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heres the pic of my plant

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/fish3.jpg

please tell me what i can do!

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

I want to say that my earlier choice of a crypt was not justifyied until i saw what a real amazon sword looks like. The sword is most likely, just as kitten said....Or at least suggested.

The holes might be from a snail hitch hiker, or a deffeciency in nutrients. Heres a site that was reccomended to me by some more specialized planters! To You

If it is a defficency, then get some ferts and dose accordingly. I have had success with flourish brand by seachem. If the plants are swords, then buy either a richened substrate or root tabs.

Plants are awesome!

-------------------------------------------------------

Most plants in the pictures have been cultured with Co2 injections, high lighting, nutrient rich water and substrate, and special care. Thats what makes plants look good. And if you are a wanter, you might just want to start thiking about some/most of the options above.

I dont think any fish would cause damage to the leaves as much as that!

><> ~=!Vote Today!=~ <><
-----> View My Dragons <-----

First, fair warning, I JUST woke up and may not be terribly coherent.

If it is a sword, then it's likely that it was grown out of the water. If that is the case, then it will shed its leaves and/or grow new underwater leaves. Whatever you do, don't give up on it. I've heard of people who have had a tankful of amazons shed the leaves in preparation for growing new underwater leaves and, not knowing what was happening, throw out hundreds of dollars of still-viable plants.

I can't really tell in the picture, but it doesn't seem like it is actually being eaten, but rather wilting. If so, it's something that will get better in time.

Even if it is a crypt, they do the same sort of thing... the best way to deal with crypts is to plant them and leave them the heck alone. Disturbing the roots leads to the infamous "crypt melt".

This is how it was explained to me: Crypts actually release a toxin when disturbed that is specifically attuned to crypts alone and is basically a survival method in the wild that would kill off any competing crypts that grow too close to it. However, in home aquaria, the toxin is not swept away as it would be in a river or the like, so it winds up melting itself. This can be avoided (or at least severely reduced) by soaking the plant in a small container of fresh water for about 20 minutes before planting or when moving the plants.

Are you planning on keeping the plant in the pot? It will do better out of it. The material the roots are packed in (and for the life of me, I can't think of the name right now!) is nutrient packed, which can make the levels in your tank go wonky, and will eventually decompose, also contributing to blahness in the tank. It's best to gently remove the plant from the pot, rinse off the wool-stuff it's packed in and trim the roots a bit. Trimming the roots before planting encourages root growth.

Okay, I think I managed to cover everything I wanted to say... hopefully I'm making some sort of sense. I think I'm going to go back to bed now.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

nooooooooooooooooo i did upset the roots i opend the planter to look at it and i must of upset the roots and it was living in water when i bought it so i will try my best on it and how would i get rid of snail hichhikers?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

onother qeustion is it to late to plant it out of the planter now?


33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

"Upsetting" the roots can be as simple as the jarring they'd received when you moved them from the store to your tank. Also, they'd be in and out of water during that time, so there's not much to do to avoid it.

It doesn't matter that it was displayed in water at the LFS, if it is a sword, then it's likely that it was GROWN with just the roots submerged. The time that the LFS had it in a tank added to the amount of time you had it in your tank was enough for the plant to say, "Whoops! I'm underwater now, I need to think about this!" It's basically changing its clothes from summer (out of water leaves) to rainy season (submersed leaves). The two types of leaves are each best suited for different things such as light-absorption under the water and the like.

It's never too late to un-pot a plant. In the state the leaves are in, I'd be very careful, as they're delicate. Don't be alarmed if you lose leaves while unpotting it. As long as the root system is healthy, it should regrow leaves that are more suited to underwater life.

You may want to wait to unpot it simply for aesthetic reasons. With the roots in the pot, it is likely root-bound or close to it. Being root-bound means that there's not more room for the roots to grow, so the plant will automatically concentrate on making the leaves grow instead. That's probably part of the reason for growing plants in pots, anyway... you get a nicer set of leaves in a shorter amount of time.

Now that the plant is in the tank, any snails that it had are also in the tank. There are many ways to get rid of snails, such as copper and commercially available snail-killing additives. Be careful when adding to your tank, as some fish are sensitive to copper (which is what is a primary ingredient in many snailacides). Read packages carefully and ask in the forums if you're not sure.

A snail preventative that works well is alum. You can find it in the spice aisle of your local grocery store; it's basically a pickling spice. BEFORE introducing a new plant into your tank, soak it in a bucket with a good dosage of alum. (I think something like a teaspoon per gallon of water or so... I don't measure, just add alum until the water is slightly milky white when mixed.) Soak for 24-48 hours. Make sure to rinse the plant thoroughly before adding to your tank as alum is not fish friendly.

