Extreme Planted Nanos

The Extreme Planted Nano
By Robert Paul Hudson
photos and text appeared in Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine

When most people enter the aquarium hobby for the first time, they begin with a small affordable aquarium while yearning for something bigger- usually much bigger!

Some experienced hobbyists are reverting the other direction to smaller and smaller aquariums and paludariums. Using freshwater plants it is possible to take this to the extreme.

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Rony Suzuki's Bird-Feeder Aquarium
Container and size: plastic bird-feeder pot that goes into birdcages. 100 ml of nominal volume
Flora: Hemianthus callitrichoides and Java Moss.
Substrate: Pool filter sand

When a friend told Rony Suzuki about a news story that the worlds smallest fish had been discovered in Asia, (Paedocypris progenetica), he took this as a challenge to create the smallest planted aquarium that could house such a creature if the fish were to become commercially available. With a magnifying glass you can see the detail of an aquascape featuring a light green ground cover, rocks, and dark green moss that to scale looks like tall background plants!

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Rony Suzuki's Cracker Box Paludarium

Feeling his creative juices flowing, Rony turned his attention to a plastic tray container that was meant to store crackers! In his eyes it was a paludarium that could host an intricate design of plants and rocks. “I had initially decided to grow some more Hemianthus callitrichoides, and for that I bought this really nice plastic pot for storing crackers. I added garden soil, earthworm compost, covered it with pool filter sand, filled with water and planted a few cuttings of Hemianthus. Since there was some space left I decided to put in a bit of moss as well. There was still some space to put in a Hydrocotyle sp., and I also took the opportunity to add a few shoots of Eleocharis parvula.”, explained Rony as if it was just all thrown together by chance.

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Fábio Yoshida's Light-Bulb Aquarium
Aquarium: 250 W Light Bulb.
Dimensions: ~79 mm in diameter.
Volume: ~250 ml.
Substrate: pool filter sand.
Lighting: indirect, but applied directly a few days a week.
Flora: Anubias nana.

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Fábio Yoshida's Flower-Tube Aquarium
Aquarium: Flower tube with stand.
Dimensions: 140x37 mm cylinder.
Volume: ~150 ml (nominal).
Substrate: pool filter sand.
Lighting: indirect
Flora: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis.

Not to be out done by his friend, Fábio Yoshida had his own ideas for extreme nanos. By removing the metal socket of a light bulb from the glass without breaking it, Fábio was able to fill the bulb with sand, water, and one small Anubias plant. “The setup didn't take too long to be completed, it was even quick, I think about 3 or 4 hours in total”, he reports.

Next Fábio turned his attention to a small glass tube. With a long pair of tweezers he carefully planted Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, which in normal size aquariums is used as a foreground plant! Fabio points out “This setup was MUCH easier to plant than the bulb, since the tank's “mouth” is larger than the bulb's.”

Creating your own extreme nano

To create your own extreme plant nano, you simply need a container, a growing medium, water, and light. You would be surprised what you may find from your own shelves and cupboards, but thrift shops are great places to find unique looking glassware, vases, and oddities that can be easily transformed to aquaria art. If it holds water, a plant can grow in it.

Choosing the right plants

The smaller the container you use, the smaller the plants need to be to create something to scale, otherwise it just looks like a plant crammed into a container that is too small to house it.

A couple of examples: Hemianthus callitrichoides is one of the smallest known aquatic plants used in the hobby. Only in the past year has it become commercially available in the USA under the name dwarf baby tears. This carpet plant hugs the substrate and contours with the surface like a surgical glove. It can be easily used to cover a hill or sloping surface, wood, or even rock. Its’ leaves are barely bigger than a pinhead and is rarely taller than an inch.

Anubias nana petite is a cultivated miniature version of A. nana. The petite leaves at maturity grow to be no bigger than a thumbnail and grow in thick clusters on a creeping rhizome.

Various grass like plants that grow to a height of a few inches would be suitable as middle to background plants in extreme nanos, and dark green moss like plants such as
Monosolenium tenerum and Vesicularia dubyana when grown attached to an object may be used at scale from low to the substrate to the highest levels of the nano container. Choose plants not only for size but to create contrast in color and shape.

I found what looks like a glass brandy snifter, but originally was filled with candy. I filled it just shy of half way with black quartz sand that someone had given me years before. In the center I placed one Anubias nana petite plant and a small lava rock with Monosolenium tenerum attached to it, on either side of the nana. In front I carefully planted several tiny bunches of Hemianthus callitrichoides. One small pond snail has made himelf at home and the plants have grown under a 13 watt desk lamp to cover the entire area within a couple weeks. I use airline tubing as a siphon to change the water. It was easy to set up and yet gave me a feeling of accomplishment that I created something unique and beautiful, and I understand the pride that Rony and Fabio must have felt in creating such an extreme nano.

Robert Paul Hudson, an avid hobbyist for over ten years has operated the WEB site www.aquabotanic.com since 1999, writes the Planted Tank column for Freshwater and Marine Aquarium magazine, and has contributed to numerous magazines and club newsletters always striving to educate the hobbyist and put the spot light on the aquarium plant hobby.

