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Guppy Plants and Low Light Plants | 15 comments (15 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Wonderful Information unclescott!! (none / 0) (#1)
by guppygirl on Sat Sep 06, 2003 at 01:22:36 PM PST

I just thought I'd add a point or two.

Always, always, rinse live plants thoroughly before you put them in your tank to avoid snails, and other unwanted critters.

Don't leave the lead ties on them, or any "pots" that they come in, if the LFS can't tell you what it's comprised of for certain.
Tell me if you find a LFS that can, and I'll do ALL my shopping there!

I have read that many professional breeders swear by using only water sprite for guppies. They believe that it helps maintain a perfect water quality for guppies, as well as showing their colors the best.

I can't keep it alive because it can't get enough light in my deep tank. I don't want to add more light to my tank, because of the varieties of fish I keep. You could probably do better than I, if you have a tank with a standard depth.

Hornwart I dislike the most, it fragments in the currents in my tank, and then blocks the filtering tubes.

I just got some new plants, but D'OH, I forgot to write down the name. They have a med size leaf that is green with green, edged in red, as you get toward the top.

I thought the color combination was perfect for hiding the swordtail fry I'm hoping for.

The LFS said that it needs strong lighting. Gee, it wasn't in the bright tank, and it seems to be doing wonderfully in my tank. So there, THHHHH!

It's really a matter of choice and experimentation.
Hey, answer the poll, and may the best plant win!

Question (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by fishfan19 on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 08:05:13 PM PST

Um this may sound stupid but I know nothing about live plants and was wondering how you clean a tank with live plants without killing them? I'm kind of curious

[ Parent ]

Carefully. (none / 0) (#14)
by Scott Lockwood on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 11:37:16 PM PST

This is a good question - with live rooted plants, it becomes even more important to watch how much you feed so that you don't have to, say, sever roots when vacuuming out the solid wastes. This is one of the reasons I don't use this type of plant in my tanks. :-)

"I love to visit PetSmart's Tropical Fish Dept. to see what new diseases are around today." -- inkmaker
[ Parent ]

Cleaning with live plants. (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by guppygirl on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 08:42:58 PM PST

I just kind of vacuum carefully around them.

Sometimes plants need to be taken out to be trimmed, or to remove dead leaves etc., so I do that, vacuum, and replace.

If something is fragile you might pot it, see unclescott's suggestion.

This makes it easier too.

Hope this helps, and by the way, the only truly stupid question, is the one that doesn't get asked.

[ Parent ]

lead plant weights (none / 0) (#3)
by unclescott on Sat Sep 06, 2003 at 03:57:01 PM PST

Amen ! Don't leave them in the tank! I know that if you have Corys, trying to get bunch plants to stay in place can make you nuts. But there is some indication that water - especially if it is soft or goes a little acid, as water in established, well populated aquaria tends to do -can dissolve some of that lead.

One way around the Corys is to put plants in pots. Some people like to do that so they can fertilize and cover with gravel. Those plants are easier to move too.

I can't document it off hand, but there have been fish from such tanks (with dissolving lead) which have shown neurological problems and birth defects.

All the best,
US

[ Parent ]

I'm an admitted computer idiot... (none / 0) (#2)
by guppygirl on Sat Sep 06, 2003 at 01:35:27 PM PST

I can't figure out how to answer the poll in the box, so I'll just vote for my favorite plant this way.

Anubias, hands down. Low light plant, very cheap, usually sold in bunches for like 3/$1.49.

Grows well, can be trimmed to form new bunches, or to provide floating plants.
Wonderful deep green color.

Fry like to nibble on it.
Leaves can catch uneaten food for fish to eat as they forage.

Also offers great fry and female protection.

What's not to love?
:-)

[ Parent ]

No no (none / 0) (#6)
by Scott Lockwood on Sat Sep 06, 2003 at 07:14:34 PM PST

Not you - he didn't include any poll options. :-) As soon as he and I can get together, I'll show him the ins and outs of scoop. :-)

"I love to visit PetSmart's Tropical Fish Dept. to see what new diseases are around today." -- inkmaker
[ Parent ]

The poll that wasn't.... (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by unclescott on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 12:25:37 AM PST

"Not you - he didn't include any poll options."

