Non-substrate plants for a low tech aquarium.

[Boxerbrad]

Hello everyone,

Currently planning a low tech tank - not looking to play around with ferts or anything and I believe I have standard T5 lighting on the 60X45X30 tank.

The hardscape will mostly be made of a 'stone wall' and I am looking to achieve the sense of moss covered rocks.

My question is which plant species, once attached will quite happily creep and spread along the surface? If possible in my tank. I have had only limited success in the past with peacock and java moss and I have found it to be quite a hassle.

Advice and suggestions welcome.

 

[darren636]

Bolbitis heudelotii- gets big but creeps
Microsorum mini/ petit- small Java fern that creeps.

Anubias nana will expand and creep.

 

[Boxerbrad]

Bolbitis heudelotii- gets big but creeps
Microsorum mini/ petit- small Java fern that creeps.

Anubias nana will expand and creep.

Thank you, though of the Anubias species and just thought of the Java fern variants myself. Might try a bolbitis but I'm not sure as to whether it woul be too big.
And suggestions along the line of mosses or similar?

 

[darren636]

Mosses would be good.

Fissidens is great, but slow growing.
Riccia is nice but needs re-tying often.

 

[Boxerbrad]

Mosses would be good.

Fissidens is great, but slow growing.
Riccia is nice but needs re-tying often.

Yeah, I don't really want to have to re-tie frequently.
Does Fissidens creep along a surface one it has been tied? Is it moderately easy to grow?

What about liverworts?

 

[Mick.Dk]

When you say, you don't want to play around with ferts or anything...........I have to ask if you do not intend to feed your fish either ???

Plants need food (fertlisation) just like fish do - this might be why your previous experience with moss was a hassle .

You asked for advice - now you got it !!!

 

[Boxerbrad]

Haha, thank you for reminding me of simple housekeeping.
I guess I am just worried about creating a massive algal bloom. I'm not sure where to start with fertilisation and C02 injection.

The other thing is I've dabbled with plants before and have had great growth (even from Anubias) with just good lights and keeping a clean tank. Just the last time II tried moss it grew, just not well.

Perhaps I did not thin it out enough before tying it?

 

[Ajm200]

Using ferts may seem daunting at first but read the docs on here. They are very good. It is just a case of adding a set amount of powders or liquids each day and doing water changes. Adding Co2 can be a bit trickier but still not difficult.

Have a look at the easy plants on Tropica's website. As long as the lighting is low, they will manage without any additional Co2 but still benefit from ferts.

 

[Boxerbrad]

Using ferts may seem daunting at first but read the docs on here. They are very good. It is just a case of adding a set amount of powders or liquids each day and doing water changes. Adding Co2 can be a bit trickier but still not difficult.

Have a look at the easy plants on Tropica's website. As long as the lighting is low, they will manage without any additional Co2 but still benefit from ferts.

Thank you, I shall take a look.
Just out of curiosity, does adding leaf litter - eg soaked Oak leaves, into the tank actually put nutrients in? Just curious as to whether anyone has done this in a low tech tank and found better plant health/growth?

 

[MirandaB]

Bucephalandras would be ideal for what you have in mind I think

 

[Boxerbrad]

Oh my they are beautiful :O

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
If you have plants like Anubias, Bucephelandra, ferns and mosses you can use very low rates of fertilizer, and you don't need to add CO2. They are slow growing plants and you can use an "orchid growing" approach. Nutrient addition can be at a very low level, 1/5 EI levels or even lower.

Personally I would have some floating plants as well, you can use them to regulate light levels, and for the <"Duckweed Index">. The main advantage of floating plants is that they aren't CO2 limited, and can make use of "excess" nutrients. Depending a little bit on the parameters of your water (tap, rain, RO etc) you may be able to dispense with the floating plants once your tank has established.

cheers Darrel

 

[Boxerbrad]

Hi all,
If you have plants like Anubias, Bucephelandra, ferns and mosses you can use very low rates of fertilizer, and you don't need to add CO2. They are slow growing plants and you can use an "orchid growing" approach. Nutrient addition can be at a very low level, 1/5 EI levels or even lower.

