Trimming Planted Tanks

[nerdelish]

Hi everyone,

I have had a planted tank for a few months and I have just now gotten to the point where I need to trim the plants in the tank. Every time I trim I am unsure of the best way to go about it. Are there any rules of thumb to pay attention to or is it mostly trial and error? I want to to look as natural as possible while still keeping plant growth manageable (allowing all plants to get light, thinning out without making it too sparse...that kind of thing).

 

[Fishperson]

It depends on the plant.

Stem plants you can just cut above the node (the place where 2, 3, 4, or more leaves come out of, basically right above the leaf).

Rosette plants very but you usually pull the entire leaf out.

Which plants do you have?

 

[nerdelish]

Thanks for the reply. I have:
Water Sprite
Flame Moss
African Water Fern
Staurogyne repens
Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia
Java Fern
Bacopa monnieri
Amazon Sword
Anubis Golden
Hygrophila difformis
Some kind of ludwigia (it's green and yellowish and red on the top of the plant)
Foxtail
Cambomba

I have some others I don't know what they are...

 

[Fishperson]

I'm going to respond in the quote ok?

Thanks for the reply. I have:
Water Sprite ///stem plant - cut it above the node (where the leaves come out) like almost all stem plants
\\\
Flame Moss ///just cut it with scissors, like most mosses. The cuttings may grow themselves if they get stuck in other places in the tank. Turn the filter off when trimming, net them off the surface and throw them away.\\\
African Water Fern ///bolbitis is what it's often called. Not too sure\\\
Staurogyne repens ///stem plant\\\
Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia ///stem plant\\\
Java Fern ///wait for the baby plants that grow on the ends of leaves to get of decent size (or even let them fall off, I think) and then tie them down to rocks or driftwood where you want them to be. Or, split the rhizome (thick "root" at the bottom) and reattach it where you wish\\\
Bacopa monnieri ///stem plant\\\
Amazon Sword ///I think it makes runners but I'm not sure\\\
Anubis Golden ///pinch off the rhizome and re-tie like Java fern. Bolbitis does the same I think actually\\\
Hygrophila difformis ///stem plant\\\
Some kind of ludwigia (it's green and yellowish and red on the top of the plant) ///this is Ludwigia repens probably, a stem. The two below are stem plants also\\\
Foxtail
Cambomba

I have some others I don't know what they are...

Post pictures of the others so we can ID them.

 

[brennae]

Amazon swords do in fact send out runners. When they start to grow roots then detach the runner from the main plant


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[nerdelish]

Thanks for the help. I'll try to snap some pics tomorrow!