Import Report

Eriocaulon 'thailand'

The Import Report
By Robert Paul Hudson
appeared in Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine

Eriocaulon sp
Eriocaulon is a genus of over 400 species in the family Eriocaulaceae which are found in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. Commonly called pipewort, these unique looking plants are highly sought after by serious plant collectors. Most of the rare species come from Asian and Australian shallow acid peat bogs, which must be recreated in the aquarium.

Eriocaulon sp Australia type 2 is a collector specie that grows to a maximum height of about five inches. Soft-acidic water, elevated C02, moderate light and peat in the substrate is what this plant needs to thrive.

Eriocaulon sp Thailand comes from black water pools in the Thai jungle, and this unassuming little plant brings a delicate touch to the aquascape. Eriocaulon species resemble plants in the related families Cyperaceae, (sedges) and Juncaceae (rushes). This specie looks like a miniature pin cushion.

Imported from: A very exclusive trade primarily in Japan and Singapore. On the rare occasion these plants are imported into the USA, they come from Singapore.


Bacopa australis

This variety of Bacopa is a new comer to the American hobby, but is well known in Europe. It has a thinner, softer stem and a smaller, lighter green leaf than the more common species in America. As long as you have ample light and C02, the plant is unproblematic and highly decorative. The plant was discovered in Brazil and is not native to Australia as the name may suggest. The stems branch easily to create a bushy group and the color is a nice contrast to darker plants. Although it does not have huge light demands, care should be taken to not allow it to be over shadowed by larger plants.

Imported from: Asian and European growers. Now grown in Florida commercially


Cryptocoryne wendtii Florida Sunset

“Florida Sunset” is an exciting new plant from Florida Aquatic Nurseries that is a variant of the import favorite “wendtii mi oya”, which is a red colored regional variant that comes from the Oya river in Sri Lanka. The Florida Sunset is named for its variegated leaves that exhibit a rainbow of colors ranging from different shades of green, pink, red, yellow, orange, and white all in one plant. Each leaf of each plant is unique looking with different coloration and marking. Even the white areas have a hint of color underneath and red veins showing thru. Like its parent Mi Oya, Florida Sunset can grow under most light conditions from low to high and most water conditions- soft to hard, making it an ideal choice for the hobbyist.

Imported from: mother plant “Mi Oya” is imported from Asian growers. “Florida sunset” is a cultivar from Florida.


Rotala sp green

Thought to possibly belong to the same species as Rotala rotundifolia, this highly decorative plant has been popular in Europe since first introduced by the Danish company Tropica Plants in 1998. It grows without effort under moderate light or higher and in either soft or hard water, and quickly grows into a thick stand that can be easily controlled and shaped by regular pruning. It has recently become a staple in Japanese aquascaping. It is easily propagated thru cutting and re-planting of the stems.

Imported from Asian and European growers


Nesaea golden

Nesaea pedicellata is native to West Africa and is occasionally imported into the USA. It has yellowish green leaves and brown stems, and is a relatively simple plant. A variant or mutation was discovered that sported solid golden yellow leaves and red stems. Selective reproduction and growing produced a stable strain that is now available thru Florida Aquatic Nurseries distributors and dealers under the name Nesaea golden.

It is a beautiful stem plant that brings an elegant color to the aquarium design. Medium to high light and temperatures below 80 degrees F make this plant suitable for most hobbyists. The stems will grow side shoots that can be propagated or left to grow to create a thicker and wider bush. Cut stems will branch, but the new growth on a cut stem is much thinner and weaker. For this reason, people often replant the cutting and throw out the rooted base to retain thicker stronger stems.

Imported from: Parent plant is imported from African collectors, and Asian and European growers. The “golden” variety is a cultivar from Florida.

Echinodorus cordifolius harbich

The Harbich Sword was developed from a mutation found in E. cordifolius by a nursery in Europe. The plant stays small and the leaves tend to curl inward to create a cup like appearance. Like most sword plants it is a heavy root feeder and does well under moderate to bright light. This variety is somewhat more likely to suffer iron deficiency if iron is not provided in the substrate. From an artistic standpoint, the plant is an excellent choice for the mid ground in larger tanks, and the background in nano tanks. There are other cordifolius mutated strains and hybrids, such as the “marble queen sword” which is a variegated leaf showing a swirl of white and green. If growth seems to come to a halt, or the leaves are showing signs of stress, simply add a fertilizer tablet into the substrate next to the plants.

Imported from: Originated in Europe, exported from Asia. Now in production in Florida.



Echinodorus vesuvius

Possibly a variant of E. angustifolius, very little has been written about this plant, but it has become very popular thru out Europe and is now beginning to reach the USA. I hope this plant is picked up by American commercial growers because it is so unique looking and extremely easy to grow. The leaves twist and curl as they grow straight up and the width of the leaves can vary from narrow to wide on the same plant. It is often a combination of a twist like a corkscrew and curled like a ribbon on a present. It needs only moderate light or better and is not particular about water conditions. It spreads easily and quickly by ground level runners that produce new plants. Its maximum height is only 12 to 15 inches making it ideal for most any size aquarium.

Imports from: Originates from Europe. Rarely imported into the USA.


