I'm sure that this thread comes up a lot, but, I never manage to keep plants successfully in my tank. I'm starting from scratch with a new 6ft (450l) tank. I can keep my salvinia alive, but the plants inside tend to go brown and die.Any advice on what and how to plant for my Aurantimaculata?
I often see some great pic's here, hopefully I can get it right this time.
Thanks in advance
Floaters out compete other plants for both light and nutrients , very little survives below them except slow growing low light tolerant species.
Aurantimaculata also dig like crazy when mature so anything rooted into the substrate is doomed to fail .
Your best bet is to stick with a variety of floater plants and use driftwood/bog wood as decor below. If you want plants in the lower layers then slow growing low light plants that attach to wood are really the only thing that stands a chance In this sort of setup Like Anubis, java fern or mosses and keep in mind that they will grow slowly because of the floaters out competing them.
I also found that my Anubias and ferns died back completely when first put in channa tanks. Plants often die back when the environment changes. I think the combo of lower temps and floating cover competition really hits them hard and it always take a bit longer for them to catch and take hold.
Floaters out compete other plants for both light and nutrients , very little survives below them except slow growing low light tolerant species.
Aurantimaculata also dig like crazy when mature so anything rooted into the substrate is doomed to fail .
Your best bet is to stick with a variety of floater plants and use driftwood/bog wood as decor below. If you want plants in the lower layers then slow growing low light plants that attach to wood are really the only thing that stands a chance In this sort of setup Like Anubis, java fern or mosses and keep in mind that they will grow slowly because of the floaters out competing them.
I also found that my Anubias and ferns died back completely when first put in channa tanks. Plants often die back when the environment changes. I think the combo of lower temps and floating cover competition really hits them hard and it always take a bit longer for them to catch and take hold.
also SH dont feed as often, so not producing as much waste that theses sorts of plants love. i have found by having a good current on the surface it keep the floating plants moving so the light can get down to the lower levels.
Growing plants in an aquarium requires a balance of the plants needs - light, nutrients, and carbon dioxide. Too much light will encourage algae growth as will too much fertilizer, and too little CO2. If you are not going to use CO2, don't use much fertilizer.
Current will help get light down but many floaters won't grow well in the current and will never hit that thick floating cover layer that channa like to have .
Joe is correct about plant growth require img a balance between nutes,light and c02 . The biggest thing with floaters isn't only that they get more direct light while blocking out the plants below but they have unlimited access to Atmospheric CO2 which allows them to grow rapidly and suck back nutrients faster then the plants below even if they are getting light .For anything below to have any chance at keeping up you'll need to supplement them with C02.
I've tried it all and with Aruanti and I find I get the best luck with just floaters and hard scape below. even if you can find plants that can handle the temperature swings and hit a balance that allows good growth below the floaters it'll only last short term before their digging and cave building activities will destroy everything !
Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be dusting off the silk plants then. I tried flow on one tank and it did lead to thinner crops of floaters. I might try a mild flow just to keep things moving gently this time. I have plenty of bog wood, so I'll have a play with that.
I've used various pond plants and the temps won't bother them but the other problems remain the same lol.
Another to consider is APONOGETON ssp. They are a bulb plant and most grow seasonally and when in growth they are quite tolerant of being pulled up and replanted without dying back each time . Ive had some success with them since they grow rapidly then die back anyway in the spring or fall and Auranti dig most when the seasons Change so the bulbs get torn out at the end of their seasonal cycle and come back the next year . If you mix and match species you'll get ones that grow in the warm Months and die back for winter and others that do the opposite. I just move bulbs back into place as they sprout.
