First live plant...

[Essjay]

I have Limnophila sessiflora (aka ambulia) and I regularly have to prune mine as it grows so tall. I just replanted the top part to make the clump thicker, then now there more than enough I throw away the prunings.

 

[jaylach]

Yep, limnophilia sessilflora will grow right to the surface, and looks really pretty when it does. The very tops getting more light turn a whitish/purple colour that I really like, and it's great for hiding equipment. I planted it around a sponge filter to hide it. You just plant the stems and let them grow, when they get tall, cut the stems and replant the top part and it'll grow, so eventually you can have a fluffy thicket of them.


Check out this Tropica video about this plant, and what sold me on them is the bit where they reach the surface, looks gorgeous! It's not a demanding or difficult plant, easy and fast growing, so doesn't take long to grow enough to hide the equipment you want to hide. It, and the others, will appreciate a liquid fertiliser added now and then.

Thanks! Watched the video and that is one FAST growing plant! I could get one and separate. In a month/six weeks I could have the back of my cube pretty well filled.

So let me ask this... would it be fairly safe to think of 'stem plants' as ones to be planted in the substrate and others to be anchored above the substrate and if the roots end up reaching the substrate, fine, but if not who cares? I know there would have to be exceptions but would that be a general rule? In either case it would still seem best to research a plant of interest to find out how to best handle. I mean I always research before giving my cockatiel new food so why should my aquarium be any different? Good thing that I do research new foods for my bird or he would be dead as avocado would be quickly fatal... who would guess that one?

Sorry if some of my questions are on the dumb side but, in the past, I was never much of a live plant person. Now my mom was all about live plants but she bred Angels and had to have broad leaf live plants. I think that she used swords but not sure as that was ages ago.

 

[Essjay]

Plants are usually classed as stem plants, rosulate plants, rhizomatous plants, bulbs, and mosses.

Rosulate plants are also rooted in the substrate like stem plants; things like cryptocorynes and sword plants which tend to be slower growing than stem plants.
Rhizomatous are things like java fern, anubias, bucephalandra which are usually grown on decor and are slow growing.
There are not many bulbs, things like aponogetons, crinums. I haven't used any of these so I don't know if they are fast growers or not.
Mosses are slow growers and like rhizomatous plants they are usually grown attached to decor..

 

[jaylach]

Plants are usually classed as stem plants, rosulate plants, rhizomatous plants, bulbs, and mosses.

Rosulate plants are also rooted in the substrate like stem plants; things like cryptocorynes and sword plants which tend to be slower growing than stem plants.
Rhizomatous are things like java fern, anubias, bucephalandra which are usually grown on decor and are slow growing.
There are not many bulbs, things like aponogetons, crinums. I haven't used any of these so I don't know if they are fast growers or not.
Mosses are slow growers and like rhizomatous plants they are usually grown attached to decor..

Thanks. Just ordered a single potted limnophilia sessilflora. I'll split the thing and let it do its stuff. Sad to say that felt safer ordering on-line rather than even seeing if my local Petco stocked. Actually I just looked at Petco and all they offered was plastic versions.

The best I found was through Etsy so my fingers are crossed as I've never used this service before. I probably over paid at over $10.00 for the plant but I don't really care about that as I can keep splitting or trimming and planting to fill the back third of my cube. I'm not impressed with the shipping time as the estimated delivery is from 10-20 days which is terrible delivery time in my opinion. Still the few reviews looked good for the health of the delivered plant which is the main concern. There was one review where the plant arrived dead but that was during the winter and the plant arrived frozen. To me that is on the buyer, not the seller, although a top notch seller would not deliver to an area under a freeze. Still I have to put most of this on the buyer. I mean, as to myself, I would not even consider mail ordering a fish or plant during a Wyoming winter.

 

[jaylach]

Just out of curiosity are moss balls a ball covered with moss or are they solid moss? My guess is a covered ball as they seem too heavy for solid moss.

 

[jaylach]

Sorry for my keeping adding on as this is my third post in a row here but I noticed something that makes me wonder what Petco actually sells...

