Paper clips in the aquarium?

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I need to secure my Eleocharis acicularis, or Hairgrass, in my sand substrate. The problem of arises because the kuhli loach like to dig into the sand and love to tunnel under the roots.

I'm considering using U-shaped pieces of wire, from paper clips, which are apparently made of galvanised steel.
Am I right in thinking that these might/will rust and pollute the water?

Another concern is that, even though the U-shapes will have long, long legs, the ends of them could pose a hazard to the kuhli loach.
Just placing the grass in the sand gets it dug up.
Placing it under a rock will have the kuhlis digging around the base of the rock...and uprooting the hairgrass. None of my other plants has this issue.

Of course, if anyone has any bright, tried and tested ideas..?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I don't think the paper clips rusting will cause any issue. However I also don;t think it will really work here as it just as likely to get pulled out and then you have pointy wire ends to worry about.

Could you use pea gravel in the problem areas to discourage the loaches from digging through it? The hairgrass should still be able to root itself into it

 

[Ch4rlie]

Agree that paperclip wont work 100%, nice idea but possible issues could arise.

How about using ceramic plant weights instead, glue the hairgrass to them?
No idea if that would feasibly work as is just a suggestion.

Like the ones you get when you buy potted plants from LFS, like these and hide them under the substrate and may make it harder for the khulis to uproot?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I don't think the paper clips rusting will cause any issue. However I also don;t think it will really work here as it just as likely to get pulled out and then you have pointy wire ends to worry about.

Could you use pea gravel in the problem areas to discourage the loaches from digging through it? The hairgrass should still be able to root itself into it

Aaaah, but sand is the best substrate for plants...allegedly...according to some!
Wherever and whenever I've used river gravel, the problem has never arisen.

I'm now thinking about plastic mesh, (the sort that carries lemons or limes), being placed over the top and pegged down by little wooden skewers, carved into tent-peg shapes.

Of course, I could always shoot those wascally wabbits...loaches.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Agree that paperclip wont work 100%, nice idea but possible issues could arise.

How about using ceramic plant weights instead, glue the hairgrass to them?
No idea if that would feasibly work as is just a suggestion.

Like the ones you get when you buy potted plants from LFS, like these and hide them under the substrate and may make it harder for the khulis to uproot?


View attachment 146063View attachment 146062

Fair idea, but no...
Rather than create a carpet, I'll be getting separate tufts and when I've had separate tufts before, the kuhlis like to burrow down the middle.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Ah, fair enough, but kind of working with your idea of using the mesh, like the type you get when ordering aquascaping moss on mesh type of thing might work but how to attach the grass and also how keep that down under the substrate from khulis?

Btw plants will grow in almost just about any substrate available, the only issue is with certain sands is that they can 'lock' and become compacted, making it hard for roots to go through is all.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I'm now thinking about plastic mesh, (the sort that carries lemons or limes), being placed over the top and pegged down by little wooden skewers, carved into tent-peg shapes.

I would say be careful with this. I used to do something similar to keep Riccia attached to a rock but had a cory get themselves stuck in it overnight and die. Might have been a 1 in a million chance of it happening as it was in there for quite awhile but I personally wouldn't risk it again.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I would say be careful with this. I used to do something similar to keep Riccia attached to a rock but had a cory get themselves stuck in it overnight and die. Might have been a 1 in a million chance of it happening as it was in there for quite awhile but I personally wouldn't risk it again.

Gosh! Did that actually happen?
Sorry to hear that occurring as that is not something I've heard of happening before. Who knew!

Maybe if mesh is under the substrate and khulis being khuli may find it easier to escape from mesh if they ever happen to come across this.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah it was in there for months with no issues and I have known people using the same idea for years with no issues. Could be because it was a cory and they have quite spiky dorsal fins. Like I said could be a 1 in a million chance of it happening but have never risked it again since.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

The mesh would be a relatively large piece, with the edges being far away from the actual planting and pegged down with what will effectively be small tent pegs, made of wood. Whilst a kuhli would easily be able to get underneath it, they should, being kuhli, be able to wriggle themselves out of trouble. (They lack the rigid sticky-out bits that Corydoras have).

 

[Happilyretired]

Plastic canvas might work. The roots might need to be threaded into the very small holes. I suppose you could look online at big sheets, which are very cheap, and cut them to your desired shape and size or buy precut shapes.

 

[StevenF]

The wire paper clip will corrode but the oxides are not water soluble and won't effect water chemistry. It will just become part of your substrate. For dwarf hair grass I found that they don't do well in gravel but do better in sand. Furthermore to roots like to stay near the surface. So it is best not to plant them vertically. Instead lay them horizontally on the substrate and use a small weight to hold it in place. Eventually the root will attach to the substrate and you can then remove the weight. Make sur the weight does not cover all of the green of the plant.

I have used stainless steel wire mesh but once the grass grows it is impossible to separate the plant from the mesh. Plastic mesh would have the same issue. You could try placing a cotton fabric net or mesh over the the plants then then use small rocks to hold everything in place. With enough small rocks the fish won't be able to disturb it. Eventually he plants will attach to the sand and the cotton will rot away. At that point you could remove the rocks. Make sure it is 100% cotton mesh. if there is any plastic fibers in it it won't rot.

 

[Salt]

I like this. Don't know if it would stop loaches but it's heavy. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074D7QMYN/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Colin_T]

No galvanized products should be put into aquariums unless the galvanized item has been cleaned or left outdoors in the elements for at least 6 months.

Galvanized metals have a zinc residue on them and this can take time to come off. It is poisonous to fish and other aquatic organisms, and birds and other animals if ingested.

Lead plant anchors would be fine. Try to find some that are dull grey rather than shiny silver. The dull grey ones have a layer of lead oxide and this stops the lead leaching into the water. The shiny silver ones haven't developed the oxide coating yet and can leach lead into the water, albeit only in small amounts.

You can buy stainless steel wire from some hardware stores. You can roll the ends into the wire so the fish can't hurt themselves and use the wire to hold the plants down. Just wash the wire with hot soapy water first and rinse well to get rid of any contaminants it might have picked up before you got it.