Parrots feather

[Dominick]

well i just got this lastnight and it dosent want to stay in the sand lol
anyways can i use the lead weights that you would use for fishing to tie them down?

 

[Purrbox]

If they are actually made of lead, then no. This would be a very bad thing for the inhabitants of your tank.

 

[Dominick]

ok well thes thin strips that come on the plants are made of lead
whats the difrence and what could i use instead

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I seriously doubt it's lead. Here's what I got from another site....

Lead Weights on your bunched plants: Leave them on or take them off.It doesn’t matter one bit. They are actually made of a zinc/magnesium metal that is completely harmless to fish and other plants. If you have the time, you can individually plant EACH stem or if you want our opinion just plant the whole BUNCH as a group. Please note that you should snip just the end of the bottom of the stem, about a quarter inch of the base of the plant before installing your bunch, kind of like if you just got fresh roses, you would snip the ends before placing them in a vase. You can then rewrap the weight around the bundle.

 

[Dominick]

well i used a difrent weight that i know has no lead now one other question
i also got glosso it came in a clump lol how do i plant this stuff

recent pic of tank

 

[WaterPond]

That parrots feather you have is not truly aqutic, it is meant to float on top with a portion sticking out of the water. I would recommend taking it out and puting it in a bucket. When it is totally submerged for a long time the plant that is supposed to float with turn all yellow and crummy looking. It will then send out chutes. These new chutes are usually truly aquatic. They will look totally different than that. It takes time, be patient. Once you get those new chutes coming it will look great. It may take a few months though.

 

[Dominick]

Well here they are after agisting themselves

wish my camera would take better pics

 

[bman]

Yeah, that is submerged growth. I wish they would stay that bushy underwater, but sadly, It will get spindly. That is the true underwater growth.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Is the plant in the middle parrots feather, behind the crypt beckettii? Is this what you mean by spindly?

 

[bman]

This is what the parrots feather will turn into.

 

[WaterPond]

personally, i like it better once it gets "spindly" I always take clipping of the lant floating in my pond, sink them in a bucket then wait for new chutes. Then i clip and plant the chutes. That was it doesn't mess with your params.

 

[djlen3]

Dominick - Can you tell us what the generic name is of the plant in the background of your tank that looks like giant hair grass please?

Len

 

[Dominick]

Giant Hairgrass (Eleocharis montevidensis) exactly what i have

 

[JRagg]

FYI fishing weights are no longer made of lead either. The old ones were, but new stuff isn't. It's likely the same zinc/magnesium metal as described by LWB.

 

[Dominick]

Well iv had my Parrots feather in the tank for about 2 weeks i think
and its probably doubled now but now i have thes tall stalks that have nothing from the sand to about half way up can i cut them to where the leaves start to have what looks to be a full bush?