Plant weights

J

jeanbell

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Mar 3, 2004
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Hi, Every1


Some of my thin stem plants won't stay down in the gravel (think my pleco is pulling them up). I was wondering what i can use to keep them in place? The only thing I can seem to find is metal and I don't really want to use them..




Jeanna
 
why don't you see if you can find some aquatic plant pots? They are fairly small and if your substrate is deep enough then they will be hidden. I think the best are the one that are terracotta colored, and they clip together in two halves. they have worked really well for me in the past. Check with your LFS to see if they have some or can get you some.
 
Lee's also makes some "Large Plant Weights." I haven't personally used them but I think it's just a fairly malleable metal that bends around the stems of the plant to hold them down. There are 4 or 6 per package, and each package is a little less than 2 bucks.
 
What's worked well for me in the past (when tweezers and muscle didn't do the trick) are stainless steel nuts or washers. Get ones with small diameters to fit one or two stems in the hole. Either let it sink to the bottom or better yet, bury them enough to cover the washers. Sometimes one is not enough so just stick another nut/washer on to double the weight. This was the only thing that worked with Cardamine lyrata.
 
Fly fishing wire is good for weighting down plants.

It's used to weight fishing flies but is also excellent to weight plants.

I need to get more for both purposes.

:)
 
I use pipe cleaners. wrap the pipe cleaner once or twice around the stem, then cut off the excess leaving about half inch sticking out both sides. Then stick them in the substrate and the pipe cleaners will keep the plants down.
In extreme cases I have wrapped one end of the pipe cleaner around the stem and the other end around a small rock. Works great, and the soft material on the pipe cleaner won't harm the plant.
 
Hi,


gnome:
The nuts/ washer sounds like a good idea. But won't they cut into the plant as it grow?

Gambusia:
Fishing wire didn't come to mind.. Maybe I'll have to pick some up the next time I go out and give it a try.


TonyN:
I was thinking of pipe cleaner but was wondering if the little wire would be safe in my tank....


Thanks for the info...
Jeanna
 
I've been using pipe cleaners in aquariums for years and never had any problems. But get the ones that are really meant for pipes. Don't get those colored ones they sell at toy stores,

Good Luck
 
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