Securing Floating Plants

[Captain Hook]

Is there any way to secure floating plants in one area? I tried some naja grass in my tank and it was blown all over the place by the AquaClear filter and looked bad.

I'm trying to think of some way to contain, maybe like fencing it in a certain area. The problem is that the tank is full so I can't use glue or anything like that. I have heard of people doing it but don't know how.

[kveeti]

I have a picture of my set-up in this thread: http://64.191.28.50/forums/showthread.php?threadid=11167

The tubing is 1/4 inch (inside diameter) bought at local home hardware type store for 35 cents (Canadian) a foot. The suction cups are regular aquarium ones you buy for holding tubing. The tubing floats and allows for some evaporation in water levels... the only trouble is the floaties all escape at water changes.

I suppose if you made a free-floating circle, it and the floaters would just fall all together at water change. I guess you could use smaller tubing/suction combos, too.

[Leopardess]

Two suction cups and fishing line keeps it in place.

[kveeti]

Leopardess, I think a fishing line would be more flexible and have a more natural look, but I'm afraid a fast fish might swim into it and do itself harm. You know, like when a cory takes a mad dash to the top, or my zebra danios start playing rugby... Obviously you've had no problems, just wondering.

[Leopardess]

I actually don't use that method - or any for that matter. I have so many floaters that they all stay put because they're tangled into each other.

Its just something I read along the way - thuogh there was mention of it being sliglty above water line.

Then again, a lot of people use fishing line to attach anubias and stuff to wood and rocks - exposed.

You do have a good point though. Don't know if it would ever be an issue, but it could be.

[Captain Hook]

Hmm, I will definitely have to look into suction cups. I wonder if I could find them at Home Depot or something like that. Seems like it works well for you kveeti. What kind of plant are those floaters shown in the pic?

[kveeti]

It's salvinia natans, which is like duckweed, but it has many 'hairy' roots instead of a single stem root like duckweed. I thought it was duckweed for a long time until I asked on here and learned better. I think Leopardess has a great pic of duckweed roots (?) in her thread in General Freshwater, entitled something like 'funny frog'.

I do use fishing line to start off the attachment of java moss and java fern to rocks. But it is tied more or less tightly, a fish can't really swim into it.

[Captain Hook]

Too bad I have never seen any of that salvinia around here, it would be perfect for my new killiefish pair.

[kveeti]

I don't suppose you are in Canada, I could send you some. I can't legally send plants over the border... Another place to try, in spring, is garden centres. They get shipments in of all types of water plants, including floaties, for peoples' ponds.

[Leopardess]

Here's lemna minor underwater....the link, that is.


EDIT: Oh, another really awesome "larger" floating plant is Phyllanthus fluitans.

http://www.buckmanshome.com/files/Pfluitans1.jpg
That's not lemna minor (duckweed) though...I think it is its larger cousin/sister plant.

Either way, there are a couple more pics of phyllanthus here. Its a really cool plant:http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=4006090712&f=3506023812&m=7316086234



Also, I bought suction cups in the odds and end section at walmart. They're the king meant to be used for hanging stuff, but the little metal clip just slides right out.

[Captain Hook]

Kveeti thank you for the offer, I am actually in Toronto but will pass for now. I am trying to spend less on my tanks right now. I really like the suggestion of looking in pond sections in the spring tho, I am defintitely going to check that out.

Leopardess that is a nice picture and exactly the look I want to achieve. I just purchased a killiefish pair that like to lay their eggs in the roots of floating plants.

[SBA]

if you have a retailer that sells tropica plants they may do s. natans as it is part of tropica's 'range'.