Personally I would have some floating plants as well, you can use them to regulate light levels, and for the <"Duckweed Index">. The main advantage of floating plants is that they aren't CO2 limited, and can make use of "excess" nutrients. Depending a little bit on the parameters of your water (tap, rain, RO etc) you may be able to dispense with the floating plants once your tank has established.

cheers Darrel

Please elaborate on the Orchid growing approach? Is there a guide?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Please elaborate on the Orchid growing approach? Is there a guide?

<"There is">, but it is more just a <"low nutrient, slow growth"> approach. If you want another analogy EI is "turn it up to eleven", and works particularly well for plants which are naturally very productive, come from nutrient rich situations and have fast potential growth rates.

Ferns, mosses and Aroids (like Anubias and Bucephalandra) are mainly <"epiphytes">, come from low nutrient situations and have low potential growth rates, even when there are high levels of light, CO2 and nutrients available. As you reduce nutrient and light levels these plants become more competitive, and they will survive, and grow, at level low levels of ambient light and nutrients.

cheers Darrel

 

[Boxerbrad]

Ah okay, thank you, nice bit of light reading after a coffee

Yes I was actually mulling this over whilst reading some old notes from somebody's project I studied at university. It was a little experiment to see whether aquatic Aroids from riverine environments thrive better in conditions with greater surface agitation for gaseous exchange. We actually looked at Anubias and from the current point in the study (7 months in) Anubias in a higher flow had far more growth than the same plant in low flow conditions. No additional CO2 or fertilizers were added to the water column, beyond the waste produced from 20 zebra danios in each tank.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Or this beauty that popped up on my crinum calamistratum

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

It was a little experiment to see whether aquatic Aroids from riverine environments thrive better in conditions with greater surface agitation for gaseous exchange. We actually looked at Anubias and from the current point in the study (7 months in) Anubias in a higher flow had far more growth than the same plant in low flow conditions.

Yes, I think this is likely to be CO2 effect.

There are other options, one might depend upon the amount of biofilm build up on the plant leaves. Again my suspicion would be that plants in higher flow areas have a smaller amount of biofilm present.

cheers Darrel

 

[Boxerbrad]

Hi all, Yes, I think this is likely to be CO2 effect.

There are other options, one might depend upon the amount of biofilm build up on the plant leaves. Again my suspicion would be that plants in higher flow areas have a smaller amount of biofilm present.

cheers Darrel

I think biofilm amount is dependant on the river system and more chemical factors. When studying in North Wales I found plenty of Biofilm covered rocks and boulders in the upper courses of mountain rivers. Ultimately seeing as how biofilm is usually made up of algae and photosynthetic organismsand bacteria which can consume them, I would say it comes down more to resources such as light, C02, 02 and dissolved minerals.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

When studying in North Wales I found plenty of Biofilm covered rocks and boulders in the upper courses of mountain rivers. Ultimately seeing as how biofilm is usually made up of algae and photosynthetic organisms and bacteria which can consume them, I would say it comes down more to resources such as light, C02, 02 and dissolved minerals.

I'm a Bangor graduate (back in the 1980's).

You are probably right, I think in nearly all systems with liquid water biofilm will develop on suitable surfaces, and flowing water would definitely replenish dissolved nutrients as well as dissolved gases. I was thinking of the sediment and biofilm cutting out some of the PAR, but the biofilm could potentially intercept gases and nutrients as well.

My reasoning was that a smooth leaf surface in flowing water will be less colonised than one in static water, but it is only a guess. I know that rain-forest trees tend to have a <"smooth leaf surface with a drip-tip"> and this is thought to deter microbial colonisation, but I don't know much about the colonisation of macrophytes in freshwater aquatic systems.

cheers Darrel

 

[zozo]

Bucephalandra is very flow sensitive at startup i bought one (Sekadua) which i devided. Put one piece right in front of the outflow and the other piece a few cm behind the outflow. The one in front of the outflow waving violanntly in the stream, grew 5 times bigger, with a huge root system and turned green/blue in color, the one behind the outflow stayed the same size and only propagated a bit from its rhizome turned yellow but keeps on living, even now it's overgrowen with moss. They are remarkebly hardy, but love high flow area's..