Carpeting The Aquarium And Green Dust Algae Problems!

[mark4785]

I've recently decided to attempt to carpet the foreground area of my aquarium with a plant that will resemble a miniature field of grass. I planted 5 Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) with them being quite naturally small but within hours my dwarf cichlid starting ripping them to pieces. Consequently I've binned all of them (they were £3-4 each!) and i've now turned my sights to the plant called 'Lilaeopsis brasiliensis' (LB) which grows slightly higher and most resembles blades of grass as opposed to weak small rounded leaves which grow on HC.

One issue I have with LB is the way in which you plant it. All Tropica plants provide their aquatic plants in a small black pot which contains a sponge material which contains all of the plants' roots. I already have one LB and I found that because the roots are so small (1-2cm in length) it's near impossible to get them to anchor down into the substrate. As a result my one LB was planted into the substrate all bulked together within it's Tropica sponge. So it looks the same as it did when it was in the Tropica pot.

Is there anyway to anchor LB down so it resists being uprooted by current and fish etc? Also what is the best way to plant it; should it be removed from it's pot and sponge and dispersed across the aquarium or be planted in a huge bulk?

Another thing that I'm disgruntled about with regards to LB is the fact that once the substrate-runners start poking through the substrate and foilage starts to grow, that new foilage is heavily suspectible to algae and BGA algae growth. What do I need to do to stop it being attacked in this way? Note: no other plants have algae/BGA growing on them..

Any pointers appreciated,

Mark.

 

[lljdma06]

LB is planted the same way as HC, separate into small groups and plant. Another tedious one, I'm afraid. Planting with tweezers may anchor it better. You can plant it a little deeper to make sure it's anchored. What's the substrate again?

To avoid algae, how's the flow down there? Plants should sway, IMO. Even the little ones.

 

[mark4785]

LB is planted the same way as HC, separate into small groups and plant. Another tedious one, I'm afraid. Planting with tweezers may anchor it better. You can plant it a little deeper to make sure it's anchored. What's the substrate again?

To avoid algae, how's the flow down there? Plants should sway, IMO. Even the little ones.

Thanks for your quick reply.

The substrate is Caribsea instant aquarium sand (torpedo beach).

I distinctly remember my HC swaying but my LB isn't doing that so much (might just be more rigid). I've pointed my powerhead towards the LB but it doesn't help too much.

 

[lljdma06]

LB is planted the same way as HC, separate into small groups and plant. Another tedious one, I'm afraid. Planting with tweezers may anchor it better. You can plant it a little deeper to make sure it's anchored. What's the substrate again?

To avoid algae, how's the flow down there? Plants should sway, IMO. Even the little ones.

Thanks for your quick reply.

The substrate is Caribsea instant aquarium sand (torpedo beach).

I distinctly remember my HC swaying but my LB isn't doing that so much (might just be more rigid). I've pointed my powerhead towards the LB but it doesn't help too much.

Show me a picture of what the LB looks like. It should anchor in that sand without a problem. I grew L Mauriatus without a problem in sand. I think your cichlids are being a pain.

Also, look into where LB grows in the wild. When I looked it up, it said streams in Brazil, and streams, for me, imply very fast water movement. It supposedly doesn't grow particularly fast, so it can be prone to algae like anubias tend to be. I keep my anubias algae-free by blowing the filters directly on them. Funny, sources that I read says LB grows in a similar fashion to some hydrocotyle species.

Liz

 

[flix_cw]

One issue I have with LB is the way in which you plant it. All Tropica plants provide their aquatic plants in a small black pot which contains a sponge material which contains all of the plants' roots. I already have one LB and I found that because the roots are so small (1-2cm in length) it's near impossible to get them to anchor down into the substrate. As a result my one LB was planted into the substrate all bulked together within it's Tropica sponge. So it looks the same as it did when it was in the Tropica pot.

Is there anyway to anchor LB down so it resists being uprooted by current and fish etc? Also what is the best way to plant it; should it be removed from it's pot and sponge and dispersed across the aquarium or be planted in a huge bulk?

I've just posted this in a separate topic but this video is very useful - Link

 

[mark4785]

Show me a picture of what the LB looks like. It should anchor in that sand without a problem.

Here are pictures of my LB from different angles:

1.

2.

There's quite a bit of green dust algae on the glass which is caused by too little phosphate. Should I aim to make a PO4 liquid solution? At present my PO4 solution is mixed with nitrate solution and I wouldn't want to overload the tank with nitrate in order to add more PO4.

 

[mark4785]

I've just posted this in a separate topic but this video is very useful - Link

The person in that video is able to remove the plants from the sponge very easily because the roots seem to be sandwiched between the sponge rather than growing through it. My guess is that prior to recording somebody loosened the roots out of the sponge so that the demonstration looked straight forward when it came to removing the plant roots in the video footage.

