With driftwood, rocks, java fern, anubias and java moss it will fill out nice enough.
New 180G Build
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If you have a fish that likes to dig, soil underneath the sand is out of the question as you'll get a cloudy algae ridden tank. I'd go for the second option - sand and root tabs. In a year or so, the mulm build up inside the sand will start acting as soil. You do not need deep substrate...unless you like the look of it...You can place pebbles around newly planted plants to keep them in place until they root properly, to avoid curious fish uprooting them.
I decided to go with just a sand substrate not just because of the Geophagus but also because of the Pseudohemiodon. At the moment I just have Anubias and java moss in my driftwood and plan to get some java fern. At this point I am not going to put any rooted plants In.
Starting to wonder if my two radions using the plant default schedule at a max of 35% power for an 8hr total duration of light is too much for the plants I have
Anubias does best in quite low light. Moss on the contrary has always done best for me in better light, near the surface somewhere in as much flow as possible. I've placed it over spraybars, other filter sponges or driftwood, etc...I can't tell about java fern. I killed every type I've tried. There's something in my water that makes it suffer slow but sure death although I've grown various way more difficult plants..
You can try crypts, once they root, the root system will be interconnected all over the tank underneath the sand. No fish can uproot them when established. They do really well in mature, older sand substrate without any root tabs.
You can try crypts, once they root, the root system will be interconnected all over the tank underneath the sand. No fish can uproot them when established. They do really well in mature, older sand substrate without any root tabs.
Some examples below.
The first pic is moss on top an internal filter. I've done exactly the same on top of of a spraybar. The only time it won't work is if fish are eating the moss. If you actually place driftwood higher up and have the outflow of the filters at it, moss will grow best.
The second picture is just an anubias tank that's been running for nearly a decade. It gets very little light. You know very easily if its too bright for it because it will get covered in algae. You can see on that second picture that some moss has taken hold on top of the anubias near the most light...
The first pic is moss on top an internal filter. I've done exactly the same on top of of a spraybar. The only time it won't work is if fish are eating the moss. If you actually place driftwood higher up and have the outflow of the filters at it, moss will grow best.
The second picture is just an anubias tank that's been running for nearly a decade. It gets very little light. You know very easily if its too bright for it because it will get covered in algae. You can see on that second picture that some moss has taken hold on top of the anubias near the most light...
That looks amazing. I have glued the Anubias and the java moss to drift wood (the java moss in little clumps) hoping it will spread to cover the wood. The Anubias ended up being quite high up in the tank unintentionally. I guess I will need to trail and error the lighting intensity and the amount of fertiliser I am putting In (I am using the Seachem flourish range at the moment. Not sure I need to be using them all due to the high fish population) the tank has quite strong flow due to the return pump of the sump filter. I did have a ecotech Mp40 quiet drive In there but decided to remove it as it was pushing my Anubias and java moss quite a bit even on 1%. They still get mild flow on the other side of the tank due to the return pump thoughSome examples below.
The first pic is moss on top an internal filter. I've done exactly the same on top of of a spraybar. The only time it won't work is if fish are eating the moss. If you actually place driftwood higher up and have the outflow of the filters at it, moss will grow best.
The second picture is just an anubias tank that's been running for nearly a decade. It gets very little light. You know very easily if its too bright for it because it will get covered in algae. You can see on that second picture that some moss has taken hold on top of the anubias near the most light...
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You can blast the moss with flow, after it's attached to the wood well. Make sure to also trim it or it will fall off the wood eventually. The more trimming, the denser it gets.
As for the anubias, it will get covered in algae if its near the light. I always place mine down at the base of the driftwood in shady area. The rhizome can't be covered but if the actual roots grow into the sand it does very well. In fact the anubias on that tank in the picture above is all rooted but the rhizomes are way above the substrate.
Also, the giant anubias species are quite suitable for larger tanks. I am not sure what your tank size is? I have species that grow 2 feet tall and they're quite beautiful to have in the tank and fish love spawning on them.
As for the anubias, it will get covered in algae if its near the light. I always place mine down at the base of the driftwood in shady area. The rhizome can't be covered but if the actual roots grow into the sand it does very well. In fact the anubias on that tank in the picture above is all rooted but the rhizomes are way above the substrate.
Also, the giant anubias species are quite suitable for larger tanks. I am not sure what your tank size is? I have species that grow 2 feet tall and they're quite beautiful to have in the tank and fish love spawning on them.
Actually, the thinner and the better covered the driftwood, the more chance it will attach firmly. Clumps may not work that well. The moss will grow but won't attach to the driftwood and will fly around the tank, attaching itself elsewhere.
