Floating plants ? what kind

[grannylvsfish]

I value all your opinions very much, please forgive me with all the questions right up front :)
I would love to have some floating plants, for cover for babies and something I could corall in one corner or just let float at the top freely, what kind do I get and specifically what kind that will not clock my filters. grow good under lower lighting conditions ( single strip with one bulb) Also what is the best and brightest bulb out there for my strip light ( 24 inch and 36 inch strip lights)

thank you for your help :)

[Mgamer20o0]

i think your best bet would be hornwort. it grows under low light and its saved many of my fry.

[grannylvsfish]

i think your best bet would be hornwort. it grows under low light and its saved many of my fry.

thank you!! Now to find some :) my pet store will not get plants, he says there messy and ot worth it. darn pet store!!

[Mgamer20o0]

lol well its not your only options java moss could work. some times fish stores can be a pain.

[grannylvsfish]

lol well its not your only options java moss could work. some times fish stores can be a pain.

I am acually having a problem with my java moss, its not attaching and going every where in the tank, I guess i need to furtilize right? so I need your expert advice as to what to get and how to use, ( how often) I want some real life in the tank besides the fish LOL! thanks much

[Sammie7]

Java moss shouldn't need fertilization. It's a slow growing plant that can live under fairly low light. Like most mosses it does best in cooler water. What wattage are your lights and what temperature is your water? I also notice that moss does the best for me when tied down to something. How did you attach it? My moss grows very quickly and is bright green, though many people have trouble with it, I don't know why.:confused:

[jart]

I would suggest Salvinia.
Also H. leucocephala does well when left floating.

[grannylvsfish]

Java moss shouldn't need fertilization. It's a slow growing plant that can live under fairly low light. Like most mosses it does best in cooler water. What wattage are your lights and what temperature is your water? I also notice that moss does the best for me when tied down to something. How did you attach it? My moss grows very quickly and is bright green, though many people have trouble with it, I don't know why.:confused:

I have my java moss tied to a fake log, my tank is 78 degree's ( it was 82 I slowly took it down some over 3 day period. mine is bright green, it just wants to float and not cling on. I attached it with fishing line :)

[Sammie7]

It might be because of the fake log. It's probably less porous than more things. This means it will probably take more time to attach. You said that it was floating away? Is a fish disturbing it? My moss carpet does fine as does my moss wall, and I don't have free floating pieces of moss unless I accidentally rip a frond or two off off the piece of slate. My tank is relatively hot at 82 or higher, but recently it has been between 80 and 82. If I could make the tank cooler I would, but the Florida weather isn't helping much.

[me_wee_todded]

elodea densa.
low light grows quick
flourishes under neglect.
and makes for really good cover.

[grannylvsfish]

How does one plant water spirit? Anacharis or horn wort? thats what puzzles me, I have large gravel and I got Anacharis to today along with hornwort and water sprite

[Sammie7]

Hornwort never grew roots for me and which was another reason why it was a pain in the butt. I had to hold it down with lead plant weights. Whenever I tried to bury the bottom portion of it, it would rot out and die from lack of light. Watersprite has roots that you bury. Anacharis supposedly grows roots, but it never did for me, probably because it was dying from the heat. Otherwise, you just push the stem down into the gravel, or get some lead weights to hold it down until it forms roots. My sand seems to work better at holding down stems than gravel did.

[DarkSoul]

1 single fluoro tube? get an electronic ballast capable of driving 4 bulbs, and overdrive your one.

it will only "live" about half as long, but will put out 3x the amount of light.

[Sammie7]

1 single fluoro tube? get an electronic ballast capable of driving 4 bulbs, and overdrive your one.

it will only "live" about half as long, but will put out 3x the amount of light.

Why? They don't want a high light tank that they will have to get lots of fertilizer for and have to prune every week. How high would the light output be if they went with your suggestion? I don't think they would need 3 times the amount of light, maybe a little less, but not that much. :confused:

[Mgamer20o0]

found this from a website.


1X This is the way a fluorescent bulb normaly works Actual light output = 100% compared to normal.

2X Two outputs drive one bulb. Actual light output = ~150% compared to normal.

3X Three outputs drive 1 bulb. Actual light output = 175% compared to normal.

4X 4 outputs drive 1 bulb. Actual light output = 200% compared to normal.

The bulbs get less efficient the more power you pump through them, that's why 2X is not 200%, and 3X is not 300%, and so on. I have run bulbs at 4X but I dont think its necessary unless you have a space problem. 2X is what I recommend, you wont loose as much effeciency or bulb life, and you gain a significant amount. Its also the safer bet.

http://tristan.homelinux.net/fish/tank/retrofit/index.htm





also found this on another site.

Special Note on T8, For ODNO Lighting use
Watts x .75 for ODNO2x
Watts x .666 for ODNO3x
Watts x .5 for ODNO4x

[mozart]

I am acually having a problem with my java moss, its not attaching and going every where in the tank, I guess i need to furtilize right? so I need your expert advice as to what to get and how to use, ( how often) I want some real life in the tank besides the fish LOL! thanks much

I tied mine to a fake plant with a piece of dental floss. They are permanently attached to one another now, but you can't see the fake one anymore. It transferred very easily to my new tank-no floating.

[melissa3]

Yeah java moss can be tricky. I can't get it to attach to anything, except what I don't want it to attach too!

I'm floating mine, in a clump, on a piece of kitchen sponge (clean and new)

[Lupin]

Hornwort never grew roots for me and which was another reason why it was a pain in the butt. I had to hold it down with lead plant weights. Whenever I tried to bury the bottom portion of it, it would rot out and die from lack of light.
Because hornwort does never grow roots.:) If you want them planted on the substrate, you have to keep chopping off the lower part and replant it again.:perv: I find them fast-growing but their leaves if scattered around can be a pain in the butt to clean out.:lipssealedsmilie:

[Swayde]

I pushed some java moss down into the gravel and dropped a few pieces on top of a ball of it and it's attaching very well to the gravel so I can move it around now to spread it out for a carpet. I also am having great luck with the hornwort floating in the corner farthest from my HOB filter and the fish seem to really love it. It's working very well, a little too well actually. I have more platy fry then I ever thought I would. Water Sprite didn't seem to do very well. I have a small piece of it, but I cant' see any signs of it actually growing. I tried floating that one. Java Fern is growing really well and my amazon sword plants seem to fair pretty good too. I am FL as well with 80-82F tank. Duckweed is doing well too. Actually all my plants are doing much better than I thought they would. I am very pleased. So anyhow, good luck =)

[Sammie7]

Because hornwort does never grow roots.:) If you want them planted on the substrate, you have to keep chopping off the lower part and replant it again.:perv: I find them fast-growing but their leaves if scattered around can be a pain in the butt to clean out.:lipssealedsmilie:

I know that it lacks "true roots"... But I also know that they do form some type of anchor with modified bottom leaves. :)