I am completely useless,never raised this plant
As usual I am completely useless, having never raised this plant, I am not even sure I have seen it in person. That being said: I can’t help myself, it is an illness, I love figuring out how to keep new critters and plants.
Utricularia graminifolia sounds like a fascinating plant. You may be on the leading edge; I would be most interested in following your experience.
Based only on a quick look about, including the useless
Tropica, which seemed to have some rather detailed instruction/analysis in the last couple of paragraphs. Also of interest were comments by aquatic plant keepers at
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plant-id/27439-utricularia-graminifolia.html. Then a bit from
Utricularia graminifolia (Utricularia graminifolia).
I am assuming the plants you are attempting are the commercial variety.
If I were to attempt keeping Utricularia graminifolia, I would treat it as any other plant grown emergent then submerged, I would anticipate some melt, give it time.
I would also likely start them in another container, I like the (cheap) Sterilite brand, Rubbermaid is another, depending on how many plants, perhaps something eleven or maybe six-liter variety. Match the target substrate; use the water from the target tank. A small pump for circulation, change 50 percent or more water every other day or so, using water from the target aquarium; I would dose extra KNO3, maybe 2 or 3ppm. Who am I kidding, I’d likely hit them with a dash or so of PMDD solution, if not every day, at the water change.
I would keep the container in low ambient light for at least two weeks. Please, laughter to a minimum, I would blow into the container three or four times a day. You could use a straw; I use an air stone on some rigid tubing.
I would figure two weeks to be an absolute minimum and look to more like six or eight weeks. However, after two weeks or so I would start raising the light exposure.
If it is not convenient or the tanks substrate is expensive stuff, something I avoid, I think I would use a commercial African violet potting soil. I might even beef it up a bit (yeah, pun intended), with some bone meal and/or fish fertilizer (5-1-1 stuff). With these guys I would be tempted to add a little B1 (the stuff with all the additives, chelated Fe, Mn, boron and stuff) and a layer of sand, then some small gravel.
If a significant number of plants I would also like to split them in to three or four groups, using essentially the same strategies, just see which variation works the best.
When in the aquarium I am guessing this Utricularia graminifolia needs the same care as a big messy fish, care as to who is exposed, and lots of filtration and my all time favorite, more water changes.
Hope that you will keep us, well me anyway informed!
I hope this has been helpful, if not my apologies.
Biollante