Plants Keep Floating !

[gouramiKeeper]

i have many plants, in a sand substrate. the plants for no reason just come out of the sand and float and its really annoying. how can i stop this ?

 

[KittyKat]

How deep is the substrate? You should try planting them deeper or letting them grow roots first, and then planting them.

 

[gouramiKeeper]

do you know how i can allow the routes to grow before planting the plant ? the substrate isnt that deep, ill add some sand today or tomorrow, its only 1.5-3 cm deep

 

[StandbySetting]

just leave them suspended in the water and the roots will grow.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Even if they have roots you'll struggle in 1.5cm of sand, you really need like 2 inches.

 

[mattbleasby]

You need alot more sand in there. I have around 2.5" of sand at the bottom of my low tec planted. You could try using some lead weight too keep them at the bottom untill they start to grow then removing the lead and planting

 

[KittyKat]

You need alot more sand in there. I have around 2.5" of sand at the bottom of my low tec planted. You could try using some lead weight too keep them at the bottom untill they start to grow then removing the lead and planting

I also use 2-5" substrate beds, but I do not believe in using lead: it is a heavy metal which is known to cause health issues.

When I have a tank without substrate or with a 1-2 cm bed, I will pot the cutting in ceramic pots or float them till they root.

 

[StandbySetting]

It's only going to cause health issues if ingested, and the only way that can happen is if you eat it, lead doesn't react with water as a liquid so it poses no dangers to fish or humans in a fish set up.

 

[KittyKat]

It's only going to cause health issues if ingested, and the only way that can happen is if you eat it, lead doesn't react with water as a liquid so it poses no dangers to fish or humans in a fish set up.

It might not react with water, but water flow can and will wash the top layers off over time.

 

[StandbySetting]

The reason it was used in water pipes many years ago is because of its resistance to erosion and corrosion, layers don't just simply wash off, there are metallic bonds holding the atoms together, for them to be broken, heat energy is required.

 

[hensonc4098]

Covalent bonding is between 2 non-metals...

 

[StandbySetting]

Yes sorry, I meant metallic bonds.

 

[hensonc4098]

Lol It's cool.

It is true that lead is very resistant to corrosion, so it will not break down in water to any measurable limit. As far as particles being worn off it are concerned and being ingested... Well the likelihood is very low. Lead is renowned for its malleabliity (ability to be bend and shaped) so is not brittle, otherwise it would crack. This also means that the likelihoods of small fragments sharding off is rather low, even lower that such a fragment should be ingested. Lets face it, we've all seen our fish spit out things that don't taste good, and I can't see lead tasting nice. It is also suggested that the lead would break down into such small particles that they would be "drunk" by the fish as it swims. The fact of the matter is that fresh water boney fish don't drink. They are constantly gaining water by osmosis (basically the water soaking into them through the skin in their mouths and gills), being of a lower water concentration than their environments, so they kick out loads of dilute urine to get rid of it all.

It has been noted that in acidic conditions, lead can be very gradually broken down into the water, however it is also noted that this is in such small concentrations that the nitrate produced by the cycle of fish waste is likely to be at a more toxic level.

Also, these days, aquarium weights sold as "lead" can actually be magnesium or zinc. These are totally harmless to the tank as if they were to break down (which in the conditions of your fish tank, they shouldn't, otherwise you should be worried!) they would only produce hydrogen gas and an oxide solid.

There's certainly some interesting reading to be had about it (if that's what floats your boat ) but I don't see a problem with it. If you're concerned by it though, just use ceramic pots and rock wool instead

Chemistry lesson over

 

[frankbarnes]

May be your fishes doing all this, some fishes like goldfish are very messy so they do all such kind of things or just increase the level of sand so that your plants can be much secure.

 

[KittyKat]

The reason it was used in water pipes many years ago is because of its resistance to erosion and corrosion, layers don't just simply wash off, there are metallic bonds holding the atoms together, for them to be broken, heat energy is required.

..to be fair, by the people who died of lead poisoning.

I can't say either way what the weights are made out of now, but last time I bought plants with weights on, they were lead or too suspiciously like it.