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Plants and Substrate

Ryandelmar

New Member
Messages
21
Looking at redesigning my apisto tank and I was planning on using fluval stratum as the substrate and get some basic beginner plants does anyone have any recommendations
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
Yeah. Use sand instead of soil if you want to keep Apistogramma in that tank successfully.

Easy plants: Hydrocotyle, Ceratophyllum, Egeria, Elodea, Limnobium, Salvinia, Pistia, Vallisneria.
 

Ryandelmar

New Member
Messages
21
Should I cap the substrate with the sand then would that be a win win? And thank you I’ll have a look now
 

MacZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,958
Location
Germany
Straight sand. With the plants I named you won't need root tabs. Most of them are floaters. Only the Vallisneria have to be planted in the substrate.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
Looking at redesigning my apisto tank and I was planning on using fluval stratum as the substrate and get some basic beginner plants does anyone have any recommendations
I like <"plenty of moss">.

As my main plants I use are <"Ceratopteris spp., Cryptocoryne spp., Anubias barteri and Bolbitis heudelotii ">.

I also always have a floating plant, my personal favourite is "Amazon Frogbit" (Limnobium laevigatum), but Salvinia "auruculata" or Pistia stratiotes are as good.

cheers Darrel
 

Ryandelmar

New Member
Messages
21
Thank you both for your input I will look at getting some sand and plants over the weekend I already have some Java moss and Salvinia, will look into the crypts and do you think an Amazon sword would root well in sand?
 

SoundHunter

New Member
Messages
8
Looking at redesigning my apisto tank and I was planning on using fluval stratum as the substrate and get some basic beginner plants does anyone have any recommendations
I use stratum in the back of the tank for my giant red flame sword, val and dwarf sag, some drift wood as a barrier and sand in front. The sag is always putting runners into the sand but I pull them out. My apistos readily breed in that tank, I’ve got some clay caves discretely tucked into the wood. The stratum can be a pain as it’s very light, stem plants need a little weight when starting from cuttings. But swords go nuts, I hit them with root tabs every month or so.
 

Apistomaster

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
703
Location
Clarkston, WA
I think the plant species which Darrel and others recommended are good choices.
All the Echinodorus species(swords) will grow in very fine sand, 0.8mm-1/32" to 1.6 mm-1/16" particle sizes. This sand is sold at many building supply stores. If I use quartz sand with Echindorus I also use a substrate fertilizer near each specimen.
My preferred setup is utilitarian in nature. I actually pot Amazon swords in clear plastic storage containers filled with a quality plant substrate such as Fluval plant substrate and cover the bottom with a thin layer of the fine quartz sand. Apistogramma are sand sifters like their larger Geophagus cousins.
I like Ceratophyllum(Hornwort) as my floating plants since it doesn't root anyway and it is very adaptable. Najas guadelupensis is similar. I usually have some shrimp present in my planted tanks. I've never noticed any issues with keeping them with Apistos. They are colorful additions to the tank and are useful grazers which help eat foods missed by other fish.
I highly recommend that you feed Artemia nauplii everyday unless you have other live foods available.
 

Ryandelmar

New Member
