# Officially Addicted to Plants!



## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

I just bought wisteria today. That leaves me with anubias, christmas moss, duckweed, Marimo moss balls, anacharis, java fern (crested and regular varieties), lucky bamboo (partial aquatic!), and now wisteria. 
In the future I will be adding some other "easy" plants. Just have to make sure that the wisteria grows fine first. :-D

Any other plant addicts?

Maybe we should start a discussion group!

Hi, my name is Kyt, and I am addicted to plants.


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

I think I'm an addict too lol I have a heavily planted 5 gallon, I have hornwort, java moss, penny wort, moneywort, water wisteria, aquatic poppy, some kind of Val, parrots feather, anacharis, amazon swords, argentine swords, banana lilies, duckweed and green cabomba
It is low tech planted tank,


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

Where do you guys find these plants?! I want some! lol no seriously though where do you get them?


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

i have the plant bug a bit but not without its failures, 2 bunches of ana charis died but i had a incand light for the tank. they're pretty messy but nice., same for 3 java moss , the light bulb was the issue again. i love the 4 wisteria i purchased, full and big as long as they stay rooted. they're still in the process of rooting in and until then they'll float away whenever i do WCs. the anubias isnt doing well even in the far corner from the tank, its yellowing and hasnt rooted yet .


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## EvilVOG (Nov 23, 2011)

i got mine from two different Petsmarts and a local pond shop that's branching into Aquariums

However be careful if the plants are sold in a tube... all the tube plants i bought had issues

nel: anubias need alot of light and should be planted accordingly... what kind of light do you have on it?


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

? I thought Anubias doesnt really need alot of care, just tied to something or left floating.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Anubias needs indirect light (though it can grow in direct light, as I have found in my tank, as long as the light is weakish). The most important thing is that you do not "plant" it like you do the wisteria. It will start to rot if you bury what is called a rhizome. I leave my anubias semi-floating. It took about... wow, half a year now for it to really start growing like it should. The bettas just adore it though. 

My tank has recently been recovering from my experimenting with a 12000K light that gave good things only to hair algae. However, here are some very recent pictures!


















A close-up of the now established anubias.









The tiny anubias that I thought for sure would die... now it is slowly coming back!










My girl's tank! Very low tech. Only light comes from the window. The anacharis grows like crazy in this tank!

All of my plants but the moss balls, duckweed, and anacharis came from those tubes. The most important thing is to try inspecting them very closely for mold/rot. There is typically a little gap between the sticker as it wraps around. And you really do have to know your plant species before you buy them since many are semi-aquatic. They are typically labeled, so if you know what you want you can find it.


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

Agreed ^^^


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

i have a 15w full daylight spectrum light. the tank cover is designed that the mina divider starts where the base of the bulb is. 2 witeria to a side and the anubias in ain the far corner in the darker side. i put a divider in the 5 gal to accomodate 2 fish. the anubias is difficult to tie down to root, the AQ foam that the lead weight was wrapped around was integrated to the rhizome roots. had to cut the roots to remove the foam but no damage to the whizome. the last pic shows my best attempt to cut the floating slack on the plant to avoid entaglement. the link is for the light i got for the plants. the anubias is slowly yellowing, starting with the veins.
http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=life+...bnw=51&start=114&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:114


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

nel3 said:


> i have a 15w full daylight spectrum light. the tank cover is designed that the mina divider starts where the base of the bulb is. 2 witeria to a side and the anubias in ain the far corner in the darker side. i put a divider in the 5 gal to accomodate 2 fish. the anubias is difficult to tie down to root, the AQ foam that the lead weight was wrapped around was integrated to the rhizome roots. had to cut the roots to remove the foam but no damage to the whizome. the last pic shows my best attempt to cut the floating slack on the plant to avoid entaglement. the link is for the light i got for the plants. the anubias is slowly yellowing, starting with the veins.
> http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=life+...bnw=51&start=114&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:114





Wow, beautiful tank!


