# maybe goi the live plant route...?s



## jeff5347 (Aug 15, 2011)

*maybe go the live plant route...?s*

So i was thinkin gon getting some RCS fro my 10g tank and was informed the y do alot better with live plants. i have in the tank so far a male guppy and a male and female sword. Was thinking on going with a few RCS and maybe someother small fish. I have all fake plants. I have had a 30g tank years ago and never did live plants so this is a total noob thing. 
Now dont go balistic but while shopping for food at walmart i noticed they had these 
Sea-Life Plants Live Aponogeton Aquarium Bulbs, 1ct Customer Ratings & Reviews - Top & Best Rated Products - Walmart

From what gizmo states the RCS like the live plants better but dont tolerate to well fert. My main goal is a fish/shrimp tank, not a plant tank. So im curious if i get these bulbs, let them take and grow is there anything that will harm the plants or anything i can do to help them grow fully. 
Figuredthe live plants may give a more realistic look


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

The apongeton bulbs will grow well in just about any tank that has fish and lights.They take root under the substrate so you can thing of going with some eco complete just to help it out a little.


----------



## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I've tried the bulbs once, and while one rotted on me, the other did quite well and I ended up with a nice red dwarf lilly. You can just drop them in your tank, and while they might float for a bit, they should eventually sink. Another way is to let them soak in a separate container and then place them in your tank after they send out shoots and you know they'll live. One advantage of that is that if they rot, it won't be in your tank. That particular company is well-known for compensating customers if their bulbs don't grow in 30 days, although send rejects to them and not to walmart. So I say give them a shot. That's how I got my first plant.


----------



## jeff5347 (Aug 15, 2011)

ok cool thanks all. Walmart here i come


----------



## jeff5347 (Aug 15, 2011)

ok so i got the bulbs last night. I just put them (3) on the window sill in a clear glass with water and some gravel. I put them in the gravel so they are totally submerged. Figure when i see the first sign of sprotting i will transfer to the aquarium. 
I will kepp this updated to let you know what happens an what they are


----------



## jeff5347 (Aug 15, 2011)

wondering something on the plants. was thinking of getting some wood and have it sit on the bottom. maybe 2 pieces. Then drill some holes so the plants have something a little more stable to anchor to but also have the wood have some "rot" i guess i would say or gutted out almost to give my upcoming shrimp a place to hide. One does that sound like a worthwhile idea and what type of wood can i get. Do i need to get it at a LFS or where else could i serch for it. Wood a small piece of wood cleaned out that would other wise be use for the wood stove be ok. i would clean it relentlessly to make sure it has not junk or stuff in it


----------



## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

jeff5347 said:


> wondering something on the plants. was thinking of getting some wood and have it sit on the bottom. maybe 2 pieces. Then drill some holes so the plants have something a little more stable to anchor to but also have the wood have some "rot" i guess i would say or gutted out almost to give my upcoming shrimp a place to hide. One does that sound like a worthwhile idea and what type of wood can i get. Do i need to get it at a LFS or where else could i serch for it. Wood a small piece of wood cleaned out that would other wise be use for the wood stove be ok. i would clean it relentlessly to make sure it has not junk or stuff in it


lol, sounds like you're making a good setup for java fern and anubias (generally easy, low-maint. and low light plants that are often anchored to rocks and wood). The plants you got from the packs root in gravel though, so providing wood for them is unnecessary, but it looks good. If you add enough plants, rocks and wood, you wouldn't have to have the wood be rotted out to provide hiding places. 
As far as cleaning the wood, I'd get off all the visible dirt and boil it for awhile. Dried wood would probably be better since it doesn't have sap to worry about. Wood releases tannins, which some fish love, but they make your water yellow. Good carbon filters can remove these, and they go away after awhile. Another thing to think about is that you'll need to soak the wood to make it waterlogged so that it won't float.


----------



## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

jeff5347 said:


> ok so i got the bulbs last night. I just put them (3) on the window sill in a clear glass with water and some gravel. I put them in the gravel so they are totally submerged. Figure when i see the first sign of sprotting i will transfer to the aquarium.
> I will kepp this updated to let you know what happens an what they are


You don't want to bury the bulbs (rhizomes really, but who cares?) because they need water to be able to move around them so they don't rot. Water would soak in, even if they float for a day or two, and they'd sink on their own, hopefully. Anyways, good luck with them!


----------