Marsilea minuta

Marsilea is often called aquatic four- leaf clover, but is actually a type of fern. Above water the nodes have four lobes that look exactly like four leaf clover! When grown under water the plants usually retain only one or two lobes. Mostly Marsilea species have been used as an ornamental pond edge plants, but in recent years it has gained popularity as an aquarium plant to create a ground cover type foreground. Marsilea minuta is a more recent addition to the hobby over more common species of Marsilea. This particular variety is popular because it is much smaller and shorter in height. Marsilea minuta is the widest distributed species of the genus and also the most variable. There may be some variation in size depending on its origin. It is native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, and has recently been found in Florida. The plant grows in swamps, stagnant water, edges of rivers and seasonally flooded land. It also occurs in wet rice fields, where it sometimes becomes a nuisance forming large and dense colonies.

People have found other uses for this plant- leaves of Marsilea minuta are tender and eaten as a potherb in Senegal, Gambia and India. In Nigeria the extract of whole Marsilea plants is used as aphrodisiac and for increased fertility, while in India the leaf juice of Marsilea minuta is used to stop nose bleeding and indigestion.

Marsilea minuta is one of the few plants that can be used to create a thick carpet like foreground in low light tanks. It is a slow growing plant and requires patience for it to cover the foreground, but is easy to control for this reason.

When planting, like most carpet plants you want to divide the clump of nodes into smaller pieces and space them across the area that you want your carpet to fill. Two to three leaves on each clump or runner should be enough to seed the area and for the plant to fill in the gaps as it spreads. This cute little plant is perfect for someone new to the hobby or starting out with a small aquarium.

Imported from: Asia or Australia


Anubias minima

Anubias plants have been very popular in the hobby for decades for their almost indestructible nature. Growing under very subdued lighting and with little special effort, these plants with their thick fleshy leaves and dark green color have become the most widely used plant in the hobby. Anubias barteri var glabra, otherwise known as Anubias minima is no exception. It grows easily with subdued light either underwater or above water in humid air. It can be attached to wood or rock, or take root in the substrate. The leaves are elongated with wavy edges and sometimes naturally variegated in color. It can grow to be fairly large, but since it is such a slow grower, it may still be suitable for smaller aquariums for a year or so. It is usually left alone by fish that like to nibble on plants and is secure enough to withstand fish that like to dig making it suitable for cichlids, goldfish, and other fish that are often hard to keep with plants.

The leaves grow from a thick horizontal root called a rhizome. A large plant may be divided into several plants by cutting the rhizome cleanly between leaves.

Its native habitat is West Africa where is grows attached firmly to rocks in water or in muddy soil, and under either full shade or full sunlight. It is highly adaptable to a wide range of water conditions, but the most ideal would be soft to medium hard water. Any hobbyist should be able to keep this plant with great success!

Imported from: West Africa. Now cultivated in Florida.

The Fiddler Crab

The Fiddler Crab
by Robert Paul Hudson
appeared in FAMA magazine

They don’t play a tune, but the Fiddler crab puts on an entertaining show! You may have seen them in your pet store, bright red and sporting one claw several sizes too big for its body, or if you have visited out of the way coastal beaches you may have seen them doing the side step in the sand and beach grass.

A few years ago, I took a trip up the northern coast of California. Somewhere between San Francisco and Eureka I pulled off the highway and climbed down a steep bank to a somewhat remote beach. As I reached the withdrawing tide I began to notice hundreds of little red crabs scurrying around the rocks and little tide pools. As I walked back away from the rocks I continued to see them darting across the sand, in between the beach grass and on and around washed up driftwood. I was fascinated by these creatures and was anxious to learn more about them.

The Fiddler crab consists of approximately 97 species of semi terrestrial marine crabs within the genus Uca, and belonging to the family Ocypodidae. These two inch creatures find their home in mangroves, salt marshes, and sandy or muddy beaches of the eastern and western shores of North America, as well as West Africa and the Indo-Pacific.

These amphibious crabs are characterized by a rectangle carapace, (shell), and a narrow abdomen which is flexed under the body. Adorned with the name Fiddler because of the one oversized claw of the male that is often held in front of the body like a fiddle, the club like claw is swung back and forth in a ritual courtship of the female and to rattle the nerves of rival males. The females have two small claws of equal size.

Cycle of life

The life story of the creatures of the mud is short by our standards- two years in the wild and up to three years in captivity if properly cared for. The day in the life of a Fiddler includes digging a burrow, sifting thru sand for microscopic food, attracting a mate, avoiding being a meal to shore birds, bullfrogs, raccoons, or turtles, and molting the shell to grow another.

As they ease themselves out of their old shell, you can see a whole new set of eight legs and two claws retracted inside. If a leg or claw is lost, it will grow back inside the shell and be in wait for the next molt. If a male looses his large claw, it will re-grow on the opposite side and appear with the next molt. An ample supply of calcium must be in the water in order for the Uca to grow a strong new shell. Sometimes the crab will consume part or all of the discarded shell to ingest more calcium.