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

thank you Anita, i just hope the plants survive. i dont mind if the anacharis bite the dust, not too sure about the anubias atm but i definately love the wisteria. my only issue with the tank is the gravel is only 1 inch deep, bit hard to keep the wisteria from floating unless i put the stem at an angle to keep it down. i dont feel like going with more gravel for esthetic reasons and it seems it should be fine when roots come in.

i really wont mind the anacharis going. its makes it easier on me, every time i move the fake plants or real plants some gets pulled up. the curtain nearby the divider is 30% (10-12 stalks initially) removed from messing around with decor and the other live plants. 

the plants are doing the job, the blue VT right side like more hiding places. the left side is less crowded for the HMDT.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Are you sure that is even anubias? I don't see a rhizome... Otherwise your tank is just stunning! I am very jealous! I feel like my tanks have gone downhill...


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

Kytkattin said:


> Are you sure that is even anubias? I don't see a rhizome... Otherwise your tank is just stunning! I am very jealous! I feel like my tanks have gone downhill...


Psh! Your tanks look FANTASTIC! I really love what you've got there! If you can't fit the plants maybe you should rescue another girl and get another 2 g bowl ! Lol I love that lil bowl experiment you did. It's great.Really inspiring


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

thank you Kytkattin, the tank has only been like that for nearly a month so its too soon for the jury. the anacharis before lasted around that before going downhill (2.5g incand). 

your tanks are very nice also, i guess its just personal choice for the fish and the owner on the areas occupied in the tank. i was aiming to do something like seaweed beds to break line of sight uniformly. your tanks are well stocked on the bottom with lots of space to swim above.

the rhyzome/bulb if you can call it that is just below threads on the grey rock. i tied it just above the bulb. i think its anubias but not 100% sure.


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

Have you guys propagated anubias? How do I do that? I want to take some from my one 10 and add it to another


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Anitax3x said:


> Psh! Your tanks look FANTASTIC! I really love what you've got there! If you can't fit the plants maybe you should rescue another girl and get another 2 g bowl ! Lol I love that lil bowl experiment you did. It's great.Really inspiring


Thank you.  I do put a lot of time, and way to much money in them! I do already have another 2 gallon bowl, but I do not have another heater. Maybe sometime in January I will get another fish, but I will have to tear down the 2 tanks I do have (plus a spider) and take them 200 miles home for the holiday season. So maybe when I move back. I have tons of baby java ferns that I could put in another bowl!




nel3 said:


> thank you Kytkattin, the tank has only been like that for nearly a month so its too soon for the jury. the anacharis before lasted around that before going downhill (2.5g incand).
> 
> your tanks are very nice also, i guess its just personal choice for the fish and the owner on the areas occupied in the tank. i was aiming to do something like seaweed beds to break line of sight uniformly. your tanks are well stocked on the bottom with lots of space to swim above.
> 
> the rhyzome/bulb if you can call it that is just below threads on the grey rock. i tied it just above the bulb. i think its anubias but not 100% sure.


My anacharis tends to die and grow at the same time. When I first bought it, it was mostly all dieing so I got it at a discount price. Though the stuff in my girl's tank grows sometimes as much as a whole inch in a day!!!

Yeah, I didn't really realize what the christmas moss would be like. I have thought about growing it up onto the divider... It would look nice, though it gets pretty tall, about 4 inches if I don't smoosh it down. I bought all that expensive sub and I am only growing moss on it! I want more rooting plants!

Hmm... It looks different, but I do know there are different subtypes, and I am not all that knowledgeable about plants!


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

ive never propagated any plant so far. will probably try it on the wisteria should i get the chance to do so. not sure if i'll get that bulb plant again it it goes downhill. i killed my anacharis with IAL and incand lights. insufficient light did the rest, i dont think i'll ever put plant in IAL water. not confident in that part at all. ive had some sucess with anacharis but they do melt after a while when floating. i hope planted ones do better.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

The only plant I have propagated would be... anacharis. It grows, I break it in half, I now have 2 plants! Never done that with anubias.

Oh, and my java fern has little baby java ferns all over! I just leave them because I don't have room to plant more...


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

i have a bit of a brown thumb from limited aquatic plants ie anacharis java moss. i have more sucess with true terrestrial plants in soil, certain types not included. i grew a green flowered zinnia from a seed. 5 other seedilings didnt make it due to lack of water (newb mistake), currently working on another one.


