plants that would grow on the back wall?

MdngtRain

Large Fish
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#21
fishdad - totally loving that river!!!
Newman, thanks. I knew that about anubis, but not about java fern. I will have to move it then. Maybe that would be good on the driftwood?
 

MdngtRain

Large Fish
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#23
so, if I were to look for dying plants from too much light, what would I be looking for and how soon should I be seeing it? So far the plants are doing well, and it's been about a week in the tank...
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#24
For all plants, light drives the speed of growth. As long as there is enough carbon and other fertilizers available, it will all balance out.

Any aquatic plant can be burned by too much light though, despite having enough other nutrients.

What plants do you have and how are they placed (completely underwater or floating)? Different plants show overabundance of light in different ways.
 

MdngtRain

Large Fish
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#25
Thanks Orange Cones.
I have a java fewn, and one of which I cannot remember the name (bottle-brush looking thing that gets dark red/brown on the older shoots, and is a bright green on the newer shoots). It's pictured earlier in this thread... they are both underwater plants. (the java fern has since moved onto a lava rock and a branch of the driftwood)
I am not using ferts (never had luck with them) or any CO2... Do I need to look into making my own CO2 system to keep them going?
 

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MdngtRain

Large Fish
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#26
just an update:
I've had decent growth from that bottle-brush looking plant. Many of the newer shoots grew about 2" in the past week-week & a half. I have had no algae bloom as of yet, but I also don't have much going on in the refugium (I had hoped to get algae going there to help with filtration).
I added a "river" to the center of the substrate, but really not liking it at all (not how I had pictured it in my head). I may try to fix it at some point, but it will take a lot of upheaval in the tank and I'm up for that yet.
 

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#27
the "bottle brush" looking plant looks like anachris. also if you are planning to redecorate since u don't like the river you should look into dirt. I've never had plants live until I started using dirt in my tanks. put down about an inch layer or so of an organic soil like miracal grow. then cap it with about an inch or 2 of gravel or sand. never have to buy ferts again. the plants will grow alot better as well. I'll personally never do another planted tank again without dirt. thing about it is, it's better with a heavily planted tank. also stuff like the java fern are essential. they feed in the water column and not in the dirt itself so the nutrients that leech out are absorbed by plants like that. helps keep algae at bay. mosses and duck weed are great at that too. duck weed is looked at like the herpes of the planted tank world but it really does help in a dirted tank. it can cut out a bit of light as well to prevent the plants from getting burned up. It's something to look into if you really wanna do a planted tank that is low tech and cheap, vs high tech and expensive. I'f u feel like looking into it more take a look at dustin's fish tanks on youtube.

Tank on
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#28
i think the river has to be level with the "shore" haha, it can't be higher :p
right now it is gravel piled on top of sand.
and if you want a cross section of the river, at the front glass that area shouldn't be sand it should be blue gravel to make it look like it's a river flowing through there.