Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tank Plant Advice => Topic started by: TopCookie on March 27, 2018, 10:40:06 PM
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It had to be done... a thread dedicated to these fantastic little plants... :)
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I'm very new to keeping Bucephalandra plants, having just started days ago... Hope I've "planted" them correctly, which was simply to place the roots onto a piece of slate and then pop a couple more pieces of slate on there to hold the plants in position... I hear that their roots quite quickly attach themselves to suitable surfaces - hope then that this is true and that they will be ok like this...
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I have mine glued to wood and rocks. The flow rate in the river tank would have blown them away without the glue.
I like lots of different plants, though I'm not very experienced, and don't always spend enough time on plant maintenance to keep most plants looking good. That's why I'm a big fan of low maintenance plants, especially those that don't even need planting. ;D
I also like them because it was such a surprise to have something flower in the tank. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for further floral activity this year. :)
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After chatting about them briefly last night, I went and ordered another one, lol, a "Wavy Leaf"... I can easily picture this Bucephalandra thing becoming a side obsession... ;D
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Just don't let your addiction get to this level!...
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCZbciOtpA8ka0qMdvWxrLuQ (https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCZbciOtpA8ka0qMdvWxrLuQ)
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lol, I wish that I could afford that level of addiction... ;D
Can easily see me starting to collect a few of them though, especially the slightly rarer ones... I'm thinking that there is a point at which we must stop adding livestock to the tank because of bioloading etc... That's a bit of a party pooper point to reach, after the fun of all the fish, snails & shrimp etc... Switching attention to large plants is definitely a no-no on the grounds of space... But starting a collection of very small and slow growing exotic plants, especially as they're easy to care for, does keep that "I need to buy something else" style retail aquarium therapy going nicely... ;D
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Just wondering how they would look as an aquarium background...
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I bet they would work well between the stalks of stem plants at the back there, especially with not needing much light and so not minding being in the shade of much larger plants...
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I was thinking of them attached to something like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/23-75-in-x-47-75-in-White-Egg-Crate-Styrene-Lighting-Panel-5-Pack-LP2448EGG-5/202653781 (https://www.homedepot.com/p/23-75-in-x-47-75-in-White-Egg-Crate-Styrene-Lighting-Panel-5-Pack-LP2448EGG-5/202653781) which would be placed vertically at the back to create a wall of them... you would need quite a few though! I have seen it done before and it looks quite unique.
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Blimey, at typically £5 each, and upwards, that would take some wonga to fill... :o
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A wall of them would look amazing.
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(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8128896930_9b59d75cfd_k.jpg)
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Oh blimey... Bucephalandra addiction has caught on at break neck speed here at Cookie Towers...!!! :yikes:
Three new plants arrived this morning: a "Wavy Leaf", a "Red" and a "River Blue" O:-)
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I'd not heard of the river blue before, so had to look it up. Very nice.
Where do you get you plants from?
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The new three came from three different sources...
River Blue was eBay and was really quite cheap, but is small (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bucephalandra-species-Live-Aquatic-Aquarium-Terrarium-Plants-SUPER-RARE/201028324410)...
Red was Aquarium Gardens, expensive with p&p but a really good size and is effectively three plants - could even split further actually...
Wavy Leaf was Pro-Shrimp, fair price and decent enough size, but one good plant...
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I'm quite lucky to live within a reasonable driving distance to Aquarium Gardens (<20 miles), so I get most of my stuff from there, and avoid the delivery costs. They do advise splitting the plants into several portions prior to use, but I think it depends on how much immediate impact you want to make.
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Lethal having a decent LFS reasonably close by, innit... ;)
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I am in the amazing position of having some great LFS in the area, plus Aquarium Gardens, a few specialist aquatics stores, and a couple of award winning fish stores within less than an hours drive from the house. It's only been within the past few months that I've taken to driving further afield to look at other shops. Very handy for something a bit different, and even just to look at how different shops are set up. :)
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That would be too much for me... lol, I can resist anything but temptation...!!!
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"Luckily" I've run out of room at home for any more tanks, so I'm now limited to what I can do with my current tanks.
