Cheap and easy floating plants

[yeti79]

If you don't mind artificial plants here is an easy and cheap way to make them into floating plants. All you will need is a cork, nail or something that'll poke a hole in the cork and of course the plant. Take your plant out of its base, the newest ones I had to break out with a hammer. Clean your cork and take an appropriate sized object, something just a bit less in diameter than your plant stem, to put a hole into the cork. Next take the stem of the plant and shove it into the hole in the cork. It should fit snugly. Toss it in your aquarium and you're set!

 

[Fishmanic]

Nothing like real floating plants to suck up nitrates and the real roots add to the look.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I resisted a planted tank for a long time partly because of the cost of proper lighting. BUT the beauty of REAL floating plants is that nearly all lighting will support floating plants! And since fast growing floating plants help purify the water, it's nearly a no brainer. So put that wine cork back in the bottle and get some floating plants! <grins>

 

[Retired Viking]

But think of all the fun you will have drinking the wine If I still had plastic plants I would give this a try.

 

[yeti79]

Nothing like real floating plants to suck up nitrates and the real roots add to the look.

I resisted a planted tank for a long time partly because of the cost of proper lighting. BUT the beauty of REAL floating plants is that nearly all lighting will support floating plants! And since fast growing floating plants help purify the water, it's nearly a no brainer. So put that wine cork back in the bottle and get some floating plants! <grins>

Totally agree that live are better and plan on converting over. Just waiting for the warm weather to come back so I can collect some locally. Have a 20 and 5 gallon planted with mostly java ferns and love how they look. This tank was an emergency set up since one of my goldfish thought the new golden white clouds were snacks

 

[Byron]

Totally agree that live are better and plan on converting over. Just waiting for the warm weather to come back so I can collect some locally. Have a 20 and 5 gallon planted with mostly java ferns and love how they look. This tank was an emergency set up since one of my goldfish thought the new golden white clouds were snacks

A caution...never put plants (or fish or snails or anything else living) from the local ecosystem into a tropical fish aquarium. For one thing, with plants, the local species are temperate and are not likely to last at consistent "tropical" temperatures. Probably duckweed would, lol, but not much else. But an even greater risk is that of introducing pathogens that the tropical fish cannot deal with. Pathogens that tropical fish build up an immunity for or other ways of handling are different from those in temperate climates. The fish from either cannot manage with the pathogens from the opposite.

 

[Retired Viking]

Totally agree that live are better and plan on converting over. Just waiting for the warm weather to come back so I can collect some locally. Have a 20 and 5 gallon planted with mostly java ferns and love how they look. This tank was an emergency set up since one of my goldfish thought the new golden white clouds were snacks

I have 5 java ferns and they are very nice. They are about the only plants my snails have not tried to attack except to detach them from the lava rock I was trying to get them to attach to. Everything is new so most of my plants are not "rooted" down yet.

 

[Munroco]

Seems a lot of bother to go to when you could put some real floating plants in and get the benefit from them.

 

[Aussie_Bristle]

I think it’s a cute and creative idea especially if you are not one for live plants. I prefer live plants too but we are all different.

 

[AbbeysDad]

A caution...never put plants (or fish or snails or anything else living) from the local ecosystem into a tropical fish aquarium. For one thing, with plants, the local species are temperate and are not likely to last at consistent "tropical" temperatures. Probably duckweed would, lol, but not much else. But an even greater risk is that of introducing pathogens that the tropical fish cannot deal with. Pathogens that tropical fish build up an immunity for or other ways of handling are different from those in temperate climates. The fish from either cannot manage with the pathogens from the opposite.

An exception might be if you live say in Florida. Matter of fact, we have a club member that makes annual trips to Fla to collect fish from the many springs, ponds, and canals.