How Do You Arrange Floating Plants When You Have A Spray Bar?

[Curiosity101]

I'm having a bit of trouble with floating plants, I'd like to get some good cover going at the top of my tank, but any floating plants I put in just get pushed around in the current and eventually get blown under water and sucked up the filter!
If anyone else having this problem?
I have an oversized external and the spray bar where the water comes back into the tank goes the full depth of the tank (from front to back), and sprays lengthways along the tank. So any floating plants normally get pushed towards the other end of the tank where they get partially wedged between the side of the tank and the outlet of the filter. I think great, then later find they've been dislodged and are now being blown around the tank both above and below the water.

Any suggestions will be greatly recieved.

 

[wilsonian]

different angle of spray? Have you tried lowing the spray bar so it's not causing as much surface movement?

 

[Curiosity101]

That was the first thing I did, but to have enough movement on the surface it causes too much movement at the other end of the tank.
I thought about turning the filter down but obviously want the best filtration I can get.

 

[wilsonian]

so are you wanting the whole of your tank covered or just a section?

In mine ages ago I had some floating plants in the area close to the intake pipe as that was the calmest area of the tank (surface wise)

what about facing the spray bar against the glass (might not be the best idea if the spray tip over the the top of the tank)

 

[waterdrop]

Its a good question 101, I certainly don' know the answer and would be interested...

 

[Curiosity101]

Just a section, Ie. the end corner as you have done wilsonian, by the intake is easily the calmest part in my tank.
I guess I was just wondering if I'd missed a 'knack', you know like there is a 'knack' for cleaning sand that has to be developed. I wondered if there was one for floating plants in a set-up like mine.

If there isn't, then any DIY suggestions? Best one I came up with was to wedge a very small, curved, bit of driftwood between my filter intake pipe and tank side (half in the water and half submerged). Then silicone in place, I figured it would act as a physical mechanism of holding the plants in place. I really would like something a bit more natural though.

 

[Geoff1991]

What i did was get a piece of airline and connect it to make a cicrle then stuck it to the side of the tank with a suction cup

Worked well...

 

[aaronnorth]

put the spray bar 1" under water, and point it directly towards the front glass.

 

[Slyspy]

I have hornwort floating in my tank and that gets bunched up in the corner if I leave it free. So I attach a lead strip to the end of the plants and use that to anchor them to the spray bar (just hang the lead over and behind the bar). This does a good job of keeping them stationary, plus they stream out in the current. If you have lily-leaf type floaters then you'll be best off trying either the airline technique mentioned above or lowering/redirecting the spray bar I think.