Whole 20 filled to the top with Anubias.

[Aaron]

I started a tank with manure and potting soil a couple years
back and threw in some fern, anubias, and crypts. I set the
light on a timer and pretty much got busy with other things and
neglected it, only feeding the fish a few times a week. Now I
see, the anubias took over and the crypt and fern are small and
stunted. The whole tank is filled to the top with anubias and
I can't budge the thing. Something seems stuck good.

I want to move them to a larger tank, my concerns are:
If I pull up the anubias, are the roots deeply imbedded in the
potting soil, manure and gravel mix, will it release the rotten
sulfur gasses and kill the fish too? Will I mess up the
plant's establishment and large growth if I move them? What if
I cut them, how should I cut it? I can't trace because I can't
see where the roots start and begin, there are green branches
all over and white roots sticking out everywhere.

I want to move the anubias, if I knew this was going to happen,
I would've started with a larger tank when I first began. If
possible, I'd like to keep the whole plant as big as possible
and not have to fragment it.

Thanks all.

[Dick]

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 09:53:07 -0700, Aaron > wrote:

>
>I started a tank with manure and potting soil a couple years
>back and threw in some fern, anubias, and crypts. I set the
>light on a timer and pretty much got busy with other things and
>neglected it, only feeding the fish a few times a week. Now I
>see, the anubias took over and the crypt and fern are small and
>stunted. The whole tank is filled to the top with anubias and
>I can't budge the thing. Something seems stuck good.
>
>I want to move them to a larger tank, my concerns are:
>If I pull up the anubias, are the roots deeply imbedded in the
>potting soil, manure and gravel mix, will it release the rotten
>sulfur gasses and kill the fish too? Will I mess up the
>plant's establishment and large growth if I move them? What if
>I cut them, how should I cut it? I can't trace because I can't
>see where the roots start and begin, there are green branches
>all over and white roots sticking out everywhere.
>
>I want to move the anubias, if I knew this was going to happen,
>I would've started with a larger tank when I first began. If
>possible, I'd like to keep the whole plant as big as possible
>and not have to fragment it.
>
>Thanks all.

I have some anubias that are giants. One in 10 gallon tank was
pushing out of the water, so I cut it in half. The bottom in the 10
gal now grows lots of new leaves, but no new stalk. That is great in
that tank. The top half is now in a 29 gal tank and does not seem to
be starting a new stalk either, just leaves.

I also have some giants in a 75gal tank. One of them divided itself
half way up. I moved the top half and planted it, so far it is
growing well.

I have smaller species of anubias that did well for years, but
recently the new leaves are less healthy. Strange since the giants do
not share this problem.

I rarely stir up the bottom, but I see no problem when I have had to
remove plants. The water gets dirty, but clears in an hour or two. I
have worried about the grit getting in fish gills and suspect I lost
one fish that way, but it could have been a coincident.

The large roots remind me of that swamp tree in Florida (Mango?) I
just push as much of the roots into the gravel as I can get in. Seems
to be ok.

I just try things and hope for the best. These giant anubias seem to
be very resilient.

dick

[Jo]

Try cutting only the roots. Leave the rhizome alone (the closest thing I can
think of that resembles an Anubias rhizome is a Tapioca; hope that helps
:-) ). If you cannot see the rhizome, cut some of the oldest leaves (or
leave a few, though one leaf is actually enough).

If you want your leaves to be up growing out (very) quickly to replace those
lost, placed it emersed (not submersed) in a growing tank with NORMAL
fertilisers. Wash the plant from the growing tank and move it to your new
tank. Don't worry about injuring the plant. Anuibas are one of the hardiest
plants.

You should also tie the rhizome to a driftwood or rock that is at least as
long as the rhizome. This help to make future moving easier. In time the
roots will be produced and "glue" to it (explains your moving problem; the
roots may have "glued" themselves to the bottom). Note that Anuibas roots
can be planted into the soil but the rhizome has to be placed above the soil
or the Anuibas dies.

Hope the above helps.

Jo


----- Original Message -----
From: "Aaron" >
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 12:53 AM
Subject: Whole 20 filled to the top with Anubias.