I have never had a snail problem after soaking the plants in alum. However, I could kick myself for the times when I trusted the plant source (or forgot the alum soak) and introduced snails to my tanks. There's a few other soaks you can use that are faster acting, but I figure this is cheap and easy and I can wait the extra day.

...I guess I didn't go back to bed, did I? Why am I up early on a Saturday? Blah.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

i guess ill buy some alum i hope thats short for aluminum and soak my plant (out of the planter) advise if im doing something wrong

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hi,
It is found in the spice racks of any grocery store.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alum

Frank


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

Not aluminum, just alum. I don't think you can eat aluminum. I mean, have you ever tried chewing on aluminum foil? It's kind of salt-like in appearance.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

ok im being very needy here but... my parents wont let me do anything with out the exact amount to put in 3 LITERS and i need the steps right from taking the plant out to putting the plants in



thanks

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Okay, I underestimated. After doing some research (because I can't remember exactly, again, it's too early!), I found several sites that indicate 1Tbsp/gal. And like, 3 liters is 3/4 of a gallon, right? So 3/4 of a Tbsp. I'm not sure where you're located, so that's the best I can do for you... what measurement are you looking for and I'll do some conversions.

At this point, all you're going to do is kill the snails that happen to be on the plant and any snail eggs. This is more of a soak for BEFORE you introduce a plant to your tank.

However, step by step...

1. It's probably easiest to remove any snails you see manually first, so LOOK at your plant and pluck off any obvious snails.
2. Remove plant from pot and discard any planting material. For stem plants, it's probably best to remove the plant weight that's holding the stems together.
3. Add the correct dosage of alum to your water. (Room temp is fine, no need for special temp.) 1 Tbsp/gal or the equivalent. You don't need to use a full gallon, really only enough to cover the plant and keep it fully underwater. (That's why I didn't know the exact dosage, you get an idea of what the dosage in a gallon looks like, and you can just go from there.)
4. Wait at least 24 hours. This is about the length of time to kill snail eggs. Leave for longer if you feel there's a problem or if you didn't manually remove snails. The dip won't hurt the plants, I've forgotten the plants and taken care of them several days later to no ill effects.
5. Carefully rinse the plant thoroughly. Run your fingers over the leaves and make sure to get all the alum off. It may not be dangerous to your plants but it is not good to put into your tank. I've never had a problem with any reaction in my fish tank, but let's not test the theory, all right?
6. Plant the plants in your tank after you've thoroughly rinsed them. And VOILA you have pretty plant in tank and didn't introduce nasties with it.

(...pause as the cat walks across keyboard and says "gb8h" and hits some key that brings up a "caret browsing" option window...yesterday he turned on Windows Narrator...)

As for the snails already in your tank, copper will kill them off. Not sure where you're located... here in the US, I just throw a handful of pennies in the filter (pre-1985 pennies, I believe, as those minted after then have less copper in them) and wait. The copper will leech into the water off the pennies and slowly kill off the snails.

It takes a while (probably a month or so). You shouldn't use copper if you have like, shrimp or snails that you actually want to keep. As an estimate, I use about one penny per gallon when I do that. Nothing scientific about that, but it worked.

Like I said earlier, there's also commercially available snailacides, but keep an eye on the packaging and directions for any fish sensitivities. Besides invertebrates, most fish should be okay with copper... may loaches have difficulties. I'm not sure anymore, again, I just woke up.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Hi,
Some folks are so dead set against snails, any kind of
snails, that they go to extremes to prevent them from
getting into their tanks. Soaking the plants in Alum is
one of those extremes.

Any time you purchase a "potted" plant it should be removed
from the pot before placing it in its new home. These pots
are filled with a "rock wool" that is designed for the
plantlet (seed or baby sprout) to grow in. The pot is set
in trays filled with hydroponic fluid (sky high nutrients)
and the type of fabric of the "wool" encourages the growth
of the first very tiny roots. The wool comes in sheets and
the seed or plantlet is wrapped around it to a thickness
that will fill the pot. Once the plant is large enough to
market, they are removed from the fluid filled trays and
shipped. Usually, by the time that they reach your home
they have been in regular aquariums and most all of the
very high nutrients have leeched out. Frequently this is
not the case, and the excess nutrients get into the new
tank upset the balance and cause no end to algae problems.

