thinning vals

[angyles]

In one of my betta tanks, it's a lawn of vals. yes it's an easy plant to grow, but it's become time to thin again. It's so dense that the fish can hardly swim through it. IME, thinning vals makes a huge mess and basically means pulling up the whole carpet and starting over, because they're all so connected. This is a real PITA!

Does anyone have another technique for doing this that's a little cleaner, easier and less intrusive to the tank?

 

[jpappy789]

Are you thinning by cutting off runners or snipping the actual plants to a smaller size?

I always just went nuts with the scissors then ran the net through to pick up the trimmed off leaves.

 

[The Zigman]

Cut the runners first, then pull the plants.

 

[jbradt]

Are you thinning by cutting off runners or snipping the actual plants to a smaller size?

I always just went nuts with the scissors then ran the net through to pick up the trimmed off leaves.

Cut the runners first, then pull the plants.

Combine these two, and you have all your bases covered. :thumbsup:

 

[angyles]

well I don't want to trim the height, I just want to thin the density.

So how exactly do you snip the runners when they're burried in the gravel? I was thinking of just sticking the scissors straight down into the gravel and snipping randomly, then tugging up random plants and hope they got disconnected, but there's a lot of snails in there and I don't want to decapitate anyone!

 

[Mgamer20o0]

you can pull up some and then cut the runner stem. this way you clear out a area, dont take them all out and shouldnt be to much work. i just cut them with my nails

 

[The Zigman]

Yeah I just snap the runners between my thumb and finger...

 

[jpappy789]

I agree...try getting at the runners before they get buried too, if possible.

 

[Squawkbert]

Gently pull up on one you want to remove and watch to see which of the neighbor(s) starts to move, look between them for a runner to be broken or snipped. If it's a good sized Val you're removing, go ahead and snip next to it. The smaller tha Val you're pulling, the farther away you want to make the cut. (in other words, leave more runner w/ the smaller plant).

For a real challenge, try thinning a nice patch of large Crypts...