>
> I started a tank with manure and potting soil a couple years
> back and threw in some fern, anubias, and crypts. I set the
> light on a timer and pretty much got busy with other things and
> neglected it, only feeding the fish a few times a week. Now I
> see, the anubias took over and the crypt and fern are small and
> stunted. The whole tank is filled to the top with anubias and
> I can't budge the thing. Something seems stuck good.
>
> I want to move them to a larger tank, my concerns are:
> If I pull up the anubias, are the roots deeply imbedded in the
> potting soil, manure and gravel mix, will it release the rotten
> sulfur gasses and kill the fish too? Will I mess up the
> plant's establishment and large growth if I move them? What if
> I cut them, how should I cut it? I can't trace because I can't
> see where the roots start and begin, there are green branches
> all over and white roots sticking out everywhere.
>
> I want to move the anubias, if I knew this was going to happen,
> I would've started with a larger tank when I first began. If
> possible, I'd like to keep the whole plant as big as possible
> and not have to fragment it.
>
> Thanks all.

[Aaron]

Mine is coming out the top. But the leaves dry up easily, also
the flower dries up too, I try to put glass cover to keep stuff
in the tank and keep the leaves fresh in the water. I don't
have the heart to cut this big plant. I want to just pull the
whole thing and drop it in the new and bigger tank. I'll
probably mess up the 20g if I pull it and I'm having a hard
time catching the fish. They are hiding among the branches and
stuff, but I can't remove the anubias til the fish are out
(catch 22). I think all that 2yr old potting soil fertilizer
mix will kill them because I think the anubias is imbedded in
there.

I think the tree is mangrove, like mangrove swamp.


In article >, >
> I have some anubias that are giants. One in 10 gallon tank was
> pushing out of the water, so I cut it in half. The bottom in the 10
> gal now grows lots of new leaves, but no new stalk. That is great in
> that tank. The top half is now in a 29 gal tank and does not seem to
> be starting a new stalk either, just leaves.
>
> I also have some giants in a 75gal tank. One of them divided itself
> half way up. I moved the top half and planted it, so far it is
> growing well.
>
> I have smaller species of anubias that did well for years, but
> recently the new leaves are less healthy. Strange since the giants do
> not share this problem.
>
> I rarely stir up the bottom, but I see no problem when I have had to
> remove plants. The water gets dirty, but clears in an hour or two. I
> have worried about the grit getting in fish gills and suspect I lost
> one fish that way, but it could have been a coincident.
>
> The large roots remind me of that swamp tree in Florida (Mango?) I
> just push as much of the roots into the gravel as I can get in. Seems
> to be ok.
>

[Aaron]

Thanks for the info.

What is emersed mean? And what do you mean by normal
fertilizers? Do I make a water, potting soil, manure mix? And
how long do I leave it like that.

Thank you.

In article >, liew26302
@pacific.net.sg says...
> Try cutting only the roots. Leave the rhizome alone (the closest thing I can
> think of that resembles an Anubias rhizome is a Tapioca; hope that helps
> :-) ). If you cannot see the rhizome, cut some of the oldest leaves (or
> leave a few, though one leaf is actually enough).
>
> If you want your leaves to be up growing out (very) quickly to replace those
> lost, placed it emersed (not submersed) in a growing tank with NORMAL
> fertilisers. Wash the plant from the growing tank and move it to your new
> tank. Don't worry about injuring the plant. Anuibas are one of the hardiest
> plants.
>
> You should also tie the rhizome to a driftwood or rock that is at least as
> long as the rhizome. This help to make future moving easier. In time the
> roots will be produced and "glue" to it (explains your moving problem; the
> roots may have "glued" themselves to the bottom). Note that Anuibas roots
> can be planted into the soil but the rhizome has to be placed above the soil
> or the Anuibas dies.
>
> Hope the above helps.
>
> Jo
>
>

[Elaine T]

Aaron wrote:
> Mine is coming out the top. But the leaves dry up easily, also
> the flower dries up too, I try to put glass cover to keep stuff
> in the tank and keep the leaves fresh in the water. I don't
> have the heart to cut this big plant. I want to just pull the
> whole thing and drop it in the new and bigger tank. I'll
> probably mess up the 20g if I pull it and I'm having a hard
> time catching the fish. They are hiding among the branches and
> stuff, but I can't remove the anubias til the fish are out
> (catch 22). I think all that 2yr old potting soil fertilizer
> mix will kill them because I think the anubias is imbedded in
> there.
>
> I think the tree is mangrove, like mangrove swamp.
>
Try trapping the fish. Take a well rinsed soda or drinking water
bottle, cut the top 1/3 off, turn it around, and stick it in the bottom
of the bottle. You end up with a funnel that fish can swim into, but
get confused when swimming out. Poke some small holes in the bottom so
the trap will sink and water can flow through. Put in your fishes
absolute favorite food (I use frozen bloodworms) and put the trap in the
tank. You may need to leave it in there overnight for nocturnal fish.