Fiddler Love

After the ritual flexing of the big claw and mating, the female Uca carries the fertilized eggs under her flexed abdomen. Fertilized female fiddler crabs carry hundreds to thousands of eggs. After an adult female molts, the soft shell condition allows her to become impregnated by a male. The soft-shelled female and the hard-shelled male sometimes remain together for protection until her carapace begins to harden. She remains in her burrow during a two-week gestation, after which she embarks out to release her eggs into the receding tide. When the eggs are ready, the mother goes into the water and allows the eggs to hatch into microscopic free-swimming larvae. The early stage larvae are known as Zoea. The larvae live in the open water as part of the plankton. The larvae remain planktonic for two more weeks. As they grow, they go through a number of molt stages. Older larvae are known as Megalopa. At the end of the final larval stage, the larvae molt into immature crabs. The amount of time spent as a swimming larvae varies among species, but ranges from a few weeks to a few months. In captivity the female may lay her eggs, but the successful rearing of the larvae is impossible. The larvae need the deep ocean water to grow before they return to shore at maturity.


Crab anatomy

Crabs have 5 pairs of legs consisting of one pair of chelipeds (pincers or claws), three pairs of walking legs, and one pair of swimming legs. The claws are used for feeding, excavating burrows, defense and signaling. The crab body is protected by a rigid exoskeleton, a tough chitinous “skin” that completely covers all parts of the body. As the crab grows, the exoskeleton is periodically shed in a process called molting (ecdysis). What is left is what looks like a translucent creature without a body. In a few hours, the molted crab absorbs enough water to swell its body by about ten to twenty percent and the exoskeleton hardens. The crab body then grows to fill the new exoskeleton. The body is protected by the carapace, (shell), covering the head/thorax, and the crab can pull the legs under the carapace presenting a tougher challenge for a would- be predator.

Under the front of the carapace are two eyes on stalks, two antennae, and a mouth that has several movable parts. The small chelipeds can move food into the mouth at a surprising rate. Two gill structures are located on the sides in the body cavity under the carapace. As long as these gills are kept wet, crabs can live out of the water; since, the gills can only process the oxygen as long as they are wet.


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Fiddle Facts

· Adult Fiddlers are poor swimmers
· During the day Fiddlers are dark in color: at night they are pale
· Love to climb up anything
· Eyes are on top of stalks and their mouth is in the middle of their chest!
· There are no freshwater Fiddlers


Fiddler Pets

Ucas are not a cuddly pet, but they do provide entertaining observation with their waving claws, food scavenging, and climbing ability. The Fiddlers sold in pet stores generally come from brackish water lagoons. Exact specie identification has never been offered. Because of the low salinity of these lagoons, pet stores may call them freshwater crabs, but they cannot survive for more than a few weeks in straight freshwater. There is no such thing as a true freshwater Fiddler crab.

Fiddler Real Estate

A ten- gallon aquarium will house four medium size fiddlers and allow enough space to prevent major squabbles. There must be enough room to have both dry or semi dry sand, and shallow water, along with rocks or driftwood for them to climb and burrow under. My crab house is a twelve- gallon cube tank with a false back that hides a filtration system. Water is sucked in thru a hole at the bottom of the wall, and trickles back in from a hole at the top of the wall. Rock and wood provide hiding places as well as something to climb. Dwarf Mondo grass is growing in the rear to simulate beach grass.

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Materials for a crab-house

Beach sand, (crushed clamshell or coral will help keep the calcium content high) soil, or small light weight gravel that they can dig in
Rocks or driftwood
Short plants that they might climb on but not tall enough to reach the top of the tank
Dry lichen or moss to create bedding and cover in the dry section


Water quality

Ideally a pH over 8.0 and carbonate hardness between 150 and 350 ppm should be a target. Temperature range should be within 75 to 85F, (24-29C). The ideal salinity level is debated, but I have found using one teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water to be a good rule of thumb. Change the water on a weekly basis, particularly if you do not have a filtration system. Replenish the salt once or twice a month, or to be more exact use a hydrometer, which measures the salt level in “gravity”. It is best to maintain a specific gravity of around 1.005 to 1.010.

Fiddler Food

Ucas are scavengers, sifting bits of organic matter they find in sand and mud. The small claw picks up chunks of sediment or sand and rolls it around picking out anything edible such as algae, microbes, or fungus. The rolled up ball is then left behind. Some people place food in bowls for the crabs. I prefer to scatter it in the tank and encourage their scavenging instinct. The diet includes algae, tiny crab pellets, and freeze dried plankton and shrimp. Growth and regular molting are signs of a healthy, happy Fiddler.

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Crab paludarium

From the rear or back corner pile up gravel and sand sloping it downward toward the front, or from one end of the aquarium to the other. Create a mound of rock or wood and place a small amount of dry lichen or dry moss, (not live growing moss) in an area that the crabs can burrow in. You can also use a glass or plastic divider to keep the sand and gravel from slipping down, but make sure the crabs can easily crawl out of the water. Fill the tank with enough water so that the water is two or three inches deep but not covering the raised substrate. Use a de-chlor if your water is chlorinated, and add aquarium salt as directed in this article.


Tank mates

The ultimate crab enclosure could include some live fish that also live in brackish water. Be warned though that although these animals normally eat microscopic food, I have witnessed Fiddlers grab a slow moving fish and consume it.

Success

As long as you provide ample room, a hill or mound that they can climb on, shallow water, something they can dig in, a minimal salinity level, and good diet, you should have many days of enjoyment with these oddly attractive creatures for two to three years.

