Sarah Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 after going out and buying a stack of plants for my semi american tank , my plants are not staying put in the gravel , its rather frustrating to keep re planting them everyday so wondering what tips people might have on keeping them planted. I have 2mm white gravel as substrate, cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi Sarah, What type of plants do you have? It may be useful to trim the roots if they are too long, and maybe lay a few pebbles around the base. Are your Americans of the digging nature? merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi Andrea thanks for tip i have val and corksrew val and another plant not sure of name , roots are not that long , my fish are the green horsefaces so i know they like to sift the gravel, guess i will add some more gravel today and see if that will do the trick, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi Sarah, Just another thought....is the filter flow too strong for where the plants are situated? merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 no i have the plants situated on the opp end of the tank so i think my fish are the culprits , hmm still got a missing bristlenose too have searched everywhere he is my largest male so dont know how he could just disappear. thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bijengum Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Sarah, You can get soft metal strips that you wrap around the roots. They work well and are inert as far as the water is concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi Bijengum, You can get soft metal strips that you wrap around the roots. They work well and are inert as far as the water is concerned. I thought those "plant anchors" were lead....and I also thought that using lead in my aquarium was not an option . merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bijengum Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 I thought those "plant anchors" were lead....and I also thought that using lead in my aquarium was not an option . I believe they are an alloy. I have used them for some time. They don't seem to be reacting to the water or causing any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Ok cheers! merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Vals are easy (assuming you have at least 2" of gravel); plant them as deep as possible, and add a root tab. Then stand back! I have some in my goldfish tank, and have to throw some out once in a while as they become invasive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi Poe whats a root tab, i have never had trouble growing val in my last tank but this lot looks of poor quality so im not confident it will survive, i took off all those metal rings that came attached to the plants i also though that the metal might be toxic for my fish, thanks andrea and Bijengum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntoTheRainz Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Root tab is the fertiliser stick which available most stores. e.g bunning, woolies, so and so ( my recommend is do it after 2 week as the plant are still weak they might die if too much fertiliser readed this from amano journal) i wouldnt worry too much just make sure gravel is around 2 inches deep and let time for the roots settle in as they being disturb alot which will need time for recovering. Do u dose any fertiliser or just grow them with light? And how much is ur light as in watt per gallon (WPG) (this plant should be easy to grow). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi I have a 20w light, i have Seachem flourish and a Azoo plant food and the tank light is on for 12 hours a day, thanks for all your advice its much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntoTheRainz Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Hi Serah i forgot to tell u this important factor that root plant are better off fertilise root tab as they will in take neutrien from the root as they dont take in the leave so its not good if u liquid fertiliser. How big is ur tank again? 20w sound very little maybe anubis can survive . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 12, 2004 Author Share Posted April 12, 2004 its a 36x14x18 , should i have double lights on it, remember my other tank had a double reflector on it with 4 tubes and my plants were flourishing. cheers Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 The root tabs I use are those without N such as from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. If you are getting the root STICKS from Bunnings etc, make sure it's the Fern Root Sticks, and make sure nothing (especially fish that like to dig) will expose the sticks (use 1cm portions) as it will otherwise release Ammonia into the water. I do use them for Echinodorus which require a lot of root feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 14, 2004 Author Share Posted April 14, 2004 thanks Poe for all advice, i have americans in the tank my green horsefaces so im not sure if root tabs will be safe with them as they like to sift the substrate cheers Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loko Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 i used a cd rom to anchor the plants down. i put the plants through the hole of the cd and put substrate/rocks around the cd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 i have americans in the tank my green horsefaces so im not sure if root tabs will be safe with them as they like to sift the substrate Then just the the Aquarium Pharm ones; even if exposed (and I've had them exposed when I first started with planted tanks, and had shallow substrate), it's no biggie, more an aesthetic problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoolig Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Sarah, Cut a 2inch square or circle from a plastic milk carton, cut a slit about 1inch slide a few roots along the slit and then bury in gravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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