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Post by JulietV on Dec 24, 2003 11:31:32 GMT -5
Wasn't sure where this should go, so I put it here, since it's for my non-betta tanks. What do people think of using live foliage? How hard is it to get plants started? What varieties do you have? Do you fertilize or not fertilize? Has it helped with nitrate/nitrite and ammonia levels? I was thinking of getting a Java fern or something similar for my small-fish tank to help with water issues (right now, it's good, but I'm concerned that once I add more fish it might get harder to keep the levels in the safe zone.) My books for both Goldfish and Livebearers both indicate that Java ferns are good 'starter' plants that aren't picky about conditions. Does anyone have any recommendations? The tank I'm thinking of using it for is a ten-gallon with temperatures in the mid/upper seventies, and right now (about two weeks after new setup was installed) has very, very low nitrate/nitrite levels and slightly basic water (probably about 7.5, lowered a little with the Wardley kit. Our well water has the advantage of not having any added chemicals but the down side of trending towards the basic end.)
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Post by JulietV on Dec 25, 2003 12:39:26 GMT -5
Oh, the bettas are keeping their silk or plastic, absolutely. Besides the tanks being small, with the weekly water changes that's washing away everything that the plants eat from the waste products. (Also, if I have to medicate, I can scald fake plants or throw them away much more easily.) With the goldies, where they're not cleaned as often and get dirtier faster, I'm pretty much looking for something to act as an additional oxygen producer/scrubber. Otherwise I prefer the look of the artificial plants, where I can get the appearance I want without having to fertilize or worry about the lights (hence the request for low-maintinence plants, preferably that don't need fertilizer, as I don't like dumping anything in the water I don't have to.)
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Post by JulietV on Dec 26, 2003 10:57:32 GMT -5
Update--checked your other thread. Thanks! From the sound of things here and in my book, if I can find some at the shops Java fern or a plant one book calls "banana plant" (because of the rhizome shape, not related!) would probably be my best bet. (Now if I can just find some without having to drive to Lansing or Grand Rapids....)
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Post by JulietV on Dec 31, 2003 9:25:41 GMT -5
Supposedly, banana plants are good for newer tanks with less plant food because of the large rhizomes. Now I just need to find a place to buy them where the plants don't look scary! The lps's look disgusting--NOT something I'm sticking in my tanks! And Meijer's are crowded into a tiny tank and packed tight together, so I can't tell how healthy they look. If I manage to find some that don't look hideously disgusting, I'll let you know how they go. (And no one around here sells Java fern. Gah!)
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Post by mickey85 on Jan 11, 2004 22:30:47 GMT -5
Rhizome. wow. takes me back to botany of last semester. NOOOO!!!! Anyway, check out sites like www.liveaquaria.com and such to see what will work with your lights and tank. I've found that Petsmart has a decent selection of live plants, and they're pretty cheap. |
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