One should never plant the plant in the pot or
simply remove plant from the pot and plant the plant.
Instead, you should remove the pot from the plant.
NOTE the wording - remove the pot from the plant.
Then, under running water the same temperature
as the tank, wash the plant and tease the wool from the
plant roots. Some fine roots or weak roots will be broken
and removed at this time. Also, remove any dead roots.
Healthy roots are firm and white, dead ones are brown to
black and seem to be "deflated" when compared to the healthy
ones.
While washing the plant under the water run your fingers
along the roots removing the dead ones, and along each leaf
feeling for any snail egg cases, or snails. Trim off any
crimped or broken stalks at the base of the plant as well
as any yellowing or dead leaves.

When the cleaning is done, then place it in its new home.
You should ALWAYS have a plan or idea of what you want the
tank to look like and where you want that specific plant to
go in the tank. Plant the plant and leave it alone for
at least two to three weeks. Every time you uproot a plant
and cram it back into the gravel you damage the root system
and it takes time for the plant to regrow.
Likewise, every time you move a plant from one tank to
another, or from the LFS to your tank, the plant has to
regrow roots, and acclimate itself to its new environment.
During that time it will use its stored nutrients in making
new roots and growing new leaves. In that process the older
leaves will yellow and die as the plant diverts its stores
toward making new roots and leaves.
As the leaves yellow and die simply snip them off with a
pair of sharp scissors near the crown.

Hope this helps...

Frank


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

i live in canada would the pennys here be ok and on a penny it would be full of germs i imagin i wash it first right? anyways thanks for all the help

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

the plant is now soaking im so glad i got that alum(my moms going to pickle me some carrots thay taste like pickels) and i think the plants going to thrive now the planters off like you told me and my parents were convincedwhen i showd them what you guys said this is totaly off topic but i never relived all the space in my tank when you fill it right up

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

i heard that if you plant i plant to a rock by tying fishing line to it it helps it grow drift wood also but i mainly want to know about the rock is it every rock or a type of rock please let me know soom for my plant is almost done soaking in alum



thanks

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hi,
Many folks do use pennies to kill of snails. But, and it is
a BIG BUT, there is no way to know (no research I know of)
that says how many pennies should be used per gallon.
Additionally, copper is toxic to many fish and bacteria.
And, copper, in excess, will kill the plants too.

Sure you can be cheap and save a buck, but if you over do
it you can kill everything in the tank and contaminate
the tank for future inhabitants. It makes far, far, more
sense to use a commercial product to rid the tank of snails.
Just be sure to READ the label for precautions BEFORE
buying it, and once bought READ and FOLLOW the instructions
to the letter.

The mosses, Java Moss, for instance or plants such as
Anubis should be tied to something so that it can anchor
itself and not float off. We use either Driftwood, or
rocks for this. Use cotton sewing thread, preferably
black, to hold the plant down to the rock or wood.
Eventually the plants roots will burrow into the wood or
cling to the surface and the plant will grow. Over time
the cotton thread harmlessly rots off leaving the plant
well anchored to the hard-scape.

Frank

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

hi all

i got my rock and cleaned it heres a pic
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camaraall033.jpg

and my plant pic (photo taken today)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camaraall032.jpg

and heres a pic of the aquarium please tell were i could put the rock

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/fish1001-1.jpg




thanks

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

hi all,

ok seing as no one answerd were to put my rock i plaved it on my own http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camaraaquarock005.jpg ignore the blury picture you get the point heres a better pic without the rock

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camaraaquarock003.jpg
i think this will be hard to tie a plant on there but i will try like some people told me go for the natural look so i dug the rock in deep so it looks natural if you were wondering its a real rock lastly i want to ask how do you vote for people ? like you know when someone replys you see there posts,kudos and there votes how do you get a vote and how do you give one?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Looking good. Can't really tell very well from the pic, but it doesn't look like there's a lot of places for a plant to root to (i.e. cracks, rough surface), so it make take a long time to root anything to it. I suggest using fishing line rather than cotton thread, as the thread would dissolve too quickly.

As for kudos/voting, see http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/private.aspx?id=6106&page=1&13#... Adam explains them. "Votes" in the user info area refers to aquarank voting, not voting on a member.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Ok, i really think that the plant is a sword, and im not so sure that a sword is supposed to be tied to a rock, as it is a heavy root feeder. I think it is a sword because it has runners growing out from it. I think you should just leave it alone. Mosses and Java Fern are plants that you would tie to a rock. Also anubias too!

><> ~=!Vote Today!=~ <><
-----> View My Dragons <-----

I need to stop replying while tired and just going to bed or getting up from it.

Goby is totally right; I wouldn't tie your current plant to the rock. As Goby said, swords are heavy root feeders. In fact, you might want to invest in some root tab fertilizers and bury one near your plant. It would help make it a nice, lush plant.

