Binge
Fish Crazy
So I started doing live plants in 2 of my tanks about 2.5-3 months ago.
55 gall community has
Jungle val
mondo grass
Purple camomba
Clover
Banana plant
crispus(I think)
and another stalk plant I cannot remember the name of.
75 gallon bichir dempsy parrot pleco tank has
Undulatus(sp?)
Java moss (ziptied to driftwood)
two kinds of vallis a thinner one and one that is like an inch thick blades both stores called it jungle val)
Wysteria (one stalk left thats horribly deformed in growth since they up root it constantly, yet flourishing)
Amazon swords
A short grass I cannot remember the name of that is sending off shoots around it growing new budles of itself
A plant I was told is anubias but am not sure.
clover
I will try to get pics up here in a few of the couple I cannot Indentify because I forgot the names and of the anubias. I am currenlt using basic aquarium light fixtures (all were baught second hand and had t8 bulbs in them). Up until yesterday I have never used any kind of ferts just let the fish waste do the job. Yesterday I added some root tabs to both tanks at teh suggestion from a friend at work He had told me to use Flourish tabs but the store was out off them so I got the api equivelent. My water typicly stays at 7.5ph and 76-78 deg F. I realy do not want to have a high tech set up the tabs are about as creative as I can afford to be on the plant side. Both tanks are a sand substrate except the end of the 55 where the cabomba is that is gravel.
So I have a few questions based on what I have experienced so far with my plants just to see how obscenely newbie I am.
Purple cabomba: This plant grows like wild fire in my wifes tank as far as Height goes. I have had to cut all of it almost in half twice and replant it in new clusters. It continues to grow tall after clipping but I have zero root structure on the plants... is that normal?
Banana Plant: I only have one cus we thaught it looked pretty it had no roots when we baught it so I just let it sit on the sand. It now has 4 8-12 inch long root like tendrils on it but none have gone into the sand they are just spread out beneath the plant as it floats mid lvl in my tank. Again is this normal or should I bury the roots.
Crispus: They were very dark and healthy at purchase but only had 4 or so leaves. Now thay have 8- 10 leaves a piece but seem semi transleucent. I think it is a neutriant issue and the root tabs will help.
Amazon Swords: These seem to be doing very well both lost thier existing leaves after purchase but are growing back new strong blades galore.
Java Moss: Has grown a lot of length but does not seem to be attaching to the wood at all.
Jungal Val: both varieties seem to be doing well the thicker one is spreading on the surface of the water a bit but with how healthy it is I do not want to trim it much.
Mondo grass: It just did not make it
Wysteria: Only one stalk left and it is not a straight pretty stalk but seems healthy as can be aside from that.(african ciclids shreaded the rest before being moved)
Undulatus: this one worrys me a bit the stalks seem healthy but my leaves are getting spotty and having browning edges. (again I hope the tabs help)
Anubias: I, put this one last as it worrys me most. The plant has a 3 inch stalk(quarter inch thick) with with 5 smaller stalks coming off and pointing up with tear drop shaped leaves that are very broad. When i baught it the root structure was enormus about a dozen legs 6 inches long and with what seemed hundreds of shoots and arms coming off of them. the fish store told me to bury the roots but I have read it is best to put anubias on drift wood. the plant still seems healthy but has lost a little bit of leaf to a nibbling dempsy and parrots. If this is anubias how would I go about attaching that root structure to drift wood and would a 8"x6"x1" (think its two for inches rofl)Piece of would be a viable home for it. I realy want this particular plant to flourish as my bichir perches on its leaves A LOT.
Sorry if that seems like a lot I have read the post here about pruning (is how I learned to cut the cabomba). I have tried to read as much as I can on plants but I spend a lot more time reading up on my fish and trying to get that part right while treating the plants as secondary.
Oh also I did not have any of thos lil lead weights that the Fish stores used so In have been useing loosely(very) tightened zip ties to hold stalks together and help weigh them down is this a bad idea?
