Which live plants do not need substrate sand?

[giobelkoicenter]

I recommend hair grass it has enough hiding place for shrimps

 

[Madeline]

I recommend hair grass it has enough hiding place for shrimps

Oh thank you, that would be great since it's such a small tank.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hair grass can be a finicky plant to grow to be honest, usually requires pretty high tech lights and co2 with EI ferts to grow lush.

It CAN grow in low tech set ups provided lights are a little higher than the usual standard light units and the addition of fertilisers once weekly would help but will grow at a slower rate and may not spread as much on the substrate.

Certainly worth trying to see if it will grow in your set up.

 

[Byron]

I doubt hairgrass will grow without a substrate like sand for it to root in and spread. ??

 

[Madeline]

Hmm, how about dwarf baby tears?

 

[Ch4rlie]

I doubt hairgrass will grow without a substrate like sand for it to root in and spread. ??

Oh of course!!!

I completely forgot about the substrate, for some reason I missed this entirely!

Who feels a bit silly now

Byron, has this completely correct, hairgrass or indeed any other plants that requires planting into substrate will not fare well at all.

FYI Baby Tears are even harder to keep going than hair grass, a very demanding plant to be entirely honest and again, the lack of substrate for this to root into will be doubtly pointless.

 

[Byron]

Agree on baby tears being harder to grow. And the lack of a substrate is a significant issue.

Which brings me to wondering, why no substrate? The substrate is the most important biological component of an aquarium with fish. Organics are taken into the substrate where all sorts of different aerobic and anaerobic bacteria live, and without a substrate this can only occur in the filter but that is no where near the same as a healthy substrate.

Back to plants not needing a rooting substrate, I think most have been mentioned. Ferns and mosses primarily, and Anubias. Some stem plants should manage, you could weight down the cut ends with a chunk of rock or wood. Most stem plants develop roots and leaves from the nodes along the stems. Of course floating plants do not need any substrate.

 

[Madeline]

The only substrate I have is the BiOrb ceramic media. The filter is on the bottom so I didn't think adding anything else would be practical.

 

[Byron]

The only substrate I have is the BiOrb ceramic media. The filter is on the bottom so I didn't think adding anything else would be practical.

That makes sense, as I do not know this tank.

 

[Essjay]

Biorbs have what is basically an undergravel filter. They have a cartridge buried in the base and the main filter medium is large ceramic 'rocks'
Biorbs of all shapes have this type of filter.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yeah, I had a similar tank a Bio Orb Flow, afew years back when I first started the hobby. With the intention of just having shrimps.

I tried to add black gravel to the tank but of course the way and where the filter intake is set up, on the bottom and in middle of the tank with a plastic cover with slats for water flow means that adding ANY kind of loose substrate will simply block the filter and making it ineffective. So the use of live rock type of substrate, around a inch or two in diameter, therefore there is sufficient space for water flow to go around the rocks to get into the filter intake to keep the filter functioning.


(Image on left was my own little set up, image on the right taken from the Bio Orb website)

It actually works quite well and is not a bad little filter but due to the design of the intake makes adding any other type of desired sand or gravel substrate pretty much pointless unless they are pebble or rock type of substrate.

 

[Madeline]

It is a good filter for the size of the tank. I've added several anubias nana and java fern. Tied them to pieces of cholla logs until the roots can attach themselves. The wood is pretty holy so I think the plants will be ok. Ordering plants is a crap shoot tho, especially for a small tank. Picking them out in person is best. My java fern I ordered online and it arrived with black holes all over it. I read it's a vitamin deficiency so I'll buy some ferts to see if I can help it along. I ordered some swords too but they arrived way too big, beautiful but big, even tho the seller specified a smaller size plant, so I gifted most of them to my mother in law. She loves them.

I'll try some java moss next.

 

[Madeline]

Yeah, I had a similar tank a Bio Orb Flow, afew years back when I first started the hobby. With the intention of just having shrimps.

I tried to add black gravel to the tank but of course the way and where the filter intake is set up, on the bottom and in middle of the tank with a plastic cover with slats for water flow means that adding ANY kind of loose substrate will simply block the filter and making it ineffective. So the use of live rock type of substrate, around a inch or two in diameter, therefore there is sufficient space for water flow to go around the rocks to get into the filter intake to keep the filter functioning.

View attachment 85440 View attachment 85441
(Image on left was my own little set up, image on the right taken from the Bio Orb website)

It actually works quite well and is not a bad little filter but due to the design of the intake makes adding any other type of desired sand or gravel substrate pretty much pointless unless they are pebble or rock type of substrate.

Very nice tank Charlie

 

[Madeline]

I do love the natural look so much more and I think the fish are happier to have them. Except I'm constantly changing how n where they are placed so I'm sure the fish don't appreciate that.

 

[giobelkoicenter]

Oh thank you, that would be great since it's such a small tank.

welcome, I have the same setup before for shrimps they love it