I dont trust my taste in plant placement. Suggestions?

[heyheyitsrae]

Have an anubias on lava rock, a rectangle of java moss, 2 bunches of anasomethingoranother(the seaweed stuff) and another unidentified plant.

I also have a lava rock with a hole in the middle and some driftwood. This tank is eventually going to be used for chili rasporas. I don't really like how it is now, so please give me suggestions!

 

[Atxpunx]

It looks okay. One thing I've learned about aquascaping (opinion not fact) is that with rocks it better to have the substrate and one other type of rock not a mix of larger above substrate rocks. Also, how about wrapping your driftwood and some of your lava rocks in that sweet java moss?

 

[heyheyitsrae]

It looks okay. One thing I've learned about aquascaping (opinion not fact) is that with rocks it better to have the substrate and one other type of rock not a mix of larger above substrate rocks. Also, how about wrapping your driftwood and some of your lava rocks in that sweet java moss?

Thanks, im pretty proud of the moss myself How would I go about tying it to the driftwood? I hate how it gets stuck in my filter already so putting it on the lava rock which is close to my filter wouldn't work, unless I moved one or the other.

 

[aqua hobbyist]

Do you use color max bulbs

 

[heyheyitsrae]

Do you use color max bulbs

No, I'll attatch a pic of what I use. Personally I don't like the color, it's too yellow.

 

[aqua hobbyist]

You should use a colormax

 

[Atxpunx]

To attach you could use a lot of things. People like to use cotton string that way by the time the java moss attaches, the cotton string decomposes. Other people use fishing line, it's clear so you don't have a white string showing for a few months in your tank and it's smooth so there's less of a chance of java moss attaching to the line. Making it easy to take off once the java moss attaches. I have had java moss attach to my glass though maybe it will attach.

 

[Atxpunx]

No, I'll attatch a pic of what I use. Personally I don't like the color, it's too yellow.

What size is your tank and is that a fluorescent tube packaging or incandescent? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[heyheyitsrae]

To attach you could use a lot of things. People like to use cotton string that way by the time the java moss attaches, the cotton string decomposes. Other people use fishing line, it's clear so you don't have a white string showing for a few months in your tank and it's smooth so there's less of a chance of java moss attaching to the line. Making it easy to take off once the java moss attaches. I have had java moss attach to my glass though maybe it will attach.

I'm sorry, I probably should have been clearer. I meant how do I get a piece of java off the mother plant without killing it? Will taking spare shoots kill it?

 

[heyheyitsrae]

You should use a colormax

Why? What do they do? Are they expensive?

 

[Atxpunx]

I'm sorry, I probably should have been clearer. I meant how do I get a piece of java off the mother plant without killing it? Will taking spare shoots kill it?

Naw just rip that bad boy off. Java moss is pretty resilient, and trimming it down would only cause newer shoots to come out.

 

[heyheyitsrae]

What size is your tank and is that a fluorescent tube packaging or incandescent? If you don't mind me asking.

It's a ten gallon, how can I tell if it's florescent or incandescent? It doesn't say on the packaging. My mom says its not florescent.

 

[heyheyitsrae]

Naw just rip that bad boy off. Java moss is pretty resilient, and trimming it down would only cause newer shoots to come out.

Lol to the first sentence XD. Any particular size of "bad boy" to rip off?

 

[Atxpunx]

It's a ten gallon, how can I tell if it's florescent or incandescent? It doesn't say on the packaging. My mom says its not florescent.

Does it have the long bulb, on the screw in bulb that looks like a normal house light?

 

[heyheyitsrae]

Does it have the long bulb, on the screw in bulb that looks like a normal house light?

:clueless:

 

[Atxpunx]

Lol to the first sentence XD. Any particular size of "bad boy" to rip off?

Your choice on size really. When I do it, and this is just me, I pinch the top of the piece I want, maybe a fingernails length or more and do the same to the other main clump of java moss and pull. You could easily do this with scissors but my girlfriend hides the scissors because she knows I'll use for tank stuff. I have done this always and have never had one clump or another die because of it.

 

[Atxpunx]

That's and incandescent bulb. The java moss and hornwort and anubias MIGHT grow under that light , but it's a lot of heat it puts out. You might ask if you could replace those bulbs with compact fluorescents. I'm assuming you don't want to dose co2 so you could try and get a really low wattage bulb replacement. That's only if you want to. I'm sure everyone's gonna tell you now to max out the socket wattage and get two 15 watt cfls, but they sell ten watts in the fish isle at walmart or try and find a lower wattage maybe. Again, just a suggestion, but it would help the plants

 

[heyheyitsrae]

Which one is the hornwort? And I've noticed that my aquarium is always like 80 or so and I couldn't figure out why. I eventually just took out the heater, assuming it was old and starting to not be accurate. I'll get new bulbs soon. The java moss seemed to be doing great under it, so maybe it'll do better under the new stuff!

 

[Atxpunx]

Okay if your looking at you tank, the one in the back right, I THINK that's hornwort. Your pictures on my iPhone are hard to see a little. With the new bulb suggestion, get either the walmart fish isle compact fluorescents or a "daylight" compact fluorescent 10 watts or similar. Your tank does have two bulb sockets right? If it does try that out.

 

[heyheyitsrae]

I'll be sure to do that! Thanks for your help. Any comments as to the placement of the plants? I like the java moss in its corner( although makybe ill bring it to the front corner) but the rest of it just doesnt seem dense enough, which is what I'm going for.