Natural Habitat Redecoration

[Jdubz]

I want to make my fighter tanks really natural and have been googling for rice paddies....

Most of the pics ive seen are tall thin leaved plants and i want to recreate it and need to know what type of plant i would need.
I've just seen a japanese rush plant would this work well?
Rush

Would sticks and twigs be in the paddie as well... could i get some twigs from a forest and bake them for a while to dry them out then take the bark off or should i get fake twigs/branches from the LFS

Oh and the water level is about 6-7 inches in one tank and 11 in the other so i could use a smaller plant in the shallower tank.

I dont mind making teirs for different hights... could be an experiance.

Thanks muchly Jake

 

[emeleeliggett]

Sounds neat. I know someone who has bamboo shoot things sticking out of the water to create an effect sorta like that. It looks nice.

I use logs and sticks from the parks around my place and just boil them in water in a big pot for a few hours. All my fish seem fine, although it will make your water more yellow than wood from the store. Saves money though and you can usually find something really neat.

Sorry I don't know any live plants that might work the same unless you got some type of bamboo and kept the leaves out of the water for them to get air. Of course then you wouldn't be able to have a hood... Good luck though, it's a great idea!!

 

[love4aquatic]

DONT use bamboo it is not aquatic it is draceana slanderea (spelled it wrong most likely) and real bamboo will get huge. unless you can find some expensive dwarf kind used for bonsai.

also get rice seeds! they are the most natural thing possible!! but the bettas will start to munch if the rice isnt started in a different tank. lol

i have red rice i am growing for my bettas!!!

 

[Jdubz]

Rice seeds? How big are they and how fast do they grow? Where can i aquire some from?

The Betta i got in there is only ________ long.

 

[Glegorly]

Your LFS more often than not will sell pre-treated mangrove-like roots which is safer and saves the job of treating the wood yourself, can't wait to see the end result of your tank!

 

[love4aquatic]

rice seeds can be bought of ebay, they are....well rice like in the rice paddies. It does get a little tall but is verry pretty aand natural

 

[Jdubz]

Just had a look and found these....

Ebay: 220402698242

Would they be ok as it says to plant them in soil?

 

[love4aquatic]

Just had a look and found these....

Ebay: 220402698242

Would they be ok as it says to plant them in soil?

said the same for mine, but i have flourite in my tanks(aquatic dirt stuff.) but it shud b fine, i started some in a tank with no gravel at all.

 

[emeleeliggett]

I'd love to see the results of your tanks with the rice!! It sounds so nice, I know that bamboo is not naturally aquatic, that's why you have the leaves out so it can get oxygen and just the stem and root system in the water. It lives/grows and doesn't seem to pollute the water, it's really pretty and green. Is it bad for the fish?

 

[Jdubz]

Im thinking of getting a flat pot and planting them in that then when they have grown a bit, i'll plant the pot in the sand.

 

[love4aquatic]

I'd love to see the results of your tanks with the rice!! It sounds so nice, I know that bamboo is not naturally aquatic, that's why you have the leaves out so it can get oxygen and just the stem and root system in the water. It lives/grows and doesn't seem to pollute the water, it's really pretty and green. Is it bad for the fish?

the bamboo sold for aquariums is a species of draceana! it is a tropical shrub that dosent realy like being wet too much. they WILL eventuaally rot.

if you plant them in a pot with dirt and treat them like a normal house plant they will grow and flower fore you!! i have never seen one flower in an aquarium!!

just put the pot next to the tank!! you will get the same effect!!

 

[Jdubz]

I've changed my plan now and found an old plastic plant with thin leaves coming out of it and cut the tips of the plant and pulled the leaves out and put them in the tank, just needs a bit of trimming to give depth and a fake tree root..