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How do you "groom" your plants? I am new to plants and want to learn how to take care of them because I want to put them in my new tanks Please Help!!!

Are you talking about pruning, or the various steps required to keep plants healthy? It sounds like you don't have any plants now, so the basics on the latter are:
Light
Nutrients
Light
Substrate
Light
Avoiding herbivorous fish
Light
And also - light.

Tanks as sold rarely have enough light for really thriving plants, but several species persevere well in them - try java fern, java moss, anubias, and crypts, for instance.

-Molly
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Yes I am talkign abotu pruning I did not sleep well last night and my mind was not workign the way it shoudl have been when I started the post thanks. I will look into those plants. I bought some nymphaea lilies, and apons from wal-mart today (the dry bulbs they sell) I hope these work well however I woudl liek to find some websites on how to care for them. If anyone knows of any good ones please let me know.

The only way you'll need to prune those lilies is by clipping leaves that head for the surface. Check every day - if one reaches air, the plant will go nuts trying to send leaves all the way up, and it'll be very hard to control.

The Apons won't need pruning, except dead leaves and perhaps, down the line, leaves that outgrow your tank.

Last edited by LittleMousling at 17-Oct-2005 09:41

-Molly
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Hi there dvmchrissy

If you don’t mind, how about providing us with your tank(s) setup parameters so we can take a closer look at what would be feasible for your tank in the first place?

It would be easier to talk about proper pruning once we have identified what plants you should/could get.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I have 2 10 gallons, a 25 gallon, a 2 gallon betta tank. One of my tens I am thinking of doing a marine tank, then again I might jsut have to go get another 25 and use it for my marine tank instead.... Never can have too many tanks lol. Anyway my 25 is 20 inches tall and 24 inches wide and 12 inches deep. I will probably have to get another bulb if not another hood, we will ahve to see... Does this help though?

“Never can have too many tanks”

True true,

Well, here is my spin on things:

- Doesn’t the Nymphaea get huge? Isn’t that a plant that is recommended for small ponds?
- Do you have any idea what kind of Aponogeton you got? Some of them are getting really big as well. EDIT: Is this the Aponogeton madagascariensis that you mention in your other thread (and that you don't add now)?
- Small tanks (10G) look better with small leaved plants as larger leaves make the tank look tiny.
- Your 25G could go with some larger leaved plants, and taller ones as well, but all will depend on lights there (as you already have identified). Your tank is really tall. What is your current wattage?

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 18-Oct-2005 13:42

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 18-Oct-2005 13:55

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The apons are the ones you can get at wal-mart, someone here told me they were really easy to grow and to try them, I don't remember what the name was on them. I know its not the Aponogeton madagascariensis. They came in a package as a dry bulb. I think they are Aponogeton undulatus. I am going to be putting these in my 25 gallon tank.

I am not sure abotu the nymphaea... again someone told me they were easy to grow. I thought it looked pretty in the picture, and i figured for a buck and a half if it didn't work its not a great loss...

As for the light bulb I think its only 15 or 20 watts because it does not say it only says that it is an 18" bulb. It came with the tank so I am sure its nothing fancy... The tank is DEFINITELY tall though! I was thinking along the same lines on the tall and broad leaved plants and maybe put some java fern in there as well?

The 10 gallon does not have a hood or anything with it yet it was a bargain buy for 5 buck for jsut the tank itself, but then again I have NO clue what I am going to do with it. Who knows, I might just puts some of those goofy looking glassblown fish in it (lol j/k) I could do jsut about anything with this tank so let your imagination run wild with it lol...

Hey,

The 18" is only 15W

That is quite little for such a tall tank. Not many plants that require some light will have a chance to grow on the bottom, once other shoots might start to cover them. I will give you more info some other time (and others are more than welcome to join in) as I have to go home now.

About the 10G and my imagination (based on my next fixation): AMANO

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I don't exactly understand the whole Amano thing. I will have to look into that, but that might be a great idea. Can I just get a higher wattaged bulb, or will I just have to get another hood for the tank?