Lucky Bamboo in the Freshwater Aquarium.

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busybee

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
4
Location
South Georgia
:confused:

Good Morning:

I have seen the POPULAR Houseplant, LUCKY BAMBOO being SOLD in several Chain Pet Stores down here in South Georgia.

They are Sold submerged in the Freshwater Tank, just like Standard Freshwater Live Plants.

Several Aquarium Forums on the Internet have mixed reviews or ideas about the use of this plant in a Freshwater Environment. Some suggest, it is harmful to the Fish and some say that they will eventually lead to a Chemical Imbalance within the Tank. (Clouding the Water). ETC.......

Then............Many say that they are among the Freshwater Live Plants that would be suitable for the Tank.

I have contacted 2 of the Chain Store Technical Service Departments on the Web, & no one will issue a reply on the Subject. :(

Any ideas or remarks on this SUBJECT. :invasion:

With All Best Wishes:


Busy Bee
 
lukcy bamboo isnt really bamboo. fully submerged it will rot over time. it needs the base to be wet but the leafs in the air. you can have it stick out the back.
 
Lucky Bamboo

Good Morning Again:

Many Thanks for such a quick reply. :p

2 retailers down here have them fully submerged and they are planted in the standard black 2" Pot with SLITS on the SIDE. The pots are placed within the GRAVEL about 4 inches deep.

I have also seen them in Atlanta, within large Tropical Plant Shops being sold in Aquariums. They were fully submerged.

Certainly is a complexing subject. :crazyeyes:


With All Best Wishes:


Busy Bee
 
they dont have to worry since it takes a couple months before it starts to rot. most of them sell before then.
 
I used to have a 1 meter tall lucky bamboo in a vase. It was kept that way for around 2-3 years. Didn't grow, didn't die. Had two or three leaves.

Around a year ago I stuck it in the corner of my tank in front of the filter inlet. It's 1/2 in and 1/2 out. It has exploded in growth since. It hasn't grown any taller, but it now has around 30 leaves. It obviously loves the conditions and the ottos seem to like it because they hang out on it all the time.

I have experienced no negative effects from it being there.
 
magamer2000 is correct. Lucky bamboo is not bamboo. The name of this plant is Dracaena sanderiana. It is a bog plant, that grows under the canopy of the jungle. It thrives in very moist conditions, and low lighting. It can not, however, stand it's leaves to be submerged for long periods. When these plants rot, just like any other plants, it will cause issues in the tank, but that will only happen when the plant dies. The reason the plant did not take off growing when it was in the vase is becasue these plants require fair amounts of nutrients, which they were not getting from straight water. The aquarium is providing tons of Nitrates for the plant to grow. This is both good for the plant, and good for the aquarium water. Remember when putting this plant in the aquarium that it will not scrub CO2 from the water and turn it into O2. Becasue resperation happens at the leaves, and the leaves of lucy bamboo need to be above the water, it will only scrub Nitrates and trace elements. You should still keep other plants in your tank to take care of the O2 issues.
 
Lucky bamboo In Aquariums

Good Morning: :morning:

I appreciate the Reply back concerning the Luck Bamboo in Aquariums.

I have had experience with the Lucky Bamboo for about 7 years.

Never seen them hanging out of the Aquarium. They require little or no fertilizer requirements. Just a band of special light found in darker areas of rooms. The aquarium water feeds them a mild natural fertilizer, complements of the Fish. I do feed them a little special Liquid Fertilizer manufactured in the ORIENT--4 0r 5 times a year. (Only for arrangements outside of the Aquarium).

The aquarium must have the right light requirements for the Lucky Bamboo.....or it would not live so well........, The bands I spoke of is the type of light found in Florescent Fixtures. Too early in the morning to get Scientific.

I will try hanging a few out, like yours, to see what happens.

Many Thanks for a Positive Review.


With All Best Wishes:


Busy Bee :p
 
Lucky Bamboo in Aquariums.

Good Morning Again: :morning:

Getting my thoughts together now. The bands I spoke of are similar to infrared light and the Bamboo seem to react to certain ones better than others.

I have a small Plant Farm down here where I grow Vegetable Plants and utilize artificial lights very much in the Winter Months. Different Lamps have different Light Bands. Maybe I have come up on something........or the weather is just better down here in the South......Pulling your Leg. ;)

Hope to get alot of comments on this subject & I Thank You All for your Kindness.

With All Best Wishes:


Busy Bee
 
I use lucky bamboo in three of my small bowls but ,as mentioned above, only the roots amd stem are submerged.
 
I do not know the exact spectrul analysis on lucky bamboo, but I do know their natural habitat is under the canopy of the jungle, so low lighting is normal for them. I have not tested, but I am guessing that leaving them under bright lighting long term would proably burn the leaves. I have kept lucky bamboo both in aquariums and in water vases, and in the vases fertilizer is a must.

On an interesting note, there are several other speacies in the Dracaenaline that are sold as house and office plants. As I have read on wikipedia, these should also be able to have their roots submerged constantly.

On light, I could be wrong, but I do not belive any plant photosynthisizes true infrared, however strong blue's and red's are used. (Chlorophyll - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , File:Chlorophyll ab spectra.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) This is all dependant on the plant though, since there are multiple types of chlorophyll, and each plant has a different combination of each.

Also infrared is another name for heat. I generally use Compact Flourescent replacement bulbs because they put out more heat. The carbon fixing aspect of plants can cease if the heat gets too high. I also get the Cool, or Daylight bulb, which has more blue in it's emission spectrum. Each chemical has a different spectrum that it emits light at, or absorbs light. The different elements used in all lighting defines what color it is. (Emission spectrum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , Astronomical spectroscopy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , Color temperature - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


On a different note, I sometimes wonder why people call me a nerd....
 
I had some of this in a 10 gallon in my office. It lasted quite a while. Eventually the leaves got lacy and fell apart. However, I have a new tank and my wife has some bamboo that looks long enough to poke out the top...
 
If you want lucky bamboo to grow like mad, you need two things; consistent high humidity and medium light. I got a group of 7 or so 3 years ago, they were about 6-8in tall. I moved up into an 'attic' room which had these conditions and over the summer, they grew like you wouldn't believe. The smallest was 4in, but most grew over 10-12in tall! Now I'm in my own home and they have been re-potted into soil and sit on the kitchen window sill. Plant stopped 'growing', it's 'frozen' in time now, but is doing very well. I'm sure I can get them to grow like crazy again if I wanted them taller. I am thinking of getting a new little plant to put in my fresh tank and see how it grows. During summer it's warm, so it should grow nicely and freeze in time during winter.
 
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