Umbrella palm information?

**RiVerfishgirl** · 08-29-2010, 5:15 PM

Hey guys, I ordered a betta and I have him in a 30g aquarium filled about 10-11 inches of water (gonna add some marbled hatchet fish too, but they're not here yet) so I can do semi terrestrial plants. Gonna hang a light over it.

I already have some pothos hanging in there, and I ordered some mangroves, but I just bought a couple of umberalla palms and I don't see much info on them in aquariums, just planted around ponds, due to the size they get I guess.

Am I right in assuming that 11 inches of water is a bit too deep (I read that 5-6 inches was optimum) and I should probably plant them up a little higher in ceramic pots? Or will it be ok to plant them in the eco complete substrate at the bottom?

Plus I was wondering if anyone has luck growing them in aquariums.

**RiVerfishgirl** · 08-31-2010, 9:46 PM

Well I guess no one was sure, so I just planted them in pots.

Here's a pic:

I haven't put everything in its final position yet and I'm still slowly adding substrate (I didn't wanna cloud the tank horribly).

Right now the only light is from the glass on the door by the tank, I still need to hang the fixture. But the pothos at least has grown a little bit.

The heater is just temporary since I want a couple of smaller ones instead but all my small stealths seem to have stopped working, which is unbelievably annoying.

The position of the plants looks better now since I moved them but the water is cloudy from adding more eco complete, so I'm gonna wait until it settles to take another pic.

**fishycat** · 08-31-2010, 10:03 PM

That's an interesting setup! I've seen bog plants similarly done, but perhaps not so deep in the water. You'll be adding substrate, tho - which should raise the pots another 1-1.5", right? That should work out well... Any submerged plants?

Aren't mangroves brackish/saltwater?

**RiVerfishgirl** · 08-31-2010, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by fishycat

That's an interesting setup! I've seen bog plants similarly done, but perhaps not so deep in the water. You'll be adding substrate, tho - which should raise the pots another 1-1.5", right? That should work out well... Any submerged plants?

Aren't mangroves brackish/saltwater?

Mangroves can be grown in fresh

. The reason they can grow in salt is that they have the ability to expel the salt from their system sufficiently, unlike other plants. But they don't NEED salt. People do grow them in freshwater to lower nitrates in their tanks. They can also be planted in an unsubmerged pot for a houseplant or outdoor plant as long as they're kept fairly moist.

The only submerged plant I have currently is java moss, but I'm going to add some other easy lower light plants. I just can't get any that are healthy in town, so I'll probably need to order them.

**fishycat** · 08-31-2010, 10:32 PM

Look for dwarf sag - nice grassy plant. You betta would love some anubias to rest on! You could have some on the substrate (attached to wood or rock) and some perched in the pots... Even growing emergent! That would be pretty cool.

I think I've seen mangrove (long skinny like a bean?) plants when I go to Korean restaurants here - they have them lined up in vases of water. Neat to know they don't need salt!

**RiVerfishgirl** · 08-31-2010, 10:45 PM

I'll have to get some of the plants you mentioned. And yeah my betta loves to sit in the clump of java moss. I lost him one day and that's where he was lol.

I think I've seen mangrove (long skinny like a bean?) plants when I go to Korean restaurants here - they have them lined up in vases of water. Neat to know they don't need salt!

Are you thinking of lucky bamboo? I have some of that in my tank.
http://www.espritdeisle.com/images/L...-Bare-Root.jpg

It's really easy to grow.

Mangroves look like a tree (that's what they are). http://www.fedflyfishers.org/Portals...mangrove_2.jpg

I haven't seen anyone around here growing it, but it wouldn't surprise me.

**RiVerfishgirl** · 08-31-2010, 10:53 PM

Ok, since the cloudyness from the substrate settled, I took another pic. I think it looks better since the other pot was moved and the pothos is back in the middle of the tank.

I need to cut a leaf off the bottom of the pothos and the dead stuff off the umbrella palms, but I seem to have misplaced my scissors

**fishycat** · 08-31-2010, 10:54 PM

Yeah, no not bamboo. Here, found & confirmed it's mangrove: http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/2004/7/7681s.jpg

The ones I saw were maybe 8-12 upright in water with leaves starting to grow from the top. Pretty neat.

Heh, one of my bettas likes to wiggle underneath the mass of java moss

. I freaked when I first saw him on his side underneath, but he does it so often I'm used to it now. He also peeks out from my anubias leaves like a mudskipper from his hole. I have a pic somewhere, I need to share it...

**RiVerfishgirl** · 09-01-2010, 12:28 AM

Yeah. The one I had before slept against the filter intake and he turned pale when he was asleep. I constantly thought he was dead, so I'd have to knock on the tank to wake him up.

**RiVerfishgirl** · 09-03-2010, 11:09 PM

Ok, better pic since I moved the plants and turned the light on. I added a few mystery snails and a 4 ghost cats (it was as many as they had). They angered my betta for a little while but he seems to just be defending the one pot in the righthand corner now.

I guess the umbrella palms are doing ok since there's a few little shoots coming up out of the substrate they're planted in. And the lucky bamboo is getting some more leaves. Yeah, I still need to cut the dead off of the umbrella palms but I still haven't found my darn scissors.

And one of my betta who refuses to cooperate for pics and seems to be too lazy to completely flare his fins out

.

His ventral fins are a little tattered due to shipping, but they're growing back pretty quick.