Planted tank; Aquarium Plant Clubs

The Planted Tank
Aquarium Plant Clubs
By Robert Paul Hudson

Aquarium clubs and societies have long been an important vehicle for the aquaria hobby to bring people together and drive advances and sharing of knowledge and experience. In recent years hobbyists have formed clubs strictly for the interest in aquarium gardening and it has had the same positive effect for that hobby segment as it has had for more general aquarium societies.
Most of these aquarium garden clubs began by people meeting through internet social networks and discussion forums and getting together for casual plant swap meets. From there it develops to a formal club with a governing body, regular meetings, activities, and fund raisers. Many of these types of clubs have popped up all over the country. One such example is SCAPE, Southern California Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts.

From humble beginnings
The club formed back in 2003 between a few members who traded plants and met from the internet. As interest grew so did the club and it became more organized with club dues and regular meetings. As time went on club members came and went and at some point the club had to re organize to keep going. This is the key to any club becoming well established and achieving longevity: to adapt and survive the constant change of membership. SCAPE serves a large area of southern California from Orange County and Los Angeles to San Diego and the Mexican border. “The expanse of Southern California can present a challenge when you have members that want to put everything they can into a club, but live 3 hours away from each other,” explains Toby Wood, the clubs current President and one of the people involved in the clubs restructure. Toby is amazed at the people he has met thru the club. “We come from all walks of life; we come from all social backgrounds, nationalities, and I see people that I may otherwise never cross paths with. I rarely ever come across anybody that is not kind, helpful, intelligent, personable and fun to be around.”

Lending a helping hand
“The goal of the club is to provide a place where hobbyist can come to share information and resources related to plants, tanks and animals. SCAPE has become a social network of people who have common interest and find they can always learn more about the hobby as they help one another on the web site and at the organized meetings. Members do their best to help each other along with their projects whether it is setting up a new tank for the first time or growing that difficult new rare plant,” said Richard Lien, VP of SCAPE

I asked Toby what the experience level of the membership is and what aspect of the hobby people have the most interest in. “SCAPE has a pretty healthy mix of member skill levels. Overall I would rate the entire membership as upper intermediate to first level advanced in the area of general aquatic gardening and intermediate in the art of aquascaping. I think about 50% of our overall membership are beginners.” Whatever their background is in the hobby, everyone is made to feel welcome and newcomers to the hobby are strongly encouraged to get involved.

Club activities
Typical activities at an aquarium plant club can range from a friendly get together to trade plants and stories, to more formal meetings. Presently SCAPE meets monthly on the third Sunday at a member’s residence. An auction is held followed by friendly discussion. According to the clubs president there are plans to cut back the frequency of the auctions to make room for other activities such as question and answer sessions, contests, and even guest speakers and demonstrations. The monthly meetings have averaged around forty people attending. The clubs web site discussion forum, http://socalaquascapers.com/, has over 600 registered members, of which around 100 people are active contributors.

Clubs and local businesses
Clubs that have an established membership can exert some purchase clout if they know how to use it, as well as develop a relationship with businesses that is mutually beneficial. Toby explains: “Working with local aquarium stores is a big deal for us. We try to encourage our members to support their local store as best as they can and try to promote a bigger focus on planted tanks and aquascaping by requesting them to stock more live plants and products that our members and potential new comers to the hobby would use and purchase. We also like to work with the owners and managers to have them set up discounts for SCAPE members, and many have. A member takes their SCAPE membership card into stores around Southern California and get 10% discounts or greater on livestock or merchandise. We also encourage our members to work with the stores that do sell plants to accept trade in plants for store credit. “Businesses also are sought out to donate merchandise to club raffles and fundraisers, although the economy is making some businesses more conservative in their generosity. “It is mutually supportive because we send business to these stores and in turn they recognize it and help us out by making donations to our raffles,” added John Perrone, the clubs raffle director.

The role of the internet
The internet is an integral part of the ongoing growth and prosperity of the aquarium gardening clubs. Not only for the initial inception of the club and bringing people together, but it is interwoven into the very fabric of the clubs existence. SCAPE’s web site plays an important role to bring people together that are literally hundreds of miles apart that enjoy all the benefits of being a club member even if they are not able to make the monthly meetings. “Even when the meeting is in a central location like Orange County, it will still be too far for some to travel on a Sunday afternoon. Without the internet, the club would be lost to some members.”

Future is bright
“I feel the hobby is growing and clubs such as SCAPE are playing a big role in this. Our efforts to reach out and attract new members have been quite successful. We not only see the same familiar members online and at our meetings but we are continually welcoming new members and seeing new faces on a regular basis,” said Richard. The club is planning to open regional chapters in southern California so more people can take advantage of the face to face meetings.
If you are interested in finding an aquarium gardening club in your area, do a search on the internet and visit various aquatic plant discussion forum web sites such as www.plantedtank.net. You may also find other people in your area from these types of web sites to start your own club or plant swap meet. Heavily populated urban areas are more likely to have clubs or a number of people with the same interest. Being involved with a group of people who share your interest is a very rewarding experience.

