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Heya guys!

Im excited! Just ordered up some new plants for my tank.
Here is what I will be adding:

Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus)
Sword, Ruffle (Echinodorus martii)
Java Moss (Vesicularia Dubyana)

I think I will go out looking for interesting rocks tonight as well!

yey obsession


Here is a link to a picture of what the tank currently looks like...



Let me know what you think, Thanks!

Heya

Java fern and java moss will do well in there. Tie both to pices of driftwood or stones using dark thread or fishing line.

Just a suggestion, but I'd swap out that bright coarse gravel for a 3-4 inch layer of smaller grain darker substrate, 2-4mm grain size. A plant substrate or DIY mixture even. Easy diy plant substrate, a handful or 2 of broken up peat moss, inch of sand, inch or so of topsoil, capped by at least an inch of 2-3 mm dark pea gravel would do the trick nicely.

Good luck

The Amazon Nut...

Anyone can recommend a good aquatic plant store with a wide variety in South Florida where I can get java ferns etc Really will like to get my tank set up like one of those award winning ones in aquabotniacs Maybe around the Ft lauderdale area if possible? I saw a really good one online located Flamingo Drive in ft lauderdale but they are only whole sale and not open to the public.

Hobbyists

I agree with Da, different gravel and tie the javas to driftwood.

I've heard of bad experiences with lighter colored gravel, and think you'll do better with something darker.

Stealth, don't know south fl, but the way I found most of my LFS was to flip through the old fashioned telephone book. You might also try looking at some gardening stores, especially the ones that specialize in ponds, many of them will carry some aquarium goodies as well as pond goodies.

^_^

Living in Miami, goos luck with finding a LFS with plant selection. What I do is I order plants from Floridasdriftwood.com he located in Ft.Lauderdale, he will only ship but being it local he will ship USPS and it will get to you in one day. Also, call him and ask if he has a plant you want and not listed, 9.5 times out of 10 he had what I wanted. So it worth the call.

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

Poobles
We all had to start some where and I personally think you have been wrongly advised on how to go about a planted tank and aquascaping.
Aquascaping sorry I can not see any at all just a few plants in a white gravel
The white heavy looking stuff is certainly not the way to go. Think about it this way put your self in a totally white room with bright lights above and a few green plants which will eventually die. Not a very pleasant thing is it well that is what your prize pet fish have every day.

The Java moss and Java fern will require drift wood to grow on they would not survive in the gravel you have.

Now for the substrate I would recommend a natural coloured 1-3mm round river pebbles (there are several shades around)

If you want to grow plants make sure you have the correct lighting and a good timer plants require about 12 hrs per day.
Also they require feeding liquid ferts are easy but can be expensive, Co2 not if you have too much water movement.

Now for the Aquascaping this is a matter of choice I prefer the natural look as in nature it also can be dictate by the fish and the area where come from.

Go to this link and think about what you, your plants, and your fish require.
Aquascape links

Sorry to be so hard on you but members who I have helped with Aquascaping will tell you I will tell you the truth and help you as much as you want to get the best you can do. You can PM me and I will send you my E/m also I am in Chat regally.
Finally note my Signature this is the way I worked and taught for 36 years.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos
Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I have to disagree that java moss will die... It is in my opinion the hardiest plant and will survive as long as there is sufficient lighting. That said, java moss reaches its full potential when attached to objects. When left unattached java moss grows less attractively. I have both forms in my tank, and I much prefer moss that has grown attached. The unattached moss is merely waiting for me to attach it to something...

As long as people are throwing around the idea of replacing the substrate, you could go for fertilizing substrate such as Seachem's Fluorite, which reduces the necessity of liquid fertilization in rooted plants. Large gravel is difficult for most plants to grow roots in.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Thanks for the input guys,

I really would like to get new gravel. I will have to look into that this weekend. Can I change the gravel when the fish are in there?

As for the driftwood, I have 2 pieces of it now which I plan to attach the plants to.



stealth114: i get my plants from https://www.aquariumplants.com/



Also, I added a moon light



It dubs as a nightlight for my room. I'll leave it on maybe 2 nights a week.

Hi Poobles!

glad to hear of your plans to add more plants!

to answer a few questions:
yes, while the fish n you can change the gravel, but you should do it 25% a week. meaning, divide the tank into 4 parts. scoop out the gravel in one part a week and put in the new. i realize that you will have some mixing of the substrates, but it isn't a large ordeal. or, the less "safe" way would be to scoop up all the gravel into a CLEAN pantyhose leg. then place it back into the tank. then place the new CLEANED gravel into the tank. seed with bacteria products to reduce the possibility or a mini cycle occurring.

if you plan to go further with the planting, get an enriched substrate. this will help your sword to flourish a bit more. also get some liquid fertilizers for sure to keep your plants nice and healthy!

