Has anyone ever used Easter Grass in their aquarium?

Question

I heard you canm use it instead of live plants for the fry to hide in after being born.I have 3 platys and some Easter grass in my tank for their fry. An administrator on a fish forum gave me the idea..

Answer 1

I have used it before and never saw it degrade or harm fish directly. That said after having used it before I wouldn't use it again. It's a dirt magnet and totally impossibe to clean. Further more babies can easily get trapped in it. Yes, I have used it but it's not a good idea. Make spawning mops instead. To make a mop take some yarn and wrap it around a big book about 20 times. Start at the top of the book and go long ways around until you stop back where you started. Don't pull it tight, just wrap. Next cut the yard at the top and tie a small extra piece at the bottom, opposite of where you started and stopped. Now cut the yarn back at the top. Now you have a spawning mop. Boil the mops for a few minutes to get them soft and tie them to pieces of clean styrofoam cup so they will float and hang down into the tank.

MM

Answer 2

I would not do it personally. Easter grass is plastic, and if a fish eats it, will cause problems. The dye may dissolve in the water, and may or may not kill the fish, and it could get sucked into the filter and if it does not clog the intake, will wrap around the impeller and could damage it. Live plants getting sucked into the filter will not cause problems because they will easily break. Plastic will not break so easily. Very bad idea IMO.

What forum did you get this idea from?


A better idea is java moss. It does basically the same thing, and grows in practically any conditions. I'm pretty sure it will even grow in a dark closet.


Amanda, the plastics normally used in aquariums are plastic and dye that is made aquarium safe. Eater grass is not designed for aquarium use, and the dye will very likely dissolve and harm the fish. But that will be a moot point when the easter grass destroys the filter.

Yes, I know that not all things not made for aquariums is bad. But believe it or not I have seen Easter grass before, and it does fade. Without knowing exactly what type of plastic it is, and exactly what kind of dye they use, there is no way of knowing if it is aquarium safe or not. If you do know exactly what plastic and dye they use, please share. And I don't know what kind of huge easter grass you have seen, but all the easter grass I have seen is quite small and will easily get sucked into a filter. Although this can be prevented with a sponge over the intake. And how do you know that platies won't eat it? Even if by chance a small piece managed to get eaten, it would not take much to cause intestinal blockage.

But magicman mentioned something that I forgot to add, that the fish can get stuck in it. That would be the absolute worst thing.


If you don't want live plants, magicman's spawning mop is an excellent way to hide the fry.

Answer 3

Actually, I don't see how it would contaminate the water. I have been keeping fish for 10+ years and it sounds like a good idea. We put all sorts of plastics in our tanks anyway, with filters, fake plants, and decorations. I don't see why a little washed off Easter grass would hurt.

And to the guy below me, listen- alot of things that aren't supposed to go in aquariums do just fine. The grass will not go into the filter unless you have huge grate openings, and if someone does have a filter like that, I'm sure they're going to be smart enough not to put the grass in there. Second- platies can't eat easter grass. They're not big enough, and would immediately spit it out the end if they tried to anyway since each piece is so long. And third, Easter grass dyes are usually pretty harmless since Easter grass is made to be left outside. Manufacturers know that alot of it can be left outside after Easter and have made it environmentally safe. If you have been keeping fish for as long as your profile says, surely you know that just because something says it is not for aquarium use doesn't mean it can't go in an aquarium safely.

Answer 4

Um. No.

The ink will come off of the easter grass. Use gravel. Otherwise you're going to kill your fish.

Answer 5

Only if you want the water to contaminate horribly.

Easter grass is a VERY temporary use-you need to replace it fairly quickly with java moss,cabomba... feathery,vine-y plants.

Answer 6

it would be difficult to say without knowing which mfr made the grass

Answer 7

only if they`re looney