Planted tank Q & A

C. wendtii florida sunset

The Planted Tank
Q and A
By Robert Paul Hudson
　

Hi Robert --
Your articles in the recent invertebrate issue of FAMA were really interesting. When I was a kid I kept fiddler crabs (and crayfish -- not in the same tank), and now I am very much into shrimp. For my wholesale business I have found that the ones that do the best for me, and sell the best, are the Amanos, zebras and cherry. Do you have any experience with any other shrimps that you have found do well?
Take care,
David Lass
From somewhere in outer space

Well Mr. Lass, those are the same species I have kept with great success! From what I understand, any of the Neocardina species and color morphs are the easiest to keep. This includes the Red cherry, white pearl, blue pearl, yellow shrimp, and other variations. They breed prolifically, and their young are born as miniature versions of the adults instead of larval. The more difficult freshwater shrimp are Crystal red shrimp, Caridina cf. cantonensis sp. "Crystal Red" and various filter feeding shrimp. Crystal Shrimp have bands of red and white on them, and have been selectively bred over time to increase the amount and intensity of the white. This resulted in a "grading" scale for Crystal Shrimp. Higher grades are generally more sensitive to water conditions and are not as prolific as lower grade Bee Shrimp. This is most likely due to the intense inbreeding required to achieve the higher grades. The high grade shrimp are very pricey and in some cases selling upwards of a hundred dollars each! You can find more information on various shrimp species at www.theshrimptank.com　
　
My name is Connor. I am 13 and feel I need to redesign my aquarium. My aquarium is 55 gallons and I currently keep (and breed) discus. My aquarium contains a piece of driftwood, 2 rocks and some bamboo and amazon swordplant. My aquarium looks pleasant, however, it looks bland and thrown together (like a 13 year old designed it). My budget is limited and lighting system is low. I have no CO2 system and my lighting system is two 24" fixtures of single 17 watt fluorescent bulbs. I cannot afford anything special, but maybe a simple CO2 system and a few plants. I plan on stripping my tank down - changing the substrate and putting in lots of plants. I would like to cover the aquarium floor with a carpet of Hemianthus callitrichoides along with other nice looking plants. If you could give me suggestions on plants and substrate or even other products, that would be great. Thank you so much for your help.
In a second email, Connor went on…
These are the only two fixtures that are in my price range. One would give me 2.3 watts per gallon the other would give me 4.7 watts per gallon. I want to keep a lot of plants in my 55 gallon discus tank. I know for sure I want to keep dwarf baby tears (hc). Which system is better? I will also have the supplementation of CO2. The fixture is 4 compact fluorescent 65 watt 6700k bulbs if that makes any difference and the other fixture is 2 65 watt compact fluorescent bulbs.
Connor Martin
Sacramento, CA

Connor,
I would suggest going with the two 65 watt fixture, (2.3 watts per gallon). This would give you a moderate growth rate with the addition of C02, and be easier to manage and keep in balance that what double that light intensity would create. With intensive light you will get much faster growth, but the overall balance is much more fragile and could crash easily. You would need a much higher level of C02 with the intensive light, which is not possible with the yeast generated C02 system you told me you will be using.
As far as plants go, I would suggest seeding the foreground area with small bundles of HC, and plant the rest of the aquarium with nothing but fast growing stem plants for the first three or four months and then after that point replace some of the bunch plants with the slower growing plants that you may desire such as Swords, Crinums, Tiger lotus and so forth. The faster growing bunch plants will help break in the tank during the time it is most unstable and while the tank is still cycling. This is an effective way to avoid major algae blooms and large ammonia spikes. I can see you have done your homework on this already and you are off to a good start. Keep up the good work and have patience. Allow plenty of time for your aquarium to develop as it should and you will then have long term success.

Always enjoy your columns in FAMA, especially February's, "Rosette Plants...". You stated in it: "If your aquascape consists mostly of rosette plants in a fertile substrate, instead of stem plants, you'll only need to add fertilizer to the water once in a great while to keep things balanced and to avoid algae problems."I have a 10-gallon tank with five rasboras and two shrimp. I have a large bronze crypt and a Java with big leaves. And some duckweed and a few Java ferns. Everything is growing really well as the tank has been humming along for about five years. I do have a tiny big of algae on the Java leaves. And beginning to get a little more on the glass. (I'm quite diligent about changing water.) And I use Algone once a month.
So I need to add fertilizer? How often and how much and what kind? (Oh dear, have I let my little buddies--plants and animals--down?)
Thanks for your help.
Katharine Downer

Albuquerque, NM

Well your plant load is fairly small, and mostly slow growing. Java fern absorbs all its nutrients from the water through its leaves, so if you are never adding anything to the water the ferns are only able to take what is available from your water supply and from fish excrement and fish food. This limited amount of nutrients has apparently been enough to sustain the plants without explosive growth. I would add a trace mineral liquid fertilizer to the water in very small amounts after each water change for the sake of the ferns. The Duckweed will also benefit from a liquid fertilizer, which you may later regret! Duckweed is so prolific it can be a nuisance. You could also add a fertilizer tablet to the gravel next to the Cryptocorynes to give them a boost. As long as it is deep in the gravel it will not contribute to algae growth. You can experiment a little without much risk to see how far you can push it to get better plant growth without an increase in algae.

