Hi, I have been experimenting with different types of plants in an attempt to find a wider selection for my tank. I have Orandas of various types and 1 Ryunkin. The plant you see, has been there for approximately 4 months. It is not exactly a really tough leaved plant but they have never touched it. This and the other plants in the aquarium and plant backup tank were given to me as a variety package because an employee did not label them prior to placing in the floor tank.
The fish are fed large quantities of green vegetables daily but true to their type they are always hungry.
I grow duckweed as a treat in the plant tank. I have not been successful in finding a floating plant that they will not strip or eat. Frogbit and Hornwort are gone overnight. Even Ancharis is occasionally a victim. I had water lettuce on the pond but I do not find that it is very attractive.
I found large styrofoam bowls with wide lips after the 4th. I cut the lip off of one, placed it on the water and floated a young Frogbit. They were scared of it for 2 days and then my nosey fish got brave and investigated it. The next day the little Frogbit was gone. Now that I know how well the ring floats, I am going to experiment by attaching a lightweight piece of cheesecloth onto the ring and suspend it approximately 3" under the water. It should not be long enough for anyone to become entangled in but should protect most of the roots on Frogbit.
You can see part of the pop bottle top that I am using as a protective greenhouse for tender leaved plants. I need to get cross flow but even a flaming hot phillips tip will not melt through the plastic.
The Wendiiti has been slipped through a hole cut into the center of a cheap plastic plant saucer that is filled with pebbles. It keeps the goldies from uprooting it. They bother it a little but it is primarily because they are searching for food in the rocks.
They do not bother Java Fern or Anubias which is to be expected. They rarely bother the corkscrew val even though they are still tender leaved, young runners.
I would love help identifying the plants in both tanks for my records. I am keeping a log to record what my particular fish are attracted to. I also would love if someone could give me suggestions on more safe, sturdy leaved plants that I might experiment with. I would be extremely grateful for any names or suggestions that members might have. Also, is there another floating water plant that is tougher, other than water lettuce?
My goal is to balance fish waste and food decomposition with excellent plant growth to provide a near ecosystem. I have no intention of removing my filter as there is no chemical filtration involved.
The plant tank contains backups of all plants except for the Anubias, Wendiiti and Java Fern. There are 7 true Siamese Algae Eaters. This tank is almost always balanced, especially if I don't have to feed them. I routinely transfer the Anubias and Java Fern to their tank to give the plants a good cleaning and at the same time feed them the black algae they love. Siamese Algae Eaters are so much fun to watch. They are always busy, busy, busy.
I have DIY CO2 system on both tanks. There are 3 bottles on the 15 with a Kordon misting stone to help with diffusion. There are 8 bottles on the 120 gallon with a medium Ista Max mounted inside the tank with a powerhead attached.
Lighting consists of a 6 light, T-8, suspended system. The filter is a Fluval FX5 filled with bio-balls and the only media is filter pads of different grades. The tank has a 1-1/2" soil substrate covered with 1" of pebbles.
Water parameters currently at; pH- 8.0, AM-0, NI-0, NA-10. The pH is high because I did a 75% water change yesterday. Town water contains 10 ppm Nitrate.
Thanks guys
Sent from my HTC first using Aquarium Advice mobile app
The fish are fed large quantities of green vegetables daily but true to their type they are always hungry.
I grow duckweed as a treat in the plant tank. I have not been successful in finding a floating plant that they will not strip or eat. Frogbit and Hornwort are gone overnight. Even Ancharis is occasionally a victim. I had water lettuce on the pond but I do not find that it is very attractive.
I found large styrofoam bowls with wide lips after the 4th. I cut the lip off of one, placed it on the water and floated a young Frogbit. They were scared of it for 2 days and then my nosey fish got brave and investigated it. The next day the little Frogbit was gone. Now that I know how well the ring floats, I am going to experiment by attaching a lightweight piece of cheesecloth onto the ring and suspend it approximately 3" under the water. It should not be long enough for anyone to become entangled in but should protect most of the roots on Frogbit.
You can see part of the pop bottle top that I am using as a protective greenhouse for tender leaved plants. I need to get cross flow but even a flaming hot phillips tip will not melt through the plastic.
The Wendiiti has been slipped through a hole cut into the center of a cheap plastic plant saucer that is filled with pebbles. It keeps the goldies from uprooting it. They bother it a little but it is primarily because they are searching for food in the rocks.
They do not bother Java Fern or Anubias which is to be expected. They rarely bother the corkscrew val even though they are still tender leaved, young runners.
I would love help identifying the plants in both tanks for my records. I am keeping a log to record what my particular fish are attracted to. I also would love if someone could give me suggestions on more safe, sturdy leaved plants that I might experiment with. I would be extremely grateful for any names or suggestions that members might have. Also, is there another floating water plant that is tougher, other than water lettuce?
My goal is to balance fish waste and food decomposition with excellent plant growth to provide a near ecosystem. I have no intention of removing my filter as there is no chemical filtration involved.
The plant tank contains backups of all plants except for the Anubias, Wendiiti and Java Fern. There are 7 true Siamese Algae Eaters. This tank is almost always balanced, especially if I don't have to feed them. I routinely transfer the Anubias and Java Fern to their tank to give the plants a good cleaning and at the same time feed them the black algae they love. Siamese Algae Eaters are so much fun to watch. They are always busy, busy, busy.
I have DIY CO2 system on both tanks. There are 3 bottles on the 15 with a Kordon misting stone to help with diffusion. There are 8 bottles on the 120 gallon with a medium Ista Max mounted inside the tank with a powerhead attached.
Lighting consists of a 6 light, T-8, suspended system. The filter is a Fluval FX5 filled with bio-balls and the only media is filter pads of different grades. The tank has a 1-1/2" soil substrate covered with 1" of pebbles.
Water parameters currently at; pH- 8.0, AM-0, NI-0, NA-10. The pH is high because I did a 75% water change yesterday. Town water contains 10 ppm Nitrate.
Thanks guys
Sent from my HTC first using Aquarium Advice mobile app