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I'm starting to get to the point where I am fully stocked with fish, snails & shrimps... The new obsession with Bucephalandra has taken over for the time being, but it's easy to see where all this is leading: tank #2 ::)
Shortly after that, I can also imagine MTS setting in, lol... (Multiple Tank Syndrome) :rotfl:
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So, I tried tying the Buce roots to slate pieces t'other day... This, presumably, is a skill that doesn't come naturally, lol, and was a bit of a failure... Did what I thought was a fab job on the first piece, but no sooner did I put it in the tank, the plant just came off the rock easier than an easy thing... Hmmm...!!! Plan B in effect: SuperGlue...!!!
Even glue wasn't all that easy, but got there in the end... Left the newly glued pieces in the quarantine bowl for an extra day then finally got to putting them all in the tank yesterday... It's amazing how quickly such a small plant apparently shrinks or almost vanishes in scale when popped in the tank, but they're in there now... Will try and get some pics later... :)
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I suffer from chronic MTS. I'm not sure it will ever stop, even if I get distracted by plants sometimes.
I'm rubbish at tying plants to stuff, so always resort to glue now. Very handy.
I'm looking forward to seeing the pics. :)
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Took a few and not sure which shows 'em best, so here they all are... :)
(https://imagez.to/i/xQGYUcCQ.jpg)
(https://imagez.to/i/VAIU7byR.jpg)
(https://imagez.to/i/lC8XLB7Z.jpg)
(https://imagez.to/i/mgtZ1SEG.jpg)
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Tank looks great.
Yes, bucephalandra are quite small to start, but very pretty plants, and I like the arrangement ;D
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Thanks Donna... :)
I always preferred the idea of "aquascaping" with plants and avoiding the use of large rocks... I must say that I use that phrase very loosely though...!!!
Always seemed to me that putting several large rocks in a tank would potentially reduce the available space for water and so my guidelines were to put taller plants at the back and the sides, with medium plants in front of the back row and small plants in front of those... The only exception is the bogwood, but then that (I feel) serves a little more purpose, slightly...
Still planning on changing a few of the stem plants on the back there and maybe adding a few more plants along the way too... Using what I have learnt so far, I will certainly aim for plants with slower growth rates and less required maintenance etc... The Bucephalandra in particular fit that bill perfectly... :)
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For the first time ever so far, I've just ordered some Anubias, or an Anubias Nana "Pinto" to be more precise... This is to complement the Bucephalandras as another diddy little sweet thing... :)
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I've used rocks in my river tank, but there aren't many plants in there due to flow rate. Also lots of wood in that tank. The bucephalandras seem to be fine with the flow rate though, so they are heavily used.
I certainly don't call what I do aquascaping for several reasons, mainly because the focus is on the fish rather than the plants, but also because I still kill plants and can't really grasp the art of design.
The smaller anubias are quite cute. Is the pinto the variegated one?
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The smaller anubias are quite cute. Is the pinto the variegated one?
It is indeed... :) Pics of it look great, so fingers crossed that what arrives will be ok too... I'm thinking it might go on top of one of the two chunks of bogwood, the left one, where there is a virtually perfect little hollow right at the top, and apparently the "Pinto" needs more light than most other anubias, so if I can persuade the little tinker to stay in there, it could be the ideal spot for it... :)
With you all the way on the "aquascaping" thing, especially that whole notion of the art of design...!!! That's a real gift/skill that some folks have, but not me... :)
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Right there with you on the aquascaping. I've had my planted tank for 8 years and I've spent longer than that looking at other people's designs (I have a coffee table book of Takashi Amano tanks). I realised when I left my tank alone for a long time, that it aquascaped itself better than I could! Eventually I have managed to absorb enough that I got something half decent. The latest thing I've tried is the use of plants like anubias on rocks and smaller bits of bogwood. I can then move them around if I think they don't quite look right. And I'm really pleased with my 'tinkering' so far, I'm working out how to fit the stones in so they look natural and actually contribute to the aquascape instead of just being a base for a plant. It's a lot easier and less messy moving a rock than moving a rooted plant!
