Tarzan vines?

[jamesmcdphoto]

Hello wonderful folks! I'm starting my first tank as a new hobby and am all substrated and hardscaped so now I get to enjoy picking out my plants! I picked up and prepped a very cool piece of driftwood that makes a nice arch. I'd like to turn it into a bit of a Tarzan look. My thoughts are attaching some weeping moss to the front of it, then on the back, attaching an interesting looking plant that will then allow the roots to droop downward below the top of the arch and give that swinging vines look.

I've discovered that I could use anubias, but I am not feeling the leaves go well for this style, so am wondering what other options I might have. Would something in the bucephalandra family be safe and happy in such a spot? Or can someone recommend some plants with interesting looking leaves with roots that can drape down without causing an unhappy plant?

I'm not using a CO2 tank for the aquarium due to my business travels (I do not want to abuse the kindness of friends who house sit), but liquid CO2 or pellets are fine. Running a Finnex HLC so not worried about lack of light as the PAR rating will be able to adapt to my final plant selections.

I really appreciate any insight y'all might have!

 

[jamesmcdphoto]

In case a visual helps!

 

[jamesmcdphoto]

Also, should I be concerned on the front of this driftwood that the smaller ends might hurt a future fish?

 

[GaryE]

The driftwood is fine.
To get the vine effect, plants on top of the tank, above water will do it. Pothos or peace lilies do that well. You clean the dirt off the roots, and attach the plants through openings so the roots are in the water and the stems above. You'll have tarzan vines within a month or two.

 

[Magnum Man]

I also do as Gary suggests... but will offer an alternate suggestion, as the main roots don't look as much like vines... you can keep a Pothos or Philodendron vine in a traditional dirted pot, beside your tank. and train your plant to grow over the top of your aquarium even if covered, your vine will put down "foot roots" to seek out the source of the humidity, once those appear, you can get them started into the aquarium, even in small gaps for air lines...

you lose out on some of the benefits of rooting in the aquarium, but "foot roots" actually resemble vines more closely than the roots at the base of the plant, and once they are established in the tank, you get a lot of the same benefits...

these are those "foot roots" ... this plant is actually based in the tank next to this one... this tank is open topped, and the vine grows across, over this one... this is interesting, as the tank the vine grows out of is heavily shaded, but I didn't want that for this tank, so the leaves were trimmed to not block any light, but I get full benefit of the "foot roots" filtering the water, and the vine continues lushly growing on the other side of this tank... this tank is a bamboo forest, but I wanted the vine look... of course you can trim out any of the small feeler roots that grow off these main foot roots, and still get all the benefits...

 

[jamesmcdphoto]

The driftwood is fine.
To get the vine effect, plants on top of the tank, above water will do it. Pothos or peace lilies do that well. You clean the dirt off the roots, and attach the plants through openings so the roots are in the water and the stems above. You'll have tarzan vines within a month or two.

Thank you for the response. I appreciate it

 

[jamesmcdphoto]

I also do as Gary suggests... but will offer an alternate suggestion, as the main roots don't look as much like vines... you can keep a Pothos or Philodendron vine in a traditional dirted pot, beside your tank. and train your plant to grow over the top of your aquarium even if covered, your vine will put down "foot roots" to seek out the source of the humidity, once those appear, you can get them started into the aquarium, even in small gaps for air lines...

you lose out on some of the benefits of rooting in the aquarium, but "foot roots" actually resemble vines more closely than the roots at the base of the plant, and once they are established in the tank, you get a lot of the same benefits...

these are those "foot roots" ... this plant is actually based in the tank next to this one... this tank is open topped, and the vine grows across, over this one... this is interesting, as the tank the vine grows out of is heavily shaded, but I didn't want that for this tank, so the leaves were trimmed to not block any light, but I get full benefit of the "foot roots" filtering the water, and the vine continues lushly growing on the other side of this tank... this tank is a bamboo forest, but I wanted the vine look... of course you can trim out any of the small feeler roots that grow off these main foot roots, and still get all the benefits...

View attachment 359832

That's a very novel and cool idea. Thanks. Love the tank btw!