plant suggestions?

[Kellie]

Ok, so I have this idea I want to try where I want to make a sand "path" in my tank. I've started switching my gravel to more natural small stones, going to finish that first. My idea is using rocks or thin stone slabs to create a division between the gravel stones and the sand. Is there a plant that would look good as an edger that I can attach to the division line? Low tech, standard flourescent lighting. I was thinking maybe of planting more crypts right behind the dividing line because I'm pretty sure they can't be attached and must be planted but that would only be if there isn't a good suggestion to attach. Would Java Moss work you think?

Also I love the look of the floating plants that have the roots that hang down, don't know what they are called and I'm sure there are more then one that has that look. Is there one that would be appropriate for my low tech tank? And lastly how do you keep a floating plant where you want it and stop the filter current from moving it around? That sounds like such a dumb question but I can't figure out how you do it

 

[Rivercats]

Floating plants are just that so will move around or push into a corner where the current puts them. You can float water sprite, or stem plants like anacharis, or get plants like frogbit or water hyacinth (small ones). You can float many types or plants like water sprite or brazilian pennywort can be planted and left to grow up out of and across the water. With alot of plant cover above you will have to edge in a low light plant such as crypt. For what you are wanting I would suggest Crypt Parva as it stays very low, only about 2" tall.

 

[Kellie]

Rivercats, you're always quick with the advice, thank you.

I looked up the plants you suggested, the water sprite sounds like its right up my alley. Thinking of planting it right in the front corner, its a bowfront tank so I think that would look cool. I'm worried there aren't enough hiding areas in my tank for my eventual full stock list, so that will help there too I think. If I go through with the sand path, crypts it is then, the idea all hinges on me finding a suitable divider to keep it from mixing too badly. Or maybe I can edge one side in the crypts and get larger slate for the other side and fashion another cave type deal. Eventually my tank will resemble the one in my head I'm still kicking myself for not going with my initial substrate choice and letting myself get talked into something I don't want anymore but thats ok, I'll get there eventually, gives me more to do with my tank.

 

[Rivercats]

Sometimes it helps to try to draw diagrams out, like you are looking down into the tank. Another idea is put the water sprite in a back corner and let it grow out and then up and across. Some will go out across the water but if you tank is open top it will actually grow up in the air out of the tank and can give a very cool effect. Plus in the back you can enjoy the look of the entire plant. I did this originally with it on my back left corner so it would absorb excess nutrients from the newly dirted tank. You could so Brazilian moneywort in the other side of the tank which could look really nice. Look at how it looks in the tank in this link its on the right side going up and floating... http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/my-20g-planted-tank-227109-14.html.

Plus what is you substrate?

 

[Kellie]

The substrate right now is mostly basic aquarium gravel. Switching it out for polished small stones a little at a time. Both of my back corners are currently taken up but I'll try your drawing it out idea and see what I can come up with to switch it around. I can't go open top, I'm afraid one of the furry pets will want to go swimming, I don't underestimate their ability to jump!

 

[Rivercats]

Oh we have cats and several open tops, the one cat is a bad jumper and used to get on the 220 when it had a lid, once we took the lid off and changed lights we showed him by actually holding him up there that the lid was gone and it was water. He never tried jumping up there again. The worst that happens is occassional drinking from a tank. Mind you these are rescued cats that lived at the river so I suppose fish water tastes good to them.... yuck.

One way to make a path is see if you can find a single colored stone alittle different from the main substrate stones and literally make a path with it. Wider in the front going around a curve getting smaller towards the back. You can find alot of these tanks on line but most are done in sand. Stones can still work you just need to get creative. Plus adding some slightly larger (not huge) rocks at the edge of the curve to draw the eye can be very pleasing. Then you could but wouldn't necessarily have to edge the path. You could then use the small plants to accentuate the path. Does this make any sense?

 

[Kellie]

Makes perfect sense and its a very cool idea. I was thinking sand would be cool because it could also serve as a Cory play area. I'm going to have to mental paint this whole concept more, then physically draw it out and finish sorting out the gravel before i can move on. I also want one more hiding spot either wood or slate picked out before i finalize the path idea.

back when my little black cat and i were both much younger i had a salt tank, it had the clear acrylic kind of top then one of those big wide flat light fixtures like you put on an open top and I'd constantly catch her sprawled out on top of the light trying to poke her paw threw the gaps in the top. She's 16 now and still plays like a kitten but when my dog (Maltese) starts to get on her nerves she jumps onto whatever high surface she can whether she can land it or not, several times she's gone to jump on the half wall between kitchen and dining room and ends up landing in their water fountain! So still going to stick with a hood just to be safe.