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Ditto on the Takashi Amano book... "Nature Aquarium Complete Works 1985 - 2009" :D
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Whenever I go plant shopping I always admire the display tanks. They've put some benches in that part of the shop. All they need to do is add a coffee machine and I'd be very comfortable. However, I do accept that my tanks are never going to look like the ones in the shop. :-[
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lolol Donna... you might be onto something there lass... Seating strategically placed in LFS' would go down a storm I bet... Can just picture myself sat there with a brew too, admiring all the display tanks and stuff... ;D
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The benches in front of the display tanks are at Aquarium Gardens, rather than at the LFS. I have enough trouble at the various LFS here as it is.
A while back, when visiting family in Cardiff, I visited the MA at Morganstown. Not only did it have a lot of stock, and a main display tank that was approx.10ft square, containing fresh water rays and black ghost knife fish (with a bit where you could duck into the cabinet and stand up in a glass bit inside the tank), but it also had a quiet section with display tanks and 2 sofas. It's probably a good thing that I don't live in Cardiff any more. ::)
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... talking of family in Cardiff, I have my Cardiff branch of the Cookie Clan coming up to Belper to visit in a little over a week... My dad, the Frenchman from where my name comes... Will be a weekend of nice wine and food etc, can't wait... :D
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I hope you have a great time with the Cardiff crew. ;D
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Thanks Donna... :-*
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Couple of pics of the Bucephaladras and Anubias Nana "Pinto"... Managed to catch them today with my little Lemon BN Pleco (blue eyed) in the frame... :D
(https://imagez.to/i/tjnRmSRq.jpg)
(https://imagez.to/i/HwRLhAeY.jpg)
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Your new planting looks great, and your BN seems to appreciate it. :)
The pinto is looking good with the buce. 8)
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You can just about see the new Bacopa, to the left of the Bacopa Compact there... They're a bit bent to one side at the mo, after a couple of days in a quarantine tub... No doubt it will straighten up nicely over the next day or two... Also planted some more Ludwigia Repens Rubin in the front left corner, but the pic with those in was too blurred to post... Had a disaster with the Echinodorus Red Diamond though - the plant that arrived was obviously an older plant and had a monster root system, plus you could see several stumps where leaves had been removed, in the middle of the rosette...!!! Needless to say, I had a moan at the vendor and hopefully a replacement should be on its way here pronto...
That being said, I am delighted with the Pinto... it wasn't cheap but it's a lovely plant and there were two distinct plants in the pot too... :) Originally wanted to pop the Pinto on one of the large wood pieces, but I couldn't figure out a suitable way to secure it without the hassles of taking the wood out - the Cory Cats love to hide behind there and taking them out might be a bit stressful for them, so the two Pintos got glued to the one piece of slate instead...
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Looks good its creating a nice area of planting lower down in the tank... something I'm trying to think about in my of tank currently... tall plants at the back and short at the front... trouble is they keep growing!...
My buce has flowered again in the puffer tank... I'm finding it to be a very robust plants much like the anubias I'm more familiar with... ferts or no ferts, shade or full light... always grows and seems happy.
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They seem to be very hardy little plants, and the flowers are a nice bonus. :)
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So tempting to collect more and more Bucephalandras...!!! The Anubias was always one plant that I had previously avoided deliberately - not really sure why tbh... But that Pinto has turned me around and made me re-think... Certainly looks a good fit to me, size wise and growth rate wise, the Anubias and Bucephalandras together... I can see that I'm gonna get drawn into a mission to explore the various Anubias and see if I can find something a little bit different or rare amongst them... :)
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My favourite anubias is coffeefolia. The leaves are different from the other anubias species I have, and mine is quite low growing.
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That looks nice Sue... a little bit larger too, so would sit nicely behind the smaller Buces... :)
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I had no idea that the world of Anubias was so varied...!!! There seem to be all sorts of sizes available, which is great...!!!