Thanks for the help will try to get pics in the am of plants if I can.
55 gall community has
Jungle val
mondo grass
Purple camomba
Clover
Banana plant
crispus(I think)
and another stalk plant I cannot remember the name of.
75 gallon bichir dempsy parrot pleco tank has
Undulatus(sp?)
Java moss (ziptied to driftwood)
two kinds of vallis a thinner one and one that is like an inch thick blades both stores called it jungle val)
Wysteria (one stalk left thats horribly deformed in growth since they up root it constantly, yet flourishing)
Amazon swords
A short grass I cannot remember the name of that is sending off shoots around it growing new budles of itself
A plant I was told is anubias but am not sure.
clover
I will try to get pics up here in a few of the couple I cannot Indentify because I forgot the names and of the anubias. I am currenlt using basic aquarium light fixtures (all were baught second hand and had t8 bulbs in them). Up until yesterday I have never used any kind of ferts just let the fish waste do the job. Yesterday I added some root tabs to both tanks at teh suggestion from a friend at work He had told me to use Flourish tabs but the store was out off them so I got the api equivelent. My water typicly stays at 7.5ph and 76-78 deg F. I realy do not want to have a high tech set up the tabs are about as creative as I can afford to be on the plant side. Both tanks are a sand substrate except the end of the 55 where the cabomba is that is gravel.
So I have a few questions based on what I have experienced so far with my plants just to see how obscenely newbie I am.
Purple cabomba: This plant grows like wild fire in my wifes tank as far as Height goes. I have had to cut all of it almost in half twice and replant it in new clusters. It continues to grow tall after clipping but I have zero root structure on the plants... is that normal?
Banana Plant: I only have one cus we thaught it looked pretty it had no roots when we baught it so I just let it sit on the sand. It now has 4 8-12 inch long root like tendrils on it but none have gone into the sand they are just spread out beneath the plant as it floats mid lvl in my tank. Again is this normal or should I bury the roots.
Crispus: They were very dark and healthy at purchase but only had 4 or so leaves. Now thay have 8- 10 leaves a piece but seem semi transleucent. I think it is a neutriant issue and the root tabs will help.
Amazon Swords: These seem to be doing very well both lost thier existing leaves after purchase but are growing back new strong blades galore.
Java Moss: Has grown a lot of length but does not seem to be attaching to the wood at all.
Jungal Val: both varieties seem to be doing well the thicker one is spreading on the surface of the water a bit but with how healthy it is I do not want to trim it much.
Mondo grass: It just did not make it
Wysteria: Only one stalk left and it is not a straight pretty stalk but seems healthy as can be aside from that.(african ciclids shreaded the rest before being moved)
Undulatus: this one worrys me a bit the stalks seem healthy but my leaves are getting spotty and having browning edges. (again I hope the tabs help)
Anubias: I, put this one last as it worrys me most. The plant has a 3 inch stalk(quarter inch thick) with with 5 smaller stalks coming off and pointing up with tear drop shaped leaves that are very broad. When i baught it the root structure was enormus about a dozen legs 6 inches long and with what seemed hundreds of shoots and arms coming off of them. the fish store told me to bury the roots but I have read it is best to put anubias on drift wood. the plant still seems healthy but has lost a little bit of leaf to a nibbling dempsy and parrots. If this is anubias how would I go about attaching that root structure to drift wood and would a 8"x6"x1" (think its two for inches rofl)Piece of would be a viable home for it. I realy want this particular plant to flourish as my bichir perches on its leaves A LOT.
Sorry if that seems like a lot I have read the post here about pruning (is how I learned to cut the cabomba). I have tried to read as much as I can on plants but I spend a lot more time reading up on my fish and trying to get that part right while treating the plants as secondary.
Oh also I did not have any of thos lil lead weights that the Fish stores used so In have been useing loosely(very) tightened zip ties to hold stalks together and help weigh them down is this a bad idea?
Thanks for the help will try to get pics in the am of plants if I can.
