Dont Know Much About Plants

[moochy13]

hi i have recently been getting some advice on setting up my new tank, and after finding out plants would be fine while cycling i got some in yesterday. so ive got a few questions.

what are they ? theres 4 types - the grassy stuff, fluffy stuff round the filter box, and the 2 broad leaved plants in different shades of green. i think the darker one is java fern ? just from reading the forums.

if all goes well, will they fill the tank out a bit more. i want more green in the tank, but am hoping to grow it instead of buying it.

ive never had real plants in sand, will they be ok ?

ive got one 36w T5 daylight bulb, which is actually on most of the day. is this enough/too much ? the tank is about 120L

is plant food worth getting ? theres only 2 little tetra in their at the moment producing waste as im fish in cycling.

finally, how do you make plants gow on bogwood ?

heres the pictures.

cheers. i have probably done something wrong here, but no big deal the plants were cheap enough.

 

[KittyKat]

1: Elodea
2: right Java fern, left and centre Swords (probably Amazon Swords)
3: doesn't look aquatic

Take all the lead weights, padding, pots off the plants and plant them all at least 5cm apart. The rhizome on the Java fern needs to be above the sand, you can also tie the Java fern to the wood using cotton or nylon string.

Sand is great for plants.

Try starting with 8 hours of light per day, altho I think you will need more along the lines of 10. Use a timer for the lights, it's better all round.

No, you shouldn't need any fertilisers yet. The fish will probably still need some feeding.

Question: does that tank have a "Rio" label on it somewhere?

 

[moochy13]

thanks for the reply. i had feared you'd say the grassy stuff wasnt aquatic - i want something that looks like that in my tank, i like short grassy or carpeted areas. will have to see how it goes.

at the moment theyre still in the padding as they were a nightmare to plant without it. i did wonder whether it would compromise the growth. theres 2 plants in each bunch, so i will seperate them. whats a rhizome ?

glad sand is good for plants. having the light on for longer is not a problem. i am feeding the fish obviously. will the plants actually root on the wood eventually ? i tried just sort of poking the plants into the various crevices in the wood bits, but didnt want to damage the roots.

thanks for your help. as for the tank, its a bit of a mix. i used to have a snake in the tank, and never had a lid or filter for it obviously. couple of weeks ago i got it down from the loft as my mate had a juwel filter and some lights he said i could have - hence the crappy DIY lid. this is the only marking i found on the tank. its 48x12wx14h

 

[Carlovel1]

That grass looks like Ophiopogon japonicus, a non aquatic plant

 

[KittyKat]

whats a rhizome ?

“In botany, a rhizome (from Ancient Greek: rhízōma "mass of roots", from rhizóō "cause to strike root") is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes may also be referred to as creeping rootstalks or rootstocks.[...]”

It is the bit which the leaves grow out of.

will the plants actually root on the wood eventually ? i tried just sort of poking the plants into the various crevices in the wood bits, but didnt want to damage the roots.

Yes, Java fern will attach itself with the roots to the wood. What you did should work, as long as the plants are not displaced. It can take a few months for the to attache properly.

as for the tank, its a bit of a mix. i used to have a snake in the tank, and never had a lid or filter for it obviously. couple of weeks ago i got it down from the loft as my mate had a juwel filter and some lights he said i could have - hence the crappy DIY lid. this is the only marking i found on the tank. its 48x12wx14h

I used to have the same tank.. it had Gerbils in it before I got it. I used it first as a tropical tank and then for my salamanders, had to pass it on to a new home a couple of years ago.

 

[moochy13]

thanks for the help. what you say about the tank is odd. do you know which brand it is ? im looking for a lid for it. judging by the label on it is obviously built as an aquarium. i think i saw in another thread you're in Hopton, or temporarily live there or something? im in yarmouth, but ive had this tank for years, so its not your one !!

 

[KittyKat]

I had the tank in Bath, it's my in-laws who are in Norfolk

I never had a hood on mine: made perspex sheets to cover it and had a 3 bulb Arcadia Limunaire over it. Worked really well!