Every Tropica plant I buy is very hard to remove from it's sponge.

 

[Verminator89]

Contrary to your belief there i have had plants that are stubborn to remove from the wool, and then those that pressed inbetween 2 sponges of wool. All have been Tropica plants. Some are grown in, some are grown between...both fine.

Easiest way to separate them is to just get some scissors and cut about 1/2 below the bulb/stem of the plant, then peel away and excess. Small bits of wool left over have never been a problem for me.

 

[mark4785]

Contrary to your belief there i have had plants that are stubborn to remove from the wool, and then those that pressed inbetween 2 sponges of wool. All have been Tropica plants. Some are grown in, some are grown between...both fine.

Easiest way to separate them is to just get some scissors and cut about 1/2 below the bulb/stem of the plant, then peel away and excess. Small bits of wool left over have never been a problem for me.

I have tried that and many other methods and it results in losing the majority of the roots.

 

[JoshuaA]

I've had a few that break out of the wool in just two pieces, I bought some pogostemon and glossostigma elatinoides which both was almost impossible to remove. My Pogostemon took so long to recover because of the amount of damage that ensued when trying to separate it.

You win some you lose some on this one I imagine, I also think it could simply be down to how long that plant has been in the wool for.

 

[mark4785]

I've had a few that break out of the wool in just two pieces, I bought some pogostemon and glossostigma elatinoides which both was almost impossible to remove. My Pogostemon took so long to recover because of the amount of damage that ensued when trying to separate it.

You win some you lose some on this one I imagine, I also think it could simply be down to how long that plant has been in the wool for.

With my LB still being surrounded by the wool/sponge it appears that it isn't spreading across the tank in all directions from the big bulk of LB (which is where the plant was originally planted). The grass looks a bit patchy and it's obviously got bits of BGA on it which doesn't help it much.

I also haven't trimmed the LB because I don't have any of those long-handled metallic scissors with a small blade.

I'm a bit reluctant to go and buy more LB unless I can remove it from it's rockwool lol.

 

[angelfishguy]

Off topic but your ram has such a funny face in that picture lol

 

[flix_cw]

Off topic but your ram has such a funny face in that picture lol

i was thinking that too

 

[mark4785]

Off topic but your ram has such a funny face in that picture lol

Yup, the black shadow on his forehead only appears when I have the camera, he obviously doesn't like it which is why I only take pictures when I really have to.



I'd appreciate if somebody could respond to the statements below with agree or disagree as I'm a bit stressed about the rock wool and what you're supposed to do with it when you are about to plant.

Scenario: You have 5 aquare cm of rock wool surrounding the roots of a Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis.

Statement 1: You should remove all of the rock wool so that the small 1-2cm roots are the only thing remaining (if they haven't been ripped away when you removed them from the rock wool)

Statement 2: You should remove most of the rock wool leaving a 1cm high layer for anchoring purposes.

Statement 3: You should remove no rock wool.

Statement 4: Keeping the rock wool on the roots of this plant will hinder the growth of off-shoots and thus spread of the plant across the aquarium.

Statement 5: Keeping the rock wool on the roots of this plant will slower the plants ability to get to and use macro/micro nutrients.

 

[lljdma06]

I'd appreciate if somebody could respond to the statements below with agree or disagree as I'm a bit stressed about the rock wool and what you're supposed to do with it when you are about to plant.

I'll have a go at this...

Scenario: You have 5 aquare cm of rock wool surrounding the roots of a Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis.

Ok

Statement 1: You should remove all of the rock wool so that the small 1-2cm roots are the only thing remaining (if they haven't been ripped away when you removed them from the rock wool)

You should remove most of the rock wool, but some can remain if removal results in extensive root damage. Some damage is ok.

Statement 2: You should remove most of the rock wool leaving a 1cm high layer for anchoring purposes.

Nah, not needed, remember, LB is best planted in small groups or plantlets.

Statement 3: You should remove no rock wool.

Because of the nature that LB should be planted anyway (plantlets, or small groups), rock wool should be removed as much as possible)

]Statement 4: Keeping the rock wool on the roots of this plant will hinder the growth of off-shoots and thus spread of the plant across the aquarium.

I personally think it does hinder growth and if the roots are enclosed in the wool, they can be starved of circulation, resulting in rot.

Statement 5: Keeping the rock wool on the roots of this plant will slower the plants ability to get to and use macro/micro nutrients.

See my reasoning in statement #4.

Now, looking at the picture, the LB doesn't look all that bad to me. You've got some healthy growth IMO. If this were my LB, I'd take it out and replant in smaller groups, about three plants per group. You'll get better spread and the roots will have a better chance to anchor. Furthermore, the smaller groupings will do better, since they are less crowded by the other LB. Hope this helps a bit. My suggestion is to take out the LB, separate it, and replant.