Here's a really bad ASCII art rendition of the trap.

__________________
/ /------
| _/
| _/
| _
| \_
| Food \_
| Here \_____
\-------------------


--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Aaron]

Thanks.

In article >,
says...
> Aaron wrote:
> > Mine is coming out the top. But the leaves dry up easily, also
> > the flower dries up too, I try to put glass cover to keep stuff
> > in the tank and keep the leaves fresh in the water. I don't
> > have the heart to cut this big plant. I want to just pull the
> > whole thing and drop it in the new and bigger tank. I'll
> > probably mess up the 20g if I pull it and I'm having a hard
> > time catching the fish. They are hiding among the branches and
> > stuff, but I can't remove the anubias til the fish are out
> > (catch 22). I think all that 2yr old potting soil fertilizer
> > mix will kill them because I think the anubias is imbedded in
> > there.
> >
> > I think the tree is mangrove, like mangrove swamp.
> >
> Try trapping the fish. Take a well rinsed soda or drinking water
> bottle, cut the top 1/3 off, turn it around, and stick it in the bottom
> of the bottle. You end up with a funnel that fish can swim into, but
> get confused when swimming out. Poke some small holes in the bottom so
> the trap will sink and water can flow through. Put in your fishes
> absolute favorite food (I use frozen bloodworms) and put the trap in the
> tank. You may need to leave it in there overnight for nocturnal fish.
>
> Here's a really bad ASCII art rendition of the trap.
>
> __________________
> / /------
> | _/
> | _/
> | _
> | \_
> | Food \_
> | Here \_____
> \-------------------
>
>
>

[Aaron]

Thanks for all the info.

Maybe I can fill the new tank to half and try growing anubias
so it fills all the tank. I will cover since i notice that the
leaves dry out quickly when they stick out. Would they benefit
with the diy co2 in emersed state?

Thanks again.

In article >, liew26302
@pacific.net.sg says...
> "Emersed" in this case means having the leaves of the plant above (not on)
> the water surface. If the room (or gardern) where you place the growing tank
> is humid, the leaves and flowers should not dry-out. If you live in an area
> with low humidity, you can probably place a sheet of transparent glass or
> acrylic over the growing tank to trap water vapour for 2 days before moving
> in the Anubias. Keep the sheet there until your Anuibas has grown out its
> leaves to the specific size you want. Wipe off any condensation on the sheet
> daily.
>
> Anubias are tropical plants that live in flood-prone areas. Their most
> active gowing periods are when they are emersed and during this time they
> also store more nutrients in their rhizome than when emersed. When the
> floods come, the plant growth slows down and the plant uses the stored food
> behaves like any submersed normal plants (like crypts) but with all taht
> stored food, it can grow better.
>
> When I said "normal" I was refering to typical fertilisers for indoor house
> plants with macronutrients. The reason why normal fertilisers is used
> instead of the aquarium version is that in a growing tank with no fishes,
> there is no macronutrient supply. (Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium comes
> mainly from fish food in aquariums.) If you worry about algae problem in
> your growing tank (actually, for this purpose, a pot will do), place a
> styrofoam board with a large slit over the rhizome for the leaves floating
> in this manner to reduce algae growth:
>
> Glass/ Transparent Acrylic Sheet
> |===========================|
> | |
> | +++ |
> | +++++ |
> | Leaves +++++++ |
> | +++++++ |
> | ++++++ | Pot
> | +++++ |
> | +++ |
> | | |
> |Styrofoam | Styrofoam|
> |XXXXX........................|.......XXXXXX|
> | Rhizome ... | .... |
> | ...... | ... | <-----|--------Water
> | \/ ..... | |
> | ////////////////////////////// |
> | ////////////////////////////00000 ..... |
> | 00000000000000000000 |
> |___00000000000 Rock 00000 0000.__|
>
> By placing fertilisers containg macronutrients in the water, there is no
> need for any substrate (or else, the roots may get stuck again). Try putting
> in only a 1/4 of the recommended amount
> stated on the label and only increase the amount slowly with complete water

[Jo]

They will.