GOOD LUCK! (also for added Aqua scape, you should get some interesting rocks and drift wood pieces and place them like you would see them in nature... )

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I recently had the misfortune in having to replace the 5ft cracked tank.
Very quickly all I could store was enough water in a spare 3ft tank and all the substrate could not be stored with filtration. Now this meant when I replaced the substrate (naturally it was cleaned) I still was able to keep my Eheim Pro11 going in the 3ft tank.

Now is the same situation as you are in, replacing all the substrate at once.

It can be done and done successfully providing you move reasonably fast.
I also had to install the UGF system (this was done very first thing)
I replaced all the substrate at once, kept filter going as long as possible while I was changing the water over, and including adding a lot of new water.
I replaced the filter, all the plants and fish.

Now you are saying what about a cycle did it happen NO it did not the reason was I used a product called Seachem Stability as per instructions except I double dosed the fist time it was added. I also added Melafix to help relieve any stress.
I kept the Stability and Melafix as recommended and at the end of the week I had not lost a fish, or look like loosing a fish.

I also never did a filter cleaning for at least 1 month as I did not want to disturb the good bacteria. A week after the change over I did the normal water change and added more Stability.

I put this down to a lot of experience, and good planning and management, plus lady luck
I also have a lot of plants this does help with the water chemistry.
Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Okay guys! I got the plants yesterday and planted/attached them. here are my results:



Also, I took some video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqRDYKTfFw0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99Zl8sqbQs

Once again, let me know what you think.

Hi,
What in the world did you use to attach the plants
to the wood? Rubber bands? If so, I would remove the
rubber bands as they are no good, they can pinch off
the roots killing the plant, and will rot in the water
and break before the plants take a hold of the wood.

Generally we use a black cotton thread to hold the plant
and roots up against the wood till the plant anchors
itself to the wood. By then the cotton thread will fall
apart leaving the plant firmly attached.

Others have used mono-filament fishing line, but when tying
it, it tends to cut into the roots and sever them.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Frank:

I used a hair band, it's on there loosly. It was all i could find

You should of seen the snails come crawling out of that java moss! EWWW

Ya try and get some thread, you can find it in most grocery stores, I don't see the hairband being good long term. You want the roots attached firmly but not tightly. Usually it takes a good amount of wrapping with thread to make sure the plant doesn't work its way out (your tank doesn't look to have a lot of water movement so they might not).

I agree on the earlier suggestions of more hardscaping to go with your plants. Find a nice big dramatic piece of driftwood (either wild caught or purchased). You may end up with lots of little java fernlets that you'll be able to tie on. Some rockwork would work as well, you want something for the eye to focus on, right now I see a tank, but nothing that catches my eye (if that makes any sense! ).

I'd suggest switching out the gravel sooner rather than later to avoid disturbing the rooted plants too much.

^_^

Thanks alot everyone...

As for the drift wood, i got an awesome piece but the dam thing will not sink... Its ab it big to attach to screw on to a piece of slate.. It is the perfect piece I picked up and its all bleached out and just suited for my tank.

I really need to add things to my tank to keep my fishes busy and give them places to hide and dodge each other. Plus, i want to keep them busy rather than just floating around. Change of scenery for them with lots of itemsl ike rocks, etc that make them feel at home.



Hobbyists

I have never been able to get the Java moss to attach to would except for 1 single thread of it, and that was the moss tied on for almost a year.

ummm how do you "catch" a piece of driftwood? What type of bait do you use for that Babel? (sorry couldnt resist)

As for the Hair band I would be concerned because it might leach something nasty into the water.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

Bigger concern with the hairtie is the metal clasp, and as frank mentioned the crushing power.

I've never had good luck getting moss to stay put either, usually it's only attached from the java fern roots tangling through it! Which IMO looks kinda cool.


How to catch wild driftwood.

Cautiously enter an appropriate environment. Ensure there is no salt or pollution around to spoil your species. Approach quietly. Wild driftwood scares easily and can disappear behind an invisible blade of grass when startled.

Firmly grasp your chosen wild specimen, many aggressive species can be subdued similarly to "The Monster Book of Monsters". Once it is calm, carefully check for any signs of wear or decomposition as is seen in older specimens.

If driving your new specimen home, be sure to use newspaper or plastic to protect the interior of your search vehicle. It's best not to introduce a new specimen right away. Even wild caught drift wood from an aquatic environment will need to be trained before coming in contact with fish. First, if needed provide a good scrubbing of it's coat, then Boil or bake for a few moments to insure that no hitchhikers have embedded themselves in the skin of your specimen. Species that have 'grown legs' and evolved out of the aquatic environment may need to be soaked in a hot tub for an extended time to calm them and allow them to sink rather than wallow.

^_^

Thanks babel I always wondered how to catch wild DW. LOL



mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

WOW WOW WOW

My tank looks AWESOME, I went rock hunting, found some rocks, and made a cave (after boiling/vinegar)...

My tank looks like something out of the flinstones!!!

I attached the java mass and java fern to the rocks, it's so cool. I am really pleased with how it turned out!

I will post pics soon!

Oh, I took the hair tie out and used brown thread now too

Okay, so here are pics. As always... LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK?













Am I thinking its better than it really is?