One of my guppies just swam by and he had a bone through his nose!!! Seriously though, my plant life is seemingly on steroids and it's gotten so I can hardly see the little stone mountain in the middle anymore. In a way I'm happy because these may be the first plants I've ever had that didn't die in a week (don't have to remember to water these lol) but it's just too much. I wanna see my pretty fish again! What's the best way to go about trimming things up in there? Are there any common mistakes you can help me avoid? How much should I take out? Thanks in advance to all you lovely fish lovers!
2007-08-14 03:22:49 · 7 answers · asked by perchorin 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
It would help to know what sort of plants you have. Some plants like Java Moss can be artistically snipped with a scissors.Trim from the top down to let in as much light as you can to the other plants. Plants that reproduce by "runners"(sending out new growth under the gravel) should be trimmed at the end of the runner to force thicker growth.
Also old or sickly leaves should be pruned off(a sharp,sterile razor blade is a good tool for this job).
If you tank is really heavily over-grown remove about 2/3's of the extra growth.
One last item,plants benefit from frequent water changes as much as the fish do,so keep every one happy,and change a little water.
2007-08-14 03:45:33 · answer #1 · answered by PeeTee 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm no expert, but there are some general principles you can follow. One thing you probably want to do is make sure you remove the right kinds of plants, for example you don't want to remove all of a single type of plant and it is probably more necessary to leave the slow-growing plants than the fast-growing ones. If you have a problem with algae, it is a very good idea to have a snail or an alge-eating fish in the tank to clean things up. You could also try turning the tank light off more of the time, because the plants thrive on light and will use artificial light just as they can use real sunlight.
In the meantime, you can put a photograph of your tank here:
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/
2007-08-14 03:30:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I love plant tanks though I have no idea what types of plants you have, how or where you planted them. Goto www.aquatic-gardeners.org and read up on some plant information. You need to design the tank per the different types of plants you have. The Optimum Aquarium is the best book on this I've ever read. It's very diffilcult to get though try it's well worth it. This is the bible on aquatic plants and was the first book to describe the Dutch system.
2007-08-14 03:49:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Trim the plants with home scissors. Run the scissors under hot water to kill all the bacteria, and snip off parts of the leaf that's growing too big. Also, while you're at it, snip off any dead leaves.
~ZTM
2007-08-14 04:47:35 · answer #4 · answered by ZooTycoonMaster 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get some clen scissores or something with no rust or anything thats clean and sharp no oil and just trim it
2007-08-14 04:52:31 · answer #5 · answered by alex 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would suggest takeing it all out and putting in a few plastic plant so that they dont grow with the other plants u should plant them and continue to grow them instead of throwing them away
2007-08-14 03:28:50 · answer #6 · answered by heather the pet expert 2 · 0⤊ 6⤋
Just stick a lawn mower inside the tank. Nothing will happen, trust me!
2007-08-14 03:26:35 · answer #7 · answered by DeltaKilo3 4 · 0⤊ 7⤋