When in emersed state the plants probably grow faster as there is more CO2
in air than could be safely introduced into the water. But, studies have
shown that plants with leaves out of water will still benefit from CO2
introduced in the air, up to a certain level where anymore will have no
effect.

I don't believe that the amount of CO2 produced from the common DIY recipie
will build enough pressure to burst the lid off. However, I've never tried
injecting CO2 into the air in a contained setup. You can perhaps try it out
at your own risks...

A few things to note:

1) Some CO2 may escape as the lid is not air tight (then again, sugar is
cheap) but don't bother to tape around the lid. You will eventually have to
clear any condensations on the lid.

2) As all the CO2 produced will stay in the tank for a while, the CO2 may
diffuse into the water, the water chemistry may change. Check your water
chemistry often .

3) Place your injection tube under water and just let the CO2 bubble into
the air (where it is supposed to go to). I believe that those needle-like
stuff where the bubbles come out were designed to be placed under water.

Good luck! Send your results to the group and let us know!(Or even better,
show us some "before" and "after" pics.)

All the best,

Jo



"Aaron" > wrote in message
a.net...
>
> Thanks for all the info.
>
> Maybe I can fill the new tank to half and try growing anubias
> so it fills all the tank. I will cover since i notice that the
> leaves dry out quickly when they stick out. Would they benefit
> with the diy co2 in emersed state?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> In article >, liew26302
> @pacific.net.sg says...
>> "Emersed" in this case means having the leaves of the plant above (not
>> on)
>> the water surface. If the room (or gardern) where you place the growing
>> tank
>> is humid, the leaves and flowers should not dry-out. If you live in an
>> area
>> with low humidity, you can probably place a sheet of transparent glass or
>> acrylic over the growing tank to trap water vapour for 2 days before
>> moving
>> in the Anubias. Keep the sheet there until your Anuibas has grown out its
>> leaves to the specific size you want. Wipe off any condensation on the
>> sheet
>> daily.
>>
>> Anubias are tropical plants that live in flood-prone areas. Their most
>> active gowing periods are when they are emersed and during this time they
>> also store more nutrients in their rhizome than when emersed. When the
>> floods come, the plant growth slows down and the plant uses the stored
>> food
>> behaves like any submersed normal plants (like crypts) but with all taht
>> stored food, it can grow better.
>>
>> When I said "normal" I was refering to typical fertilisers for indoor
>> house
>> plants with macronutrients. The reason why normal fertilisers is used
>> instead of the aquarium version is that in a growing tank with no fishes,
>> there is no macronutrient supply. (Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium
>> comes
>> mainly from fish food in aquariums.) If you worry about algae problem in
>> your growing tank (actually, for this purpose, a pot will do), place a
>> styrofoam board with a large slit over the rhizome for the leaves
>> floating
>> in this manner to reduce algae growth:
>>
>> Glass/ Transparent Acrylic Sheet
>> |===========================|
>> | |
>> | +++ |
>> | +++++ |
>> | Leaves +++++++ |
>> | +++++++ |
>> | ++++++ | Pot
>> | +++++ |
>> | +++ |
>> | | |
>> |Styrofoam | Styrofoam|
>> |XXXXX........................|.......XXXXXX|
>> | Rhizome ... | .... |
>> | ...... | ... |
>> <-----|--------Water
>> | \/ ..... | |
>> | ////////////////////////////// |
>> | ////////////////////////////00000 ..... |
>> | 00000000000000000000 |
>> |___00000000000 Rock 00000 0000.__|
>>
>> By placing fertilisers containg macronutrients in the water, there is no
>> need for any substrate (or else, the roots may get stuck again). Try
>> putting
>> in only a 1/4 of the recommended amount
>> stated on the label and only increase the amount slowly with complete
>> water

[rogerbinyy]

Some CO2 may escape as the lid is not air bound (then again, amoroso is cheap) but don't bother to band about the lid. You will eventually accept to clear any condensations on the lid.