Ok, that explains why furiously clicking away on yes under the poll question doesn't work! ;)

[ Parent ]

I only clicked once!!!! ;-) (none / 0) (#9)
by guppygirl on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 11:57:34 AM PST

See, I'm not only a computer idiot, I'm a chickenshittle too!!

[ Parent ]

Anubias (none / 0) (#4)
by unclescott on Sat Sep 06, 2003 at 04:02:40 PM PST

GG, do you mean Anubias or Anacharis? Do a Google image search for a good look.

Both are beautiful plants. But I'd drive across the country to get a price like that on the various Anubias. :)

If you can do well with Anacharis, you should be able to do well with most all of those other plants.

All the best,
Uncle

[ Parent ]

You're right us, I meant Anacharis. (none / 0) (#10)
by guppygirl on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 12:34:18 PM PST

I'm still experimenting with live plants, and I don't always get the names right.

Probably due to my method. I won't buy plants over the internet anymore. Bad, expensive, experience.

If I see a plant that I like in a store that I think will do well in my tank, I buy it.

If it does well, I usually will buy more, and sometimes I even remember to write the name down.

If not, I'll remember what it looks like, but I don't really care to know what it was called.

[ Parent ]

Great Information!! (none / 0) (#5)
by GuppyAdict on Sat Sep 06, 2003 at 05:04:24 PM PST

I have learned more from you, Guppgirl and Scott L. then I have throughout all my books.

Thanks for all the great information!!!

[ Parent ]

And Thank You! (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by unclescott on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 01:17:51 AM PST

And I have been feasting on the comments of GG. :)

One of the reasons why this is so useful to you is that it directly answers questions you have. You sometimes have to really dig or pay careful attention to even the best book to pick up something you actually need/want to learn.

Socrates (and many other great teachers) was famous for asking questions and letting his clientele wrestle with possible answers. Only then would he comment on his proposed solutions to the problem at hand.

That is a very hard thing to do well. A lot of energy and effort goes into that. One can feel emotionally and physically wrung out afterwards.

However in a forum such as this, your experiences generate the questions and everyone's interest is piked. List members (here and in a number of other fishy places on the net) are led to think of things, insights and questions which would never otherwise occur to them.

School teachers would kill for a situation like that. ;)

An example of how this works for me is that question about potassium permanganate. A while back I picked up the "Tropical Fishlopaedia: A Complete Guide to Fish Care" by Mary Bailey and Peter Burgess. It really is an encylopedic collection of fish care minutia by two (of many) authors I've come to respect.

It turns out that the book, just being read, is brutally boring. I've used it as a sedative several evenings - sometimes not by plan. But it sure coughed up some good info on "that purple chemical".

It is fun, pardon me, a joy, answering questions to someone who genuinely is interested in a set of topics dear to one's own heart. Sort of a meeting of the true believers in a larger world which could care less about small fishes in glass boxes. Also, a lot of mailing list and forum people on the Net are pleasently surprised to find that they actually have as much to offer in a discussion as they do.

We all find ourselves at wit's end, probably daily. (Computers are just the start of my list.)

And it is just neat being actually able to help. In a certain cosmic sense it is also saying thanks to the many who have helped "us". Also whoever those who are who are brainstorming on a topic, they are also growing in the aquarist's craft by problem solving too.

So thank you!

Ok, pedagogical mode off//

[ Parent ]

Well said uncle scott!!! (none / 0) (#11)
by guppygirl on Sun Sep 07, 2003 at 12:41:26 PM PST

Ditto here.

I did have to look up what "pedagogical" meant. Heh, heh, heh.

And thank YOU for the compliment, it means a lot to me.

I think we do a great job here, and I love the learning environment we have.

I was in corporate training for many years, and I found there was nothing more satisfying, than seeing "the lightbulb light up".

This medium is a little different for me, but I just "listen for the click"
;-)

[ Parent ]

Re:Can you help me too? (none / 0) (#15)
by NewBreeder16 on Wed Sep 15, 2004 at 09:19:34 AM PST

After reading about how you like helping people I wondered if I could get some info too. I just found a died male guppy in my tank. He was half black and quite young to die.There were no visible cause of dieth and has been black sence birth. I wondered if this kind of guppy had a short life span or not.I will be very grateful for your help.

-NewBreeder16

[ Parent ]

Guppy Plants and Low Light Plants | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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