Robert, Cryptocoryne wendtii florida sunset is such an awesome looking plant. Is it as easy to grow as other C. wendtii plants?
Adam Martin
via aqua botanic face book site
Indiana

Yes, like any C. wendtii variant, this plant does well in most any freshwater environment. Florida sunset is a cultivated mutation of C. wendtii mi oya, (a regional red variant), and has variegated leaves with multiple shades of red, green, white, yellow, and orange. No two leaves on the same plant look identical. Each plant has its own unique coloration. It was developed by Florida Aquatic Nurseries and is available from their dealers.
The plant is prone to leaf melt within the first 30 days of being planted. This is common in many Cryptocoryne species. It is not always a total melt down, and new leaves begin to grow immediately. Keep the water parameters as stable as possible during this time to minimize or prevent the melt down.

Ferns; the underwater forest

Needle leaf Java fern

The Planted Tank
Ferns, the underwater forest
By Robert Paul Hudson
　
When I think of ferns, the picture that comes to mind is when I would walk underneath a forest canopy of trees that filters out the sunlight creating cool and misty air that makes the entire day feel like dawn. The forest floor is covered in layers of fallen trees and lush ferns and moss. Entering this world stirs something within me as if I am remembering some primordial experience. What better way to bring a sense of raw nature to the aquarium than incorporating aquatic ferns.

Microsorum pteropus
“Java fern” is one of the most heavily used ferns in our hobby because it is so undemanding and considered one of the easiest aquarium plants to grow. In recent years, various regional growth forms and cultivars have been introduced to the hobby. This includes a narrow leaf version, an ultra narrow leaf version, wide leaf version, bullate leaf, trident leaf, and cultivars Windelov, (lace fern) and Tropica.

The native range of the specie is all over tropical Asia. The leaves grow from a thick rhizome that is best not to bury in the substrate, but instead tied to wood or rock. Above water, the rhizome may be planted in loose soil and grown successfully. Leaves of all the variant growth forms carry spores that look like black dots. The spores are more prevalent when the plant has been grown above water. New plantlets will develop from the spores while still attached to the parent leaf. Even a broken leaf will sprout new plants if it carries spores.

Lighting and water parameters are not that critical for java fern. The plants have been known to grow in soft, hard and even brackish water under very subdued light all the way to very intensive light. Growth rate is relatively slow, but the plant will remain healthy and robust from regular fertilization to the water column. The leaves are tough enough not to be bothered by plant nibbling fish and snails.

Ceratopteris, the Indian fern
Ceratopteris, commonly known as Watersprite, is the fastest growing aquatic fern in the aquarium. With moderate light or better and at least 10ppm of C02, this plant will grow as fast as any stem plant. There are four recognized species of Ceratopteris. Cornuta and thalictroides look somewhat alike, except that thalictroides has finer leaves and has long stems, while cornuta is more stout and wider leaf. Thalictroides grows rooted in the substrate while cornuta may grow floating or in the substrate. Pteridoides is strictly a floating plant with large leaves of very variable shape. I wrote about this plant in my earlier floating plants column. The fourth specie is richardii, which has yet to be introduced to the hobby. Once in a great while you may see reference to a variety called siliquosa. This is generally thought to be synonymous to thalictriodes, but some people insist it has distinctively finer leaves than thalictriodes. These species began in India and much of Asia, but has become naturalized around the world. These ferns bring a very light green/yellow color and fine leaf texture to the aquascape with a fast growth rate that helps to to balance a new aquarium.

Bolbitis heudelotii
African water fern to me looks the most like the ferns I see when hiking in the mountain forests. Highly pinnate, and dark green, it has a very earthy look to it. It is a little more demanding than other ferns. It seems to grow very well in acidic water, although C02 addition may compensate, (if the water is too alkaline, the leaves blacken), and it does particularly well in moving water or when placed in the path of a good current such as the out flow of a filter. It’s native African habitat is in very fast moving rivers among rocks and stones. Like Java fern, it is best not to bury the rhizome. There is another Bolbitis specie from Asia called B. heteroclita that is occasionally imported for the aquarium. I have never found this plant to do well and I do not believe it is really best suited for aquatics.

Marsilea
Marsilea is often called water clover, and to look at it you would not think it was part of the fern family. There are 65 species, several of which that grow in shallow water along the edges of ponds, and a few species that adapt well to growing completely under water. The four lobe leaf turns into only one or two lobes underwater, but creates a nice looking carpet just the same. Quadrifolia is the most readily available specie in the USA, and one of the easiest to grow. Other species such as Hirsuta and Minuta are attractive for their smaller size, but spread much more slowly.

Ferns to avoid
Any terrestrial fern should not be put in an aquarium and one such fern commonly seen sold as an aquarium plant is Trichomanes javanicum, otherwise known as Borneo fern or Aqua fern. While it loves humid, damp air and wet soil, it will only slowly disintegrate underwater. There is nothing I hate more than a decaying plant in my aquarium.

