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Can I re-root my HC carpet, or must I start again?

Joined
3 Jan 2016
Messages
383
Location
Woking, UK
My HC carpet has reached the stage where it has lifted away from the substrate. It happened while I was pruning it; it has lifted away as a large mass. I believe this is a common problem.

Can it be persuaded to re-root? For the time being I have weighed it down using a ceramic weight. Will it send new roots down?

The tank is about 8-9 months old. Substrate is Tropica Aquarium Soil Powder.
 
yes it will. It will take some time though. Can you push it in the sub.
 
I'll see what I can do.

If I could find some sort of dark-coloured plastic pegs to pin it down, that would look better.
 
Or you can what I have done when planting HC for the first time ever. I used super glue to glue bits of aquasoil to the roots. Then I just dropped the clumps in. :)
 
^^ Genius idea!

I've just looked in my toolbox and found some plastic rawlplug type things intended for hollow walls, so they have a taper to them. Pushed a few of those through the carpet and down into the substrate. Will see whether they hold...
 
I think I'd probably split it up in to easy to plant pieces and start again...I think you have to give it regular and brutal trimming to prevent it from lifting in the first place.
 
I'm with Troi (aka Tim H ;)) ... cut into smaller sections & replant - I suspect this will yield longer term success & it should fill in quite quickly ... easy enough to try both methods in different areas of the tank :)

Have you been "pushing" it down at every opportunity?
 
Hi Mike,
I had this problem also and i tried different things to let the carpet re-root again but it never really worked.
I did like the others say;
1. Take the whole carpet out of your tank. Try to take it in one piece or several bigger ones
2. Alot of "dust" wil come depending of the carpet's age and once you took it out you can "vacuum" your substrate. Without sucking it up of course.
3. Rescape your soil
4. Wash the carpet and devide it into several smal pieces. I like to go with pieces of one centimeter each.
5. Then try planting them like two or three centimeters deep so it wont come out easily.
6. The weeks after; when it tends to grow upwards cut it down and with good ferts and co2 you wil get the carpet u once had :)
7. Try to let your new carpet grow at a maximum height of 0,5 \ 1,5 centimeter and you wil never have to do this again

Good luck :)
 
Thanks folks!

My idea with the plastic rawlplugs didn't work - they came out of the substrate and the whole lot floated again. I've now tried pushing it all down and partially burying it, but I do wonder if I'll have to start it again as Timon says. Time will tell.

It's certainly true that this problem started after I became a bit lazy with pruning and let the carpet get too thick.
 
Yes, I , too, think you should take it out, wash it, cut it into small pieces and replant ; after vacuum ing the substrate ; I know it's a messy business but you should not forget that you have a lot of organic waste accumulated under that carpet and now that the carpet is off all that mess is getting in the water column ; the longer you wait the more you risk an algae outbreak, especially BBA

Envoyé de mon SM-G935F en utilisant Tapatalk
 
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