safely weighing down my plants

[pica_nuttalli]

ok, so i have a new-ish tank and most of my plants are stem plants that are still trying to root. i also have an 8-inch pleco. needless to say, no few of my plants float up to the top each morning.

i don't want to use lead strips, but i do want to weigh the things down until the roots take hold. what's a fish-safe thing solution?

 

[Nospherith]

Plant anchors would be my guess. They're like nails that you stick at the plant base and then you bury them+plant. I don't know if they work, but it's worth a try I guess. They sell em at the PetCo here... haven't seen them at the LFS.


Or perhaps you should [Shining]correct[/Shining] the meddling pleco.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

not my baby!!!!!

 

[snowyangel]

I know your frustration, except i have over 5 types of live plants versies an 11 inch pleco! I have more plants floating at the top then planted on the bottom. If my big guy wants to get somewhere in his tank, he's getting there and no plants, rocks or driftwood will get in his way, but i still love him because he lets me hand feed him and touch him.

 

[fish4me]

For plants with exposed roots such as java ferns and anubias, get a nice piece of naturally sinking driftwood (malaysian seems to be good), break off into pieces., tie the roots into the pieces of driftwood and enjoy.

Plants with buried roots are a little tricky. Best bet is to grow out the plant in a separate shallow (ie just covering the plant) no-fish tank (you can even put it by the window if you like) so that is has some nice long roots, then you can bury the roots into the gravel and they will stay anchored...hopefully.

Once you get some mother plants, the daughter plants actually spread by a buried node so they are solidly anchored to the gravel. The trick is to get some established.