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i have the regular gravel, the small rocks that come in all colors....well im growing live plants now and im thinking about moving the plants around. the only prob is that they have rooted themselves real good and i dont want to take a chance and brake the roots while moving them. is there a kind of sand i can get for non salt water fishes? plus it would be much easier for the plants to root. many thanks

-Mira

Mira, sand would not be the best substrate for plants. I'd recommend adding laterite or fluorite; they contain iron, and will definately benefit the plants. You could either add it to the existing gravel, or replace the gravel with it. It will be a rusty, cloudy mess at first, but will eventually clear. Some say you should rinse it well in a bucket, and then put it out in the sun to dry, in the hopes of minimizing cloudiness when first adding it. BTW, go for 2-3 watts of fluorescent light per gallon of water. You can get by with less, but 2-3 wpg will give you more options of plants to grow. Check out the plant forum for a ton of additional info. Good growing to you!

When you're replanting, you should trim the roots anyway, so as to encourage new hair root growth. So it doesn't matter much if you break them.

Take note---washing flourite is akin to washing dust covered coal in a sandstorm. .

BabyBlueEyes

I have never been in favour of moving plants around unless it is extremly urgent (which I dought) or redoing the whole tank.
That is one reason I have an Anubias tank all tied to wood or rocks also many floating free. I can get them at a reasonable price and I find them easy to grow.

When you are removing them scratch around gently and try to ease the plant out vey slowly. If you feel any resistance keep moving the base around the plant.

Only trim the tips of the broken roots. The same goes in reverse for replanting dig a hole large enough for the roots then replace the plant. If you have fish capable of disturbing the newly planted plants place small rocks around the base of the plant.

Keith

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