In other threads I've brought up that I can't get the tank to clear. Since I decided to go live plants I pulled the plastic plants and have seen a drastic clearing of the water. While still not 100% clear it is getting close. I just wonder if this is more due to getting rid of Petco's plastic or the addition of the current six units of live green.

 

[Colin_T]

Just out of curiosity are moss balls a ball covered with moss or are they solid moss? My guess is a covered ball as they seem too heavy for solid moss.

they are a species of algae that grows into the shape of a ball

 

[jaylach]

they are a species of algae that grows into the shape of a ball

Thanks. I have to admit to being a bit surprised as they seem pretty heavy to just be the moss.

 

[Colin_T]

most of the weight will be water.

 

[jaylach]

Of course there is another question?

I picked up a couple of more moss balls and two more Anubias. All the Anubias I've gotten, 3 although actually 4, have been attached to rocks. One I got today was loose from the rock and is actually 2 plants. Do I really need to reattach to the rock or, as they seems to have decently developed roots, can I plant directly in the substrate? I would prefer to leave the 2 that are on rocks as they are and do the other 2 in the substrate. I would put the rocks next to each other with the other 2 in the substrate close to the rocks making a cluster. If planting directly in the substrate is not a good idea can I just use the 3 rocks with the 2 loose plants held in place between the rocks.

Of course I could just return the loose plants but like the fact of getting 2 for the price of 1. Ya, I could just return one plant with the rock but I don't cheat like that. If I return I would return what I received.

 

[Colin_T]

They grow Anubias, Java Fern and Bolbitis on rocks and wood to keep the rhizome out of the substrate. If the rhizome is buried it tends to rot so by keeping the plant on wood or rock, they keep the rhizome out of the gravel/ sand and stop it from rotting.

 

[jaylach]

They grow Anubias, Java Fern and Bolbitis on rocks and wood to keep the rhizome out of the substrate. If the rhizome is buried it tends to rot so by keeping the plant on wood or rock, they keep the rhizome out of the gravel/ sand and stop it from rotting.

Didn't know that Anubias also had rhizome but then I can't say that I even know what rhizome happens to be. Hmmm, I just looked it up and got the following:
"A continuously growing horizontal underground stem which puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals."
What caught my eye was "underground" but that must not apply to aquatic plants which I can see as there is obviously a bit more water involved.

Now I'm just going to have to play around with how to mount stuff without it showing. I know that thread and rubber bands have been suggested but I think I'm going to try super glue first. My concern is that the plants will be wet. Still, with a dry rock, I suppose that I could just take a couple of roots close to the stem and apply a drop of glue. If anyone has a better method I'd appreciate as, like I've said, I have next to zero experience with aquatic plants.

 

[jaylach]

To add onto my last post I MAY have found the perfect base to mount my Java Ferns but am not sure that it is a good idea. I remembered that I have a small deer antler that I think would look good. My concern is that antlers are mostly bone which means calcium and could raise my PH. Since my PH is pretty low at ~6.1 I doubt that it is a concern but would appreciate opinions. The antler is small at only ~6 inches long. LOL! NO, I didn't kill the deer, I found the antler. Deer shed them every year. Actually I think that it almost looks like drift wood. Since the antler has 3 'points' and I have 2 Java Ferns and 1 Bolbitis I could mount one on each point.

 

[Colin_T]

What is deer antler made of and does it rot in water?
It might be ok to use.

Where's the @WhistlingBadger, he might know.

 

[jaylach]

What is deer antler made of and does it rot in water?
It might be ok to use.

Where's the @WhistlingBadger, he might know.

As I mentioned deer antler is mostly bone. However, there is also cartiledge, nerves and blood vessels. The antler is old enough that the blood vessels and nerves are not an issue. I also doubt that the cartilage is a factor as it is just connective tissue to attach the antler. My only real concern is that bone is largely calcium which might raise my PH. As I said, since my PH is only ~6.1, and the antler is small, I doubt that the bone calcium would be an issue but want to be sure.

Actually I think, but can't prove, that the blood vessels and nerves are only in the velvet which coats the antlers in the early stages to develop the hardness of the bone antlers which start off soft.