devonian and carbonian plants

[KarstenHeydahl]

Um...I hate to be a bubble-burster but Polypterus did not exist during the Devonian/Carboniferous. The earliest fossil evidence of fish even remotely related to polypterids is from the Triassic and Polypterus itself is an even younger genus...the earliest records coming from the Cretaceous.

What this means is that your list of acceptable plants has grown significantly. Bolbitis would be appropriate because it is not only a fern (which is quite an ancient group) but it is also found in Africa which is where most (but not all) fossil polypterids hail from. You might also consider Java Moss (Vesicularia)...another very primitive plant (though not an African one).

-Joe

having no fossil record does not mean it did not exist. It just mean, that its not found yet. Fpor example its estimated that we know just 5% of the dinosaur species, that did exist. Animals that lived in mountain regions for example are almost never found, due to bad fossilisation circumstances.

 

[Fruitbat]

So...you're proposing that Devonian bichirs lived in the mountains? On a more serious note...I'll grant you that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence but Polypterus fossils are completely unknown before the Late Cretaceous and, considering how tough their scales are, you would expect to find at least SOME evidence of them if they existed earlier. Polypterus IS indeed a primitive fish compared to most others currently alive today but it is unlikely that the genus Polypterus itself existed much before the Late Cretaceous.

Still...it IS your aquarium and you can decorate it any way you please!

-Joe

 

[KarstenHeydahl]

So...you're proposing that Devonian bichirs lived in the mountains? On a more serious note...I'll grant you that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence but Polypterus fossils are completely unknown before the Late Cretaceous and, considering how tough their scales are, you would expect to find at least SOME evidence of them if they existed earlier. Polypterus IS indeed a primitive fish compared to most others currently alive today but it is unlikely that the genus Polypterus itself existed much before the Late Cretaceous.

Still...it IS your aquarium and you can decorate it any way you please!

-Joe

I did propose nothing. The mountain area was just one example. We have very little knowledge about paleobiology yet. Polypterus did not jump out the jukebox. They evolved over a long process, And their ancestors (who look pretty similar to them) are there since devonian times (Hyneria for example).

 

[Wiggles92]

I would just go with plants that were around during the Late Cretaceous since that will give you a much larger variety of choices for plants plus you can be 100% sure that bichirs definitely did live around the time that the plants were living.

I see that choice as more of a convenience thing that still allows for a fairly accurate and varied primitive look rather than a much more limited arrangement of plants.

If you still wish to stick with your original idea, I know of an ancient miniature aquatic tree that stays submerged for life, but the name of it escapes me. I do know that said tree still does exist, so you can acquire it since it's cultured for ornamental uses.

 

[KarstenHeydahl]

I would just go with plants that were around during the Late Cretaceous since that will give you a much larger variety of choices for plants plus you can be 100% sure that bichirs definitely did live around the time that the plants were living.

I see that choice as more of a convenience thing that still allows for a fairly accurate and varied primitive look rather than a much more limited arrangement of plants.

If you still wish to stick with your original idea, I know of an ancient miniature aquatic tree that stays submerged for life, but the name of it escapes me. I do know that said tree still does exist, so you can acquire it since it's cultured for ornamental uses.

very nice, do you know what kind of tree that is?

 

[cjiejian]

hmm... Selaginella... well if you do get your hands on some try to slowly introduce them to the aquatic environment... i know for fact that b4 java fern become this popular they use to be land based plants... well they do grow near river banks but they were land based...

 

[Mei long]

Cretaceous might be a better bet than Devonian, since Polypterus as a genus really isn't that old. However, something pretty similar to Polypterus was probably living a great deal earlier. The split between polypterids and other actinopterygian fishes seems to have happened around 400 million years ago (mid Devonian, that is) and polypterids have retained most of the ancient charcteristics, which implies they haven't changed very much since their early history.

That is, there were no bichirs in the Devonian, but probably fish that looked quite a bit like bichirs.

When comparing to dinosaurs, one should remember that the aquatic animal fossil record is much more complete that that of terrestrial animals. That's because most of the fossil-bearing rocks are formed as aquatic sediments.

Any way, a Mesozoic tank is a lot easier to decorate than a Paleozoic tank. You can use all kinds of aquatic ferns (Java fern, Bolbitis, Salvinia, Marsilea, Ceratopteris) and mosses (java moss is the most common, but there are others too). Many terrestrial plants can be grown roots in the water on the tank edge to bring an exotic look: all kinds of ferns, Selaginella, Equisetum, terrestrial mosses etc. It will make a cool tank.

 

[Rockbass6]

lol Devonian? Now that is old..
bichir lineage is not that old, and there is something called convergence, making it look like a species that may not be related.. even remotely. Doesn't look like much of the devonian fauna if you ask me.. about as similar as scleractinia and rugose corals. You don't know what your talking about, A new species can come to life very quickly via anagensis, followed by its constant stasis since the cretaceous, if there is no reason to evolve. Your best off with ferns, because they have survived many extinctions, and happen to look like plants of early devonian, if that is the look you want. I personally use anubias, and java fern in my poly tank, and it looks very natural.

 

[Rockbass6]

Ehh felt bad about that post sorry I reread it and it sounds like I am an ass. lol But Polypterus are not from devonian, or what your calling carboniferous, is what Europe calls the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian? haha Sorry, just trying to think back to the good ol earth history class.. I would do plants natural to the range of west africa, most are low light, and look kind of older. That might be a neater biotope, than a fake 300 million year old setup.