Previously planted bulbs

[Aquarius0015]

Having more trouble with the aponogeton bulbs. I uprooted one the first time, but I replanted it only to see it floating around an hour later. It turns out my betta has taken to eating my ghost shrimps' pellets. He gets so excited trying to get at the pellets that he pushes the plants out of the way! The bulbs are growing like weeds, over 5" this week alone. I do not think they are really meant to float though, so is it possible to maybe rubber band or tie them to sort sort of weight? I do not have much in the way of weights, any suggestions?

[as40]

I bought these things from the LFS made by "Lee's Aquarium & Pet Products" called large plant weights. They look kind of like cut up rubber bands made of lead. They were fairly inexpensive, around 2.99 for a pack of six, and I'm positive you could find them cheaper online or perhaps at a Petsmart. My LFS charges higher prices, but I don't mind shopping there now and again to help keep them in business. But anyway, back to the topic... Don't know if these will be heavy enough for your plants, but you could always link a few together and bury the excess weight in your substrate (might even help weigh it down further).

Hope that helps. :D

[Jeremy S]

How deep is your substrate? If it’s deep enough the plant should stay put. Like as40 said you can get those lead weights but I never use them since I worry about the lead leaching into the water. I don’t know if that’s possible but I still worry about it. ;)

[Aquarius0015]

I have traditional style aquarium gravel (the type that oftentimes comes in very unnatural colors) at a depth of a little less than half an inch. I've heard it is better to have too little gravel than too much because food can get trapped. Also, I have not yet mastered the art of gravel vacuuming, and less gravel is easier to clean.

I do not have any lead and by now the pet stores are all closed. I hope that this is a not an immediate concern for my plant, but at $2 for a pack of 7 bulbs, eh. Maybe I could rubber band or tie a quarter to the bulb?

Next time I buy live plants, I'm getting the pre-potted kind.

[MrGoodbytes]

Lead in the aquarium is not really a great idea. It can lead to lead to problems like heavy metal poisoning for the fish.

If you don't have enough substrate, it will be pretty tough to keep any plant down. Also, Aponogetons are root feeders, so they need a rich substrate to do their best.

If you need to, you could pot them in potting soil with some gravel on top. Just make sure not to submerse it too quickly, or it will get really muddy. Don't bury the bulb either, or else it can rot.

Once you get the hang of gravel vacuuming, add some more gravel and plant you apons in there with some tablets from the store designed for root feeders.

Graeme

[Jeremy S]

I agree with MrGoodbytes. You should probably get some more gravel and then vacuum it regularly to keep the food from getting trapped in it. Seachem Flourite is great for plants. You can get it online for about $20 a bag.