The one that I have taken a shine to at the moment is the "Golden Nana"
(http://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/ekmps/shops/aquariumgardens/images/anubias-golden-nana--1566-p[ekm]258x300[ekm].jpg)
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I did it the other way around - started with anubias and eventually found the bucephalandras. :)
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I tend not to like the larger versions of plants much as I always feel that they make the tank look smaller... in have had a larger anubias for years and am always taking leaves off it to keep it small... I think the problem for me especially with larger anubias is that there is not much 'green' until right at the top. The leaf stems are relatively thin and bare compared to all the green leafiness on the top of the plant and for some reason it doesn't look natural to me. I have the plant growing on (not in!) the substrate in the puffer tank with a piece of wood on top of it which it grows through and I find this looks a lot nicer. Anyway that's just me...!
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I agree with what you have said about the larger anubias. They are quite handy in the background.
Large anubias are essential in my axolotl tank, which has to be low light because axolotls don't have eyelids. The leaves are also large and study enough for the axolotls to rest in.
There is an aquatic plant suitable for any environment. ;D
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Still more of a Bucephalandra fan than an Anubias fan here - just celebrating the choices that we have... :D
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Following this afternoon's water change, I decided it was time I took some photos of my Bucephalandra, and also my Anubias coffeefolia.
Photo 1 is Bucephalandra maia. There are 3 pieces attached to a piece of wood covered in nerite eggs. The other plants in the photo are a piece of hornwort caught on the wood and behind the wood; Bolbitis heudeloti on the left; and an algae covered leaf of Anubias barteri peeping out from behind the other piece of wood. And a male peacock gudgeon (Tateurndina ocellicauda) and a rice fish (Oryzias woworae) in the background.
The stem of buce on the left side is tied on with sewing thread after I managed to dislodge it a couple of water changes ago :-[
Photo 2 is Anubias coffeefolia. The plant on the right is other other side of the Bolbitis; on the left is Java fern windelov, and at the back is Anubias hastifolia.
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Looking great 8)
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Looking really good there Sue... :D They all look nicely established too, so I'm guessing you've had them a while...?
Nerite eggs... :o That's one snail I'd love for it's detritus munching adventures, for sure, but that sesame seed action they have going on is a real spoiler, eh... :-\
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I've had most of my plants a while now, though some have been moved since I got them. For example, the coffeefolia originally shared a piece of wood with the windelov Java fern but they were fighting for space so I had to separate them. And the A hastifolia grew too big for its wood so I moved to a bigger piece last week.
The most recent purchases were the water sprite (August 2016) and the buce and A barteri in April 2016.
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Lush, lush, lush!
Wow - to have had plants lasting two years is, in my view, an amazing achievement... and they're the most recent purchases, which means I am seriously impressed by you/anyone having even older ones. (Hmmm - I thought I was doing well that I'd finally got some to last several months, and keep glancing in the tank to make sure they really are still alive.)
My Bucephalandra only lasted a week or so before turning to slime, and Bolbitis didn't last much more than that, so it's good to see these doing so well in your tank. I love the texture of the coffeefolia - it looks quite different too to standard/usual anubias.
As for the nerite eggs, I'd always wondered how they might look (my nerite is clearly a male), so thanks for sharing.
Beautiful! Thanks for this lovely peek inside your tank - and for the glimpse of some lovely fish too, of course.
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I got the bolbitis in June 2014, and the hornwort in April 2014. I have no idea when I got the A hastifolia as I obviously didn't make a note at the time :-[
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Great photos @Sue
I always think your tank looks like such a great environment for your fish. It has a lovely natural a quality to it with plenty of hiding spaces for everyone. I know you have described before now how easy it is to maintain too because it can all be removed/moved around for cleaning purposes if required.
@fcmf remind me what plants you have at the moment... and what lighting? I did a bit of research this morning into the two species of plants which are not thriving as much in my tank and I ended up turning up my lights as they both needed more light than the others... funny because one is labelled as 'easy' but actually requires the same levels of lighting as the medium plant...
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@fcmf remind me what plants you have at the moment... and what lighting? I did a bit of research this morning into the two species of plants which are not thriving as much in my tank and I ended up turning up my lights as they both needed more light than the others... funny because one is labelled as 'easy' but actually requires the same levels of lighting as the medium plant...
Maybe best if I answer this in a different thread, just to keep everything in its rightful place. :)