I bought two packs of five and a single and only really needed 2 or 3 cups. They need to put the size of this in the description. I though this would of been tiny like from other vendors. Wasted $80 on product I didn’t need.
100% recommend these guys, just remember you get a good amount with one cup. I did 8 rows in a 75 gallon tank with 1 1/2” spacing with two cups.
P
Looks really great on my 5 Gallon tank! One cup served well!
J
All 4 plant varieties arrived well packed and in excellent health.
R
Arrived fast and in perfect condition. APF is my go to for all my aquarium plants needs. Always arrive pest free and perfect condition.
R
I purchased a set of 3 of these for my 50 gallon guppy tank. They arrived in two business days, very healthy, just as described. Already they are growing in the tank, as my goal is to carpet the aquarium floor with this hairgrass! A+++ would recommend for sure.
D
Packaged very well, very healthy right out of the box, the hairgrass probably could have made it several more days if the shipping was delayed.
K
Really amazing, healthy culture that's taken off really well. I'm also very impressed with the customer service; APF was in touch before, during and after I received my shipment to check in. I really appreciated the support! The two pictures are the day I planted them and only two weeks later! Can't wait to keep up with everything ❤️
T
Super green healthy sod chunk. Best I've seen!!
That was one cups worth..hopefully I can make it grow
M
Beautiful mini hairgrass! One cup goes a long way when you split these up into small plants. Took hole fast and growing well. Would revommend
M
I have bought several plants from the Aquarium Plant Factory and they all came alive and well. After planting in my aquarium they have all thrived and grown in excellent. I have purchased plants from several other sources and the factory by far has superior plants. Customer service is responsive and helpful as well. A+ highly recommend. Thank you Plant Factory!
L
This is the first time I have used a small foreground plant grown in a dish. It took a bit of effort to get it settled in the substrate and I had to be careful as it can break apart easily. I finally got it in and eventually added some substrate on top to keep it there. That seemed to do the trick. It has been a week and the grass has grown over the rock and is starting to spread. I am really looking forward to seeing how this does over the long term.
T
Came in perfect!
M
Plants arrived in excellent shape and have held up well in the new tank.
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