asian theme tank: observations

[nvision]

hey there, hope everyone's had a nice holiday weekend. just want to follow up and share some observations of how the bamboos are doing in the tank, trying to be brief...

cuttin to the chase, the bamboos which are fully submerged are showing a sign of slow-down and not growing very much. the rotting which i have never seen before is revealed for the first time; i'd assume it is this:

althought the tank has been running well over a month, this situation proves that the bamboo may not survive in the long run. i do not know what will happen when it rots down to the "knot", or to the end to the stalk section, which is supposed to be much tougher. i am planning on waiting on it and see what happens, but i don't feel optimistic. however, the other bamboos which are tall enough to have the tip of their main stalks exposed to air above water level are growing happily--some even have their offshoots almost reached the light (another issue that needs to be resolved). all in all, i expect to be shopping for taller bamboos in the near future, heh. but i think this was worth a try.

other photos: (higher res are located here:

after water change and some pruning:

here's the surface with several bamboos at the back, an emersed giant hygro at the far right, and another type of hygro growing in a star-shaped pattern underwater:

i call this the algae hill:

a white cloud showing off:

and the overall tank against the wall:

no updated photos of the 50g. it's at my mom's house and she might be moving so it may have to be torn down... again. darn!

 

[cdawson]

Yeah, the tops of that kind of bamboo needs to be above water and won't survive fully submerged. Try Finding some taller ones, or grow them in a separate container for a few months until they're tall enough to go into your tank. As for the light issue, place them so they don't touch the light when they grow out they don't even need a light to grow.


Good design though, I really like that tank alot.

 

[nvision]

thanks.

does the main stalk actually grow? i always thought only the offshoot or branching stem grows once the main shoot has been cut?

 

[cdawson]

thanks.

does the main stalk actually grow? i always thought only the offshoot or branching stem grows once the main shoot has been cut?

Hmm... that's right the main stalk doesn't grow. I guess you'll just have to try finding larger stalks like the other ones you have. Mine are in a 10g and I've never had the problem with the main stalk being submerged. However I've heard several people say that you can't keep the main stalk submerged.

 

[Captain Hook]

I have seen a very nice tank with bamboo that was probably 2 metres (roughly 6 feet) tall. I believe the main stalks were out of the water but not positive. The bamboo had been in the tank for about a year.

You have a very interesting design. I'm hoping to get some bamboo growing out the top of my new tank, which has not yet been set up. First I need to find stalks that are at least 30" long though.

 

[nvision]

thanks guys.

cdawson, yeah, i think the simplest solution is to just replace the bamboos. no biggie. have fun with your bamboos in the 10g.

cap.hook, if you're looking for straight bamboos at that length, there is a specialty shop near my work that has it. i notice in your signature that you may be in canada, i can help ask if they are willing to ship it there. stalks at this length gets pricey though, but i can check if you just let me know.