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## upngo (Nov 9, 2011)

I am also a big fan of plants. I will however have to clean up this mess soon


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Gyah!! Gotta join! gotta join! =^.^= I've been having plant fever! Although, mine isn't quite 'heavy' planted.. >.> It's getting there, though... I'm gonna have to go back and reread the whole thread (before it gets too long xD) later today when I'm not so sleepy... but from what I've skimmed, it's the kind of thread I want to be in!
I've got 5 wisteria, 1 anubias (thinking of getting another or maybe sword.. dunno yet), 2 marimos named Katamari and Damacy (gonna get 1 more later on xD), and microsword. I plant to get duckweed once I get the chance on aquabid or some place online since none of my LFS's sell floater plants except for anacharis- and there's nothing wrong with the plant, I just don't care too much for the look. I really like the look of vallisneria (sp?), but I'm not quite sure of it just yet... Not sure of any other plants just yet, but I'm sure once I get to talk to everyone on this thread, I'll learn a thing or two about other plants that would be nice to add ^.^









This is from last week- I definitely gotta get an updated pick later today for ya'll 'cause that wisteria got a bit taller since then >.>.. There's also a bit of diatom action going on, but since I've added the microsword (and a CRAP load of elbow grease!), it seems the brown algae is losing the battle ^.^ My only problem is I need to get a light timer when I get the chance -.-;; There's green algae developing now- and while I'm sure that's part of why the diatoms have backed off, I'd rather have my algae in cute chibi spheres, ya know? xD I've been having difficulty being able to turn the light on and off on a specific schedule as mine isn't easy to synchronize with the plants needs ;__;
Okay, done ranting! Gotta get to bed, now -.-... Oh! And I love ya'lls tanks/bowl, btw! They look very lovely! =^.^=


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## JahBetta (Nov 5, 2011)

Love plants as well! Best way to go; interesting in the tank themselves, not to mention how the Betta reacts with them.

I've got various sp. of Anubias; 2-3 swords, 2 Java Fern, 2 larger crypts, 1 small crypt (parva?), a melon sword that my Betta loves with a passion, and a giant Marimo ball. I want another but I don't think I have the room for it right now; anyone have experience with splitting the bigger ones up though? Could possibly make 2 smaller! Let me know please, thanks!


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Yay! More addicts! As for how the bettas react to new plants... When I put the wisteria in the tank today, my female went up and bit it! lol. She has never done that before! She must have thought there was a bug on it or something....


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

Awesome! What's your setup?


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

Wow I have that same dragon sculpture in the same 5 gal! Haha my only current plant is lucky bamboo though (leaver above water of course) wow I love that setup! Can you split the mossballs?? They're kinda expensive lolTo keep buying new ones


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## Brian10962001 (Nov 1, 2011)

Plants really add another dimension to a fish tank! The best plant I've purchased so far is moneywort. I found a MASSIVE one I named the Bacopa Monster at Wal Mart of all places and left it floating on top. The girls love it, they'll swim over and around it, plus it keeps a lot of my food from floating to the bottom where they get wedged in the rocks chasing it :shock: 

On Anubias: It will get algae on it like MAD! Mine looked like a freaking rusted ship at the bottom of the tank. I pulled it and rinsed it twice scrubbing all the algae I could off with my thumb. Nothing worked, within a day or two it would be covered again. Finally I added Seachem Flourish Excel to the tank at 2 times the regular dose for 2 days, now its the most vibrant plant in my tank. I do have quite a bit of light for the plants I have though, it's the hands down brightest tank I've ever owned (two 12 watt CFL to regular edison bulbs, 12 watts on these types of bulbs converts to 40 watt incan bulbs and the spectrum on them is nice as well). 

On Wisteria: It is a great plant! It will change looks depending on the light levels. It's cheap, it looks a bit odd out of the tank, but once it's in and established its a beautiful plant. I literally just stuck the roots in the gravel and left it, easiest plant I own. I picked this up in a tube at Petco, all other plants looked pretty ragged but this one was thriving in a container filled with dew from it growing.

On Anacharis: People say this plant is a champ and have great luck with it, I wasn't one of them! I got two bundles that were pretty dark, but had nice new growth sprouting off. I placed them in my 10 gallon along with a panted sword or cryptocryne I'm not really certain which it is (such is Petco). I un bundled the Anacharis and let it float. My water temp did rise to higher than what this plant is said to handle but that was a very brief window. It never recovered and just fell apart (this was before the flourish excel, that's known not to work with Anacharis). I removed some and placed it in colder water with different light, and it kept growing but it also kept falling apart. After a week or so it will just melt and MAN is it a mess. I won't be messing with this again, this or Cabomba. Any plant that's a mess to sort when it has problems isn't my thing, I'm still getting chunks of Anacharis out of my substrate and filter.


