Treatment Tank Or Betta Palace?

[Million]

Is he a jam or a marmalade type?

 

[ReMz]

Cabomba is easy and nice looking - most shops will sell it

That's kind of what I thought, but apparently it's a cold-water plant - explaining why it tends to disintegrate and shed all over the tropical tank - which requires a higher light than some of the low-lights.
Spent longer cleaning mine out than growing it, and I've heard a number of references to this happening, although it's a beautiful plant which works well for some.

I've personally had better luck with Diandra, but that seems to be a die-at-one-end-and-grow-at-the-other type, at least in my tanks, but on the plus side, dying bits can be pinched off and removed easily, unlike the thousands of tiny Cabomba leaf fragments.

One of my big favorites is Cardamine Lyrata, which can be used in odd places or as a graceful, latticed forest you can see through that's provided hours of amusement for a betta I have in a little 5 gal., in swimming through the maze and never using the identical route twice.
It seems to have moderate light requirements and be a column feeder which doesn't seem to need an enriched or deep substrate but does need fish and the odd small dose of Flourish to survive and do well, and I suspect it's an excellent ammonia sucker.

Of course, every tank seems to be different as far as which plants do well and which will 'buy the (algae) farm'...

Thx for the info . I'll check it out. Doing a big plant order this week for a couple of my tanks.

Nothing like a spoiled betta! He is so pretty!

I am glad the other two (Timion and Pumba) are better.

Thanks! Timone and Pumba are doing great now.... but no longer buds after their separation period. Now Pumba decided that Timone was a bit too cheeky for his liking and chased him unmercifully. Timone is in a 30 gallon beating up on smaller fishies now ..... 55 gallon is awaiting setup all for him. Spoiled little bugger (all because my GF wouldn't let me get rid of him)

He is a big handsome lad isn't he

What the thing in the tank that looks like a slice of toast though

the slate piece that is a bit squared off?

Is he a jam or a marmalade type?

? Now i think i'm confused

 

[LauraFrog]

Gorgeous layout!

If you're looking for spiky plants there are some true aquatic rushes, one of them, the variegated rush, looks a bit like what's in there at the moment but will grow taller. Thin vallisneria can be picked up REALLY cheaply, you can't kill it (unless you put bleach in the tank or something) and it will cover the back of the tank up nicely. Don't buy mayaca, you can't keep it alive without CO2. Milfoil is also a pest IMO, it does the cabomba act, or else it grows really fast at the top and then all the leaves at the bottom die.
I believe there is a Giant Cardamine as well, same as lyrata but big leaves... somebody told me you needed CO2 to grow them but I'm probably wrong, I've never grown them. (Glad to hear it's easy... I will get some!!! Pretty plant.)

 

[Syphoniera]

Gorgeous layout!

If you're looking for spiky plants there are some true aquatic rushes, one of them, the variegated rush, looks a bit like what's in there at the moment but will grow taller. Thin vallisneria can be picked up REALLY cheaply, you can't kill it (unless you put bleach in the tank or something) and it will cover the back of the tank up nicely. Don't buy mayaca, you can't keep it alive without CO2. Milfoil is also a pest IMO, it does the cabomba act, or else it grows really fast at the top and then all the leaves at the bottom die.
I believe there is a Giant Cardamine as well, same as lyrata but big leaves... somebody told me you needed CO2 to grow them but I'm probably wrong, I've never grown them. (Glad to hear it's easy... I will get some!!! Pretty plant.)

If there's any trouble finding or growing the Giant Cardamine, Pennywort is larger but similar to the Cardamine and will eventually grow, if permitted, in chained lilypads over the top of the water.
And that's an excellent ammonia sucker, too.
No co2 necessary for either of these, both marsh plants which do seem to need fish and the odd dose of ferts, but have mostly done well in my low-tech tanks, although things almost never seem to do quite the same in different tanks...

Too bad about the milfoil, always thought it sounded cool...

 

[Syphoniera]

Is he a jam or a marmalade type?

 

[Million]

The easiest plants i've ever had are anubias and java fern - I grow them without CO2, in a tank with less than 1WPG of light, no ferts, and they don't even need a substrate, just a bit of wood to attach to.

 

[Syphoniera]

The easiest plants i've ever had are anubias and java fern - I grow them without CO2, in a tank with less than 1WPG of light, no ferts, and they don't even need a substrate, just a bit of wood to attach to.

I'm hoping some expert'll be nice enough to give me some info on Java Fern issues.
It seems to be common for Java fern to have black on the leaves, and I bought some that also had black hairiness on the rhizome.
I'm not sure if it's a problem, but I've already had had BBA and figured better safe than sorry and have it separate in a jar.
Do they typically have blackish, hairy rhizomes, or do you figure that is this likely an evil that's plotting to destroy all my plants again in whatever tank it enters? sama:
And about the black on the leaves, is it contagious?
I did try using Excel...
And the chance to use the phrase 'Thanks a Million' is too good to waste
Although I'm not fussy, I'll thank anyone at all. even if I can't get a bad pun in out of the deal, as it would be
to know if it's safe to use the Java Fern or not without risking something contagious.
That and I'm way overtired enough to be just plain having a great time with all these little smilies...
Sad state of affairs...
But where there's hope there's life. Of some sort, anyway.

