Floating plants ? what kind

[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.

 

[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.erv: 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.erv: 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.