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## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

oh wow Good to know!! I think I tried anacharis and it melted and got EVERYWHERE because that sounds familiar. Hmmph .


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Here is a video of splitting moss balls. I would, but I am afraid mine would get lost in my tank!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld6Oq3UXDno

Hmm... I know temps can get pretty high in my tanks with the anacharis. Though I have had a lot die on me, I have had a couple feet of growth at this point. I want to get one of those ridiculously tall aquariums and just let the stuff grow as tall as it can! 

I thought that I would be an anubias killer... I am still amazed it is all still alive!

One word of advice, if something looks like it is dieing/rotting, trim the rotting bit off! Even if it take off half of the plant or more, and you are only left with a little stub and one leaf. That is what I did with my anubias and I think it is the only reason it is still alive!


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I love plants, but I only have some java moss and two lucky bamboos. Not only do I have a brown thumb, I once introduced snails to my tank from a plant I had bougt from my LPS. They do add a whole new dimention to the pictured tanks. Wonderful to look at.


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Anitax3x said:


> Wow I have that same dragon sculpture in the same 5 gal! Haha my only current plant is lucky bamboo though (leaver above water of course) wow I love that setup! Can you split the mossballs?? They're kinda expensive lolTo keep buying new ones


Hehheh, yeah, I got the dragon and the little house thing at PetSmart. Really loved it, and I originally turned it into a sponge filter- before I was going all natural. It worked pretty well, but the thing that was getting on my nerves was the pump- it was the cheapest one, and UBER loud >.< I couldn't stand it! So I removed it. If anything, it makes the tank look roomier without the sponge ^.^ I could split them, but I do really like them this size ^.^;;; Which is why I want to get a new one... They are uber expensive if you're buying more than one, but it's one of those things where I don't mind saving up for... It's probably going to be my last thing I get for the tank, though, so it's gonna be a while >.>; I'd love to put lucky bamboo in my tank, but I figured since I don't have any other light fixture I'm stuck with the hood xD I do plan on making a larger riparium later on in the near future ^.^ Haven't decided how big the tank's going to be, though >.>;;;...


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

tpocicat said:


> I love plants, but I only have some java moss and two lucky bamboos. Not only do I have a brown thumb, I once introduced snails to my tank from a plant I had bougt from my LPS. They do add a whole new dimention to the pictured tanks. Wonderful to look at.


 I usually have a brown thumb when it comes to plants, too -.-... but I've been having some pretty good luck with my aquarium plants, so I'm sure you'll have the same luck as well ^.^ Snails are really fantastic to have in a tank! I never thought I'd be so attatched to the one I have, but I'm VERY glad I got the urge to randomly get one!


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

Ugh! I was gonna post a picture of my tank but the batter of my camera ran out, have to charge it for now


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## Draug Isilme (Aug 7, 2011)

Update! Camera sucks.. There's not toooooo much difference, but noticeable enough. Don't worry, I won't update every week or anything ^.^;;


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

Here's 3 of my 4 planted aquarium setups


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## BasilBetta87 (Jan 15, 2011)

Those are some beautiful tanks! I'm planning a planted Fluval Spec for my little Artemis. It will probably only house low light plants. Do you run any CO2 on your tanks?


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

the 1st aquarium is the fluval flora and the Co2 comes with it, the 2nd and 3rd aquarium has a DIY Co2 on them.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

No CO2 for me. Just too expensive, and you really do have to pair it with the right lighting and fertilize at the right times. Otherwise you end up with algae in a horrible way...


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

the DIY CO2 isn't really expensive, your 10 bucks would pretty much last for months


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

I have heard that the DIY CO2 starts to smell really bad, and since my tanks are in a dorm, that I have to sleep in, I would rather not try that. I have plenty of growth anyways.


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

it would smell bad if you have an accident lol but so far my bed room hasn't stank yet and hopefully it stays t hat way. that's good! I'm still waiting for mine to really out grow the tank


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## JahBetta (Nov 5, 2011)

I've also read that Flourish Excel can be sufficient Carbon supply in smaller tanks (pref. > 5g).


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