Clinging plants

[FroFro]

I've just ordered a new cocount cave from amazon as I want to toss out my cave ornament in my main tank for something natural. I'm thinking of attatching a plant to it but what is a good clinging plant (other than anubias, I've got a bunch of those already)?

 

[Essjay]

Jave fern - the wendelov variety is prettier than ordinary java fern
Bolbitis heudelotii

I have both of those growing on wood in my tank.


Or java moss.

 

[FroFro]

Jave fern - the wendelov variety is prettier than ordinary java fern
Bolbitis heudelotii

I have both of those growing on wood in my tank.


Or java moss.

Wait java fern is a clinging plant?

... I have mine in the substrate... guess I best move them then.

 

[Byron]

Wait java fern is a clinging plant?

... I have mine in the substrate... guess I best move them then.

If the rhizome is buried, it may rot, killing the plant. The rhizome must be above the substrate; the true hair roots can grow down on their own accord. This plant attaches to any surface with roughness, such as wood, river rock, etc. It may need to be tied with a piece of black cotton thread or fishing line, unless there is a crevice you can carefully push part of the rhizome into.

 

[FroFro]

If the rhizome is buried, it may rot, killing the plant. The rhizome must be above the substrate; the true hair roots can grow down on their own accord. This plant attaches to any surface with roughness, such as wood, river rock, etc. It may need to be tied with a piece of black cotton thread or fishing line, unless there is a crevice you can carefully push part of the rhizome into.

It's currently lighly buried in my sand and I've no spare surfaces to attach it to right now as my driftwoods are being over grown by anubias

Can I leave it free floating until the package arrives tomorrow or is it better to leave it where it is as not to traumatize the plant further?

 

[Essjay]

Another night won't do any harm.

When I had a coconut cave I used sewing cotton to tie the java fern onto it, with the cotton crossing the open bottom of the cave. I pushed the coconut shell into the substrate slightly so the thread was buried and the fish couldn't catch themselves on it. The java fern should attach itself to the coconut then you can remove the thread.

 

[Byron]

I concur with essjay. Though I might just pull the rhizome to the surface. I have found that moving Java Fern around within the same tank causes no issues, but moving it to a different tank--which means a different environment since no two tanks are identical biologically--can sometimes slow it down. It isn't a fast grower to begin with.

 

[Essjay]

I forgot to mention - one end of a coconut has three holes in it. If yours is from this half, you can gently push the rhizome into these holes.
Obviously you can't do that if you get the other end of the coconut

 

[Tyler_Fishman]

Yes java fern, anubias and bucephlandra are also root onto decor, although the problem with them is that they are slow growers

 

[NickAu]

If you don't want to use cotton to tie the plant down use a small drop of super glue (cyanoacrylate).