Java fern or anubias would be good choices to grow on a rock. With your rock there, you'd probably have better luck with java fern. The roots are finer and more likely to find the smaller nooks and crannies that thicker anubias roots would have a hard time latching on to. Also, java fern latches on more quickly, as anubias are pretty slow growers.



~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Kitten,
I find I occassionally have the same problem when
I'm responding to a question or thread with just a
half a cup of coffee first thing in the morning
I think "we" all do it on occassion.

Frank

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

kitten the links denied

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hmm... sorry, it worked earlier! Here's another link... if it doesn't work, go to the Site Feedback forum and "show all" threads, then do a Find for "kudo". That's how I found the info.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/private.aspx?id=5818&page=1&10#

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

im interested in buying cemicals and stuff in case i need them for my plants what are they called? what do they do? and are they worth it?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hi,
The chemicals are fertilizers (nutrients) for the plants.
The easiest way for you to go would be to visit your
nearby LFS and purchase the Floursh brand of plant
nurtients. They have a general product called Flourish
which will give you what is called Macro nutrients, a
product called Flourish Excel which will furnish the Carbon
the plants need, and a product called Flourish Trace, which
will furnish all the trace elements that plants need.

Read the bottles and dose the tank as instructed. I dose
on Sundays after my water change, and again on Wednesdays.
Frank


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

hi all,

planting starts up again in the 33 gallon i got two big handfulls of moss and its soaking in alum im going to put a small handfull in my fish bowl to make it grow more to plant my 10 gallon and a big hand full to put on the rock in my aquarium i was told you could do it with a rubber band? or should i stick with the fish line? tommorow i will take it out of the alum pot and begin planting it i will post lots and lots of pictures also may find some drift wood tonight

p.s. kitten i like the new pic!

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hi,
While some do use rubber bands, I am not a big fan of it.
The elastic property of the rubber band can squeeze the
plant and pinch it off. The part below the rubber band
will die and rot. This rot can creep under the rubber band
and into the part above. The best way to secure plants
to driftwood or to rock is to use cotton thread. Most use
black color thread because the white thread sticks out like
a sore thumb and is easily seen, even after the plants
start to grow over the exposed thread.

There are many sites that give one ideas about the mosses
their cultivation and aquascaping with them.
This is one site:
http://www.aquamoss.net/How%20to%20create%20a%20moss%20wall/How%20to%20create%20a%20moss%20wall.htm

And another:
http://www.geocities.com/nature_aquarium/XMoss.html

And another:
http://www.aquamoss.net/

Check them out and enjoy the world of the mosses.

Frank




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

i found a peice of drift wood the thing is i dont know what to do with it now!?!?!?! i found it 10 feet of the water in a dry spot its twisted and mangled it looks realy cool now what do i do with it to put it in the aquarium saftly (keep in mind it was on the shore)

p.s.frank i will do the cotten thread then

thanks

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hi,
Driftwood needs to be treated so that it is safe in the
confines of an aquarium. Not knowing where it came from,
one can only offer suggestions. If it came from one of
the Great Lakes, I would be very concerned with pollutants
and with some of the animals that could be living on, and
in, it. A great many problem critters now live in the
lakes and any one of them could cause severe problems in
the tank.

To try to prevent that from happening, you need to scrub
the wood with a wire brush. Get rid of any bark, and
any dirt or dried scum. Then you need to boil the wood
for a prolonged time to attempt to kill off anything living
in the wood. The next step is to soak the wood, submerged,
to get any tannins out of it and to water log it so that
it will stay submerged when placed in your tank. Submerge
the wood in a large enough container and fill the container
with water. After about 3 days, look at the water. If it
is still clear, then you can put it in the tank. If it has
turned the water a different color (brown, tan, yellow)
then it is leaching tannins into the water. The tanic
acid is not harmful to plants or fish, but will lower the
pH of the water. A lot of tanic acid will color the water
brown and can make it hard to see the fish.
If the wood is leaching tanic acid and you don't want it in
the tank, then simply pour off the water and replace it
with fresh water. When the water remains clear, then stop
the drain/fill and put the wood in the tank.

For someone new to the hobby, it is always better to
purchase the driftwood from an LFS. That way much of the
work has already been done.

Frank


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

then purchase i will! at least i will try

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

the moss!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camara1035.jpg

is in the 33 gallon on a rock

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camara1038.jpg

and in the bowl

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t83/zzz099/camara1039.jpg

frank my neons thank you for the help they enjoy there new moss

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

i made my plans i want
1 anubias nana
1 anubias bateri
2-3 crypt
java moss
3-5 java fern
3 anacharis
drift wood
70 watt 8000k daylight bulb
get rid of 3 bleeding heart tetras
and thats basicly my plan for the next 5 or so mounths


33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos