SilverBlade86 Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Can I use gravel as a substrate for plants such as Java Fern and others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 java fern doesnt get planted but gravel is fine. some people say sands better and others say gravel, having some sort of plant mix under the substrate would help if you wanted to really get into planting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Gravel is fine, as long as it is not too big. Java will attach itself to the gravel but don't completely bury the roots, just anchor enough to hold it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Java will attach itself to the gravel but don't completely bury the roots, just anchor enough to hold it down I didn't know that...but the roots must eventually go under the gravel do they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Yes they do but not totally. They draw their nutrients from the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 i tie my java fern to rocks and driftwood cause i dont like it floating around my tanks, does that make me a total control freak? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 i tie my java fern to rocks and driftwood cause i dont like it floating around my tanks, does that make me a total control freak? :lol: Nah, it just means you don't like picking it out of your filter inlet when it get stuck there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 I planted a large Java fern in my main tank as it was blocking the light from my other plants and it went nuts! There are now babies all over it and it has reclaimed the surface (well it's babies have) going to have to do some pruning soon LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 (It's the one in the middle if you're not sure) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 Indian Fern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 This one is tied to a rock with brown cotton, the rock is partially buried in the gravel, and about 30mm of it sits above the substrate, with the majority of the roots just floating around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 Indian Fern. Opps, Alanmin is right, that's Indian Fern. I have both and got them around the wrong way in my head :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 Keri Anne...is that a java fern on the left side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBlade86 Posted May 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 I planted a large Java fern in my main tank as it was blocking the light from my other plants and it went nuts! There are now babies all over it and it has reclaimed the surface (well it's babies have) going to have to do some pruning soon LOL. Hmm, looking at your picture, I might have a problem. Since I have a small tank, I dont put too much gravel in it. Maybe 1 - 2 cm at most. How would that be? :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 SilverBlade86, read all the posts below that pic and you'll see that she, , Keri Anne misnamed it. The one in the centre is an indian fern. The java fern is front left by the look of it. Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBlade86 Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Ohh ok. My bad then, I must have not read the posts below. Anyways, I forgot I had somemore gravel, so now my tank has around 1 inch of gravel in it. Whens the best time to start planting? I've tossed in a tester WCMM in there to see if it survives, and assuming all goes well I would like to plant ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 How big is your tank? I have a 600 x 300 x300 mm planted tank, it has 30mm of Daltons propogating sand and on top of that 30mm of 5-9mm gravel. You can see a pic of it when it was first set up if you click Gallery at the top navigation of the page, or click here: http://gallery.guppies.co.nz/displayima ... 0023&pos=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 I've always planted first then added fish. Easier without the little guys trying to see if you have food and getting in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBlade86 Posted May 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 How big is your tank? I have a 600 x 300 x300 mm planted tank, it has 30mm of Daltons propogating sand and on top of that 30mm of 5-9mm gravel. You can see a pic of it when it was first set up if you click Gallery at the top navigation of the page, or click here: http://gallery.guppies.co.nz/displayima ... 0023&pos=2 My tank is a tad bit smaller than yours, at 500m x 300mm x 300mm. And your tank looks great. Trying to see if I can achieve the same effect with mine. As for the fish trying to bug me if I have food, its only just one fish. If the guy survives a week I'll remove him and start planting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted May 6, 2006 Report Share Posted May 6, 2006 Your tank is the same depth as mine, I have put a 40mm strip of black foam board (black foam sandwiched between black card) around the base of the front and sides of my tank so that you can't see all the substrate, just 20mm of gravel. This stops you seeing the gritty stuff at the bottom (maybe I'm too fussy about this sort of thing, but hey, it's gotta look good). When I redo this tank (or should that be undo?) I will look at putting Daltons Aquatic Mix on the bottom, rather than the sand. It was all I could find at the time I set it up, but now I have found a source for the proper stuff. I've always planted first then added fish. Easier without the little guys trying to see if you have food and getting in the way. I put the substrate in first, half filled it with water, then planted. You don't have to get wet all the way up to your armpits this way, even if it is a small tank. Then filled to the top, waited for the muck to settle, added filter, then three Corydoras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBlade86 Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Ahh I see. At 20mm worth of gravel I think I should be ok. I have roughly maybe 30mm+. I'll wait a week and see if my sacrificial WCMM survives the week and then I'll start planting. Thanks for the help guys. Will keep you updated. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 I always plant the tank first as that helps with the cycling (uses the nitrate that gets produced) and it takes a while for the plants to get established, so they are getting established while the cycling is going on. The plants you have in the picture look like cuttings and will need to develop roots before the can play any real part in cycling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBlade86 Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Yeah, I'm about to do the same thing. I got the gravel, driftwood and filteration going, with just one WCMM in it to test if the gravel and driftwood is safe. So far 2 days have passed and the WCMM seems lively but lonely, so I might start planting soon. Any suggestions on plants I could use? I got Java Fern and Java Moss in mind, but are there any others? This will be an unheated tank, and will definetely be cold during winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 There are pleanty, have a look on Trade Me and go see what your LFS has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverBlade86 Posted May 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 I was just told that most plants will be fine during winter, however as my tank will not have any lighting I'm not too sure about some of the plants now. Some of the suggested plants: Ricca Indian Fern Anubias Ambrulia However, Ricca is supposedly a heavy light requiring plant, so I dont think it will be suitable. My tank is next to a window, so it should get some light but I reckon it wont be enough. Any thoughts and comments on these selections? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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