Cryptocoryne rhizome

The Planted Tank

Rhizomes, Tubers, and bulbs
By Robert Paul Hudson

Many hobbyists are first introduced to aquarium plants when purchasing packs of “easy to grow” plant bulbs that are available in some department stores. Hobbyists also discover what a rhizome is when they attach aquatic ferns and Anubias plants to wood by wrapping thread around that thick, horizontal, root like base that the leaves and roots grow from. These are important parts of the plant structure that are critical for storing nutrients and asexual reproduction. With a greater understanding of this plant anatomy, you can better insure the plants health and vitality.

First, lets briefly discuss the proper definitions of these terms.

Rhizome describes a horizontal stem structure that stores energy and sends out both shoots, (vertical stems, leaves) and roots. It creeps along the surface of the substrate, or just below the surface and may branch. Depending on the plant specie it can vary in appearance from very thick and woody to thin and fleshy.

Tubers, like rhizomes, are enlarged stems that store nutrients, however tubers have multiple eyes that sprout shoots, such as a potato.
A tuberous root is a modified lateral root, enlarged to function as a storage organ. It is thus different in origin but similar in function and coarse appearance to a tuber. In root tubers there are no node and internodes, (eyes). Example is the sweet potato.

True bulbs and Corms
A bulb, strictly speaking, has enlarged scales where most of the nutrients are stored and a small basal plate, which is where the next future plants roots and shoots are. A corm is just the opposite: it has small scales and the nutrients are stored in the enlarged basal plate. In some cases a plant may be separated from the bulb and then the bulb will produce another plant. True bulbs develop miniature bulbs, known as bulblets, which when grown to full size are known as offsets. Offsets can be separated from the mother bulb and replanted.
More detailed differentiating between these storage organs becomes somewhat blurred and confusing. Even botanists may refer to any underground nutrient organ as a “bulb”, so from here on in discussing the aquarium application I will refer only to either rhizomes or bulbs.

Healthy rhizomes and bulbs
One common problem in the aquarium is rhizomes and bulbs rotting due to lack of oxygen. This is caused when it is buried in the substrate where there is heavy accumulation of decaying organic matter. You can avoid this by leaving the bulb or rhizome above the substrate or burying only enough to keep it rooted. Tiger lotus, (Nymphaea sp.) has a nice, small, perfectly round bulb. I simply leave it sitting on top of the gravel without burying any portion of it at all. Roots form and grow into the substrate easily and eventually the plant may detach from the bulb on it own and another plant will develop from the bulb.

Sometimes the rhizome or bulb may be so small you have to bury it. Since the smallest piece of rhizome may produce a plant, sometimes from mass production the plants are grown with very small rhizomes. You commonly see this with Anubias and Cryptocoryne species. Bulbs may also be quite small if the commercial grower is using bulblets instead of much older bulbs. If you have a large bulb plant such as Aponogeton or Crinum growing on a very small bulb, or a bulb with no roots yet formed, bury it, but gently pull the plant up 4 to 8 weeks later after the roots have formed to expose the bulb. Sometimes the rhizome, or multiple rhizomes of a big potted Cryptocoryne may be surrounded by a large root ball. This appears to protect the rhizomes as long as the roots remain healthy.

Nature designed rhizomes and bulbs as a nutrient storage to enable the plant to grow back every spring or season, not as the plants sole nutrient source through out the year. If you do not provide enough nutrients for the plant it will live only until it uses up the nutrients stored in the bulb or rhizome and then it will never grow back. This is particularly evident in Aponogetons, which often go dormant in the winter and will only grow back three months later if they were properly fed while growing.

Reproduction
Rhizomes may be divided. Each piece will produce new roots and shoot growth. When dividing a mature plant such as Anubias or Java fern, leave some existing roots and shoots on each piece. Make sure the cut is clean. I always use a razor blade. Some bulbs will produce smaller bulbs as I mentioned earlier. A bulb should not be otherwise divided. You can sometimes cut out rotting portions of a bulb, but pieces of a bulb will not grow. A bulb produces a single plant stalk at one time, while a rhizome and tuber may produce multiple plant stalks/shoots at the same time.

Aquascaping

To my knowledge, most if not all bulb plants in the aquarium are either quite large or fairly tall and are usually placed toward the rear of the aquarium. Aquarium plants with rhizomes can be relatively small as well as large or tall. Most rhizome plants in the aquarium may also be attached to wood or rock, or any object. You simply wrap a tie around the rhizome and the object snug enough to hold the plant erect. Java fern and Anubias nana is often used this way to create plant walls against the glass or the illusion of sloping hills. There is even a new cultivar miniature Anubias nana, which grows tight clusters of leaves no bigger than a thumbnail, (Anubias nana petite). A newer version of Java Fern, (Microsorum pteropus) is the “needle leaf” variety. It features extremely narrow leaves a half inch wide that grow fairly long. Microsorum rhizomes are very tough and woody and may easily be stuffed into nooks and crannies in wood or rock without damaging the plant. It also should never be buried in the gravel. In it’s natural habitat the roots serve only as anchors to attach to rocks in streams. It absorbs most of its nutrients from the water through its leaves.

Now that you have had a little lesson in botany, hopefully you now know not to bury your rhizomes and bulbs, and to keep them healthy and how to propagate them! You may find more information on botany terms in the glossary section of http://www.aquabotanic.com/

Please send me your questions, stories, experiences, and photos to
Robert@aquabotanic.com