 

[ReMz]

The easiest plants i've ever had are anubias and java fern - I grow them without CO2, in a tank with less than 1WPG of light, no ferts, and they don't even need a substrate, just a bit of wood to attach to.

Java fern, anubias. got it

I'm getting more info here than in my topic i posted in the plant section last week

The easiest plants i've ever had are anubias and java fern - I grow them without CO2, in a tank with less than 1WPG of light, no ferts, and they don't even need a substrate, just a bit of wood to attach to.

I'm hoping some expert'll be nice enough to give me some info on Java Fern issues.
It seems to be common for Java fern to have black on the leaves, and I bought some that also had black hairiness on the rhizome.
I'm not sure if it's a problem, but I've already had had BBA and figured better safe than sorry and have it separate in a jar.
Do they typically have blackish, hairy rhizomes, or do you figure that is this likely an evil that's plotting to destroy all my plants again in whatever tank it enters? sama:
And about the black on the leaves, is it contagious?
I did try using Excel...
And the chance to use the phrase 'Thanks a Million' is too good to waste
Although I'm not fussy, I'll thank anyone at all. even if I can't get a bad pun in out of the deal, as it would be
to know if it's safe to use the Java Fern or not without risking something contagious.
That and I'm way overtired enough to be just plain having a great time with all these little smilies...
Sad state of affairs...
But where there's hope there's life. Of some sort, anyway.

bit loopy are we?

 

[ReMz]

Has anyone had any experience with Aqua Botanic? Someone recommended them in the plant section.

I was considering this package:
[URL="http/www.aquabotanicstore.com/Hard_to_Ki..._p/passort1.htm"]http/www.aquabotanicstore.com/Hard_to_Ki..._p/passort1.htm[/URL]

Plant experts... opinions?

edit: this is for my 30 gallon tank that I'm still trying to setup and get planted with a 24" Coralife 10,000k 20watt light.

 

[little_mermaid]

What a handsome guy you got there! And I think the tank looks rather nice!

 

[Syphoniera]

Aaaah, but I think it helped - unloaded enough loopiness and immediately crashed out for about 6 hrs. straight and I'm feeling soooo much better now...
The sleep issues are evidently all due to a loopiness overload requiring periodic extreme release - and however you guessed with such few, meager clues given merely proves your remarkable detective abilities.
Just need to absorb about 6 quarts of tea, get through several waterchanges I can normally do
in my sleep and haven't yet, and I'll be fine.
Still giggly, though... so be warned.
(Darn fish couldn't reach the dead here, either; I love 'edit', and why doesn't life have this capacity?
I could have kept the king-sized waterbed, had it redone in glass, squeezed a cot in beside it...
You never know where life'll take you, but it ought somehow to lead toward more fish...)

 

[Million]

Re: Java fern - the black bits are normal, I forget the technical name, but they're reproductive organs on the underside of the leaves. And the rhizome is meant to have roots (it's basically one big root itself).

The package sounds decent enough, but I imagine you could get java fern and anubias for free from a forum or something as they are easy to propagate. Crypts are vulnerable to transport in this manner - they can get 'crypt melt', when they appear to melt away. And be wary of java moss as it can take over a tank if not kept in check!

 

[ReMz]

Re: Java fern - the black bits are normal, I forget the technical name, but they're reproductive organs on the underside of the leaves. And the rhizome is meant to have roots (it's basically one big root itself).

The package sounds decent enough, but I imagine you could get java fern and anubias for free from a forum or something as they are easy to propagate. Crypts are vulnerable to transport in this manner - they can get 'crypt melt', when they appear to melt away. And be wary of java moss as it can take over a tank if not kept in check!

thx for the reply.

Seems a bit on the pricey side.... but would be worth it to get quality plants. I've read that java moss grows like mad. That is fine, as I would like to make a nice carpet foreground.

So just be wary of the crypts if i got with this package eh?

I may try to piece together my own 'kit' on ebay.

 

[Million]

Seems a bit on the pricey side.... but would be worth it to get quality plants. I've read that java moss grows like mad. That is fine, as I would like to make a nice carpet foreground.

So just be wary of the crypts if i got with this package eh?

I may try to piece together my own 'kit' on ebay.

It's hard to get a nice carpet effect with java moss in my experience. It grows more in long strands than bushy fronds like christmas moss or taiwan moss. And remember you'd need to tie it down to something to keep it as a carpet - there's a good guide in the planted tanks sticky section I think.

Is there no way you can get plants locally? Java fern is available at all aquatics shops - it's common as muck. Anubias is tough and will survive postage from asia if you do go with ebay. I got all of my anubias from there and it's great.