delyall Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Hiya Ive wanted to make a planted tank for quite a while now, but Im not sure what to get that I cant easily kill I hear java moss and java fern are good, as well as ambulia.. But I just want to know what combinations will be good/bad.. I have a 3 way divided 2ft tank with light and an internal filter with a spray bar.. the temp is a pretty constant 25-26 degrees and the pH is 7.0... and I have a gravel substrate.. lol.. I love the look of 'carpet' plants , but think theyll get tangled in my dividers, but for a sorority tank, Id love to have a 'carpet' bottom to the tank What would be a good one to have? Also I was trying to do some research on co2 for the aquariums.. is this necessary? They seem quite expensive.. and Im not 100% sure what they are Sorry for all the questions.. I have been doing research but I seem to be getting nowhere Heres a picture of my tank, might give you more of an idea of what it looks like than my crappy description above Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 easy (not necessarily cheap) plants for bettas tanks are java fern, java moss, and anubias (not anubis - he is a god). All will grow attached to driftwood or stone so are easy to move around, and are tolerant of low light. hornwart is also good, and just floats like a soft green mass in the tank (ie, you don't plant it). They don't need CO2. Carpet plants are not so good unless you have more light. I am not that well up on high light plants so will defer to the opinions of others. Higher light can only be utilised effectively by plants with adequate CO2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delyall Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Ahhh lol, thats why Egyptian sites kept coming up with I searched 'anubis' *airhead moment* Thank you for the help Ill see if I can track down some of them Would Hornwart be good for fry tanks? Seems like it would be good and easy for them to hide in.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 yes, I have it in all my fry tanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delyall Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Will I need to do anything to the water? Or can I buy the plant from a lfs or friend and put it straight in with my fish? .. Im sorry for bombarding with questions Ive just asked some LFS owners and theyre very little help.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 I rinse all my plants off under tap water, then put the plug in, fill up the sink and check for snails and snail eggs... They're very easy to miss. My tank is evidence of that. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delyall Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Okay! *mental note* Snails = bad and need to rinse plants :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fighter boy Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 id be able to give you some cheap java moss, java fern and some duck weed if you wanted to drive over. Im in springvale south, 3172 Java moss and fern are by far the easiest plants to care for. Simply put them into your tank and off you go. You can attach java moss and fern to wood and rocks which look nice once grown in. You can also make a moss wall or lawn using java moss and some plastic mesh. If this is your first time using plants in aquatics then id suggest you skip c02 for now. It is not needed for java fern and the likes. These are all low light plants and grow well enough without the aid of c02 injection. Also another plus would be that your fish will not eat your java fern as it has an acidic taste to it that many fish do not like. pm me if your interested in some plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 :) snails do not necessarily = bad. If you want to breed bettas, IMO snails = fundamental. But Yan did have a frustrating time with hers recently! Whether you want snails or not, other undesirables can arrive on plants (diseases, parasites) so it is a good idea to rinse them beforehand. I think some people recommend a weak bleach solution but I don't know what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delyall Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Thank you fighter boy *Pm'ed* So excess snails = bad Ive read a few places that snails are good in fry tanks, and Im guess couldnt be bad for my divided tank either, but when I set up my fry tank Ill make sure to have a few in there, and the hornwart Lol, I really do sound like a n00b Thank you for all the help! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaBetta Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 I condy's crystal our plants to rid them of snails - haven't lost a plant yet and have only ever found about 5 little snails that survived the ordeal a couple of weeks later - I crush them & feed them. I have heard though that some plants will succumb to condy's so beware! Are there some plastic plants in your tank - some look to be silk but not sure about far left compartment? I don't ever put plastic plants in with Bettas, they can tear their fins to shreds on them, silk ones are fine though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delyall Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Ahh, Ill definitely look into it Some silk and some plastic, I put the silk ones in with my more 'delicate' fish.. but I agree, I dont like the plastic plants, so far I havent spotted any damage to fins from them, but even so, I want to get rid of them asap :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlz0r Posted May 25, 2010 Report Share Posted May 25, 2010 Haven't tried it yet, but dipping plants into really salty water should kill snails, but the 100+ endler livebearers i got just eat em now. I have a home made CO2 set up, you can buy the diffusers off ebay for a few dollars, i got 2 for under $5 including shipping.. Use a 2L bottle, drill a hole exactly the size of air tubing thru the cap, thread it, attach diffuser. Then warm, cup of sugar and yeast. Mine lasts at least a week before I add another half cup of hot/warm water with sugar... Just make sure you've got oxygen bubbling otherwise there might be too much of an imbalance.. ): My angels almost died of co2 poisoning coz of that, other than that the plants go crazy, my anubias is flowering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandeecane Posted May 26, 2010 Report Share Posted May 26, 2010 ...Diffuser? What diffusers, sorry? *noob* I'm quite interested in the DIY co2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlz0r Posted May 28, 2010 Report Share Posted May 28, 2010 http://ausaqua.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=9986 I just put up a topic on how I do my co2! it's pretty easy.. and it lasts ages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neffy Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 subwassertang is a hilariously funny name and great little seaweed like plant that bettas love to rest on it just clumps up like a little bush sitting at the bottom of your tank no roots or stems to worry about, ive also read its really hard to kill Jodi sells it from her shop for $12 for a golfball size clump i just got some and the stuff is fantastic ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raie Posted June 2, 2010 Report Share Posted June 2, 2010 (edited) if you do not want to invest in a good substrate then go for non rooting plants like various mosses and ferns. java ferns are great and come in thin ones to suit your desired look. mosses also come in all various types and styles to suit your wants. subwassertang will not attach to anything and is free floating so you either need to tie it down or it may float around the tank and be overall annoying. mosses can obviously be tied to fly screen and used as a carpet or else rocks and driftwood. fissidens is another plant similar to moss where it will grow on things it's attached to. you do not need co2 of any form if you have the above. but you can dose seachem excel when you get algae. the plants above are also low light so you do not need to buy an expensive light fitting. i bought a desk lamp from bunnings for $20 and a light globe for $6 and my plants grow fine. Edited June 2, 2010 by Raie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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