More Roughage in the Tank

[theotheragentm]

I'm not a planted tank guy, nor do I really want to be at this point, but I have a tank that I want to add a bit more on without doing much on the care of the tank. You can see my tank here.

I was thinking of some "vines" for the look of the tank. I know Java Moss is easy enough to get going, but I don't want to have it get out of control and cover up the rocks and sand. Is it easy to hold back? I don't want to have my hands in the tank constantly is all. Maybe you can recommend something else easy that will have a give me a overgrown jungle look.

 

[FMJnaX]

Java Moss is really easy to grow in low-tech tanks. As a result, it will probably grow like a weed and may be more maintenance that you want. There's only one way to tell, though, and that is to buy some and give it a shot. I think it would look nice in your tank.

Java Fern may also be an option. It can easily give the overgrown jungle look and has about the same requirements as Java Moss. Plus, it's easy and grows well.

A personal favorite of mine is "Corkscrew Val". It can be used to give a jungle type look. It's easy to care for, but requires moderate light to really take off. Under low light, you may be able to keep it going slowly enough that you will only need to trim it once in a blue moon (well, maybe more often, but you get the idea).

I'll look through some more plants and see if I can find anything else.

 

[newfound77951]

What kind of lighting do you have? I think some java fern would look great in there, especially if you could get a couple of the different varieties, I particularly like my narrow leaf java and although it is huge now, I have very high light and it took a while for it to get big. Mine is in a piece of driftwood and is pretty easy to thin out every couple of months.

Hey, you could put a piece on top of one of your moai and give him some hair.....a "chia moai"!!

 

[theotheragentm]

I have very low lighting, a pair of 15W flourescents that came with my tank. There is natural light that comes in through my window during the day, but I have no idea how to measure that. The plants in the tank right now are doing well, and I can see they are sprouting new leaves.

How often would I have to prune Java Moss? If it's every other month, I'll just dump the stuff into the tank and let it go.

 

[FMJnaX]

Hard to tell how often to prune the moss. It depends on conditions in the tank. I would guess maybe once a month. It's really easy to do, however.

 

[theotheragentm]

I can deal with once a month. Maybe I will try that. What is the likelihood that a piece is going to escape and end up growing and clogging my filter?

 

[FMJnaX]

Depends on how it is attached. You can use thread to attach it. I've also heard about a netting of some sort, but I don't have experience in that. It will eventually find a foothold on the structure and root itself, though you don't need to remove the thread if you don't want to. I tied a small piece to a corner of my driftwood and let it grow. It eventually covered half of the wood without the need of any more thread attachments. The only time any escaped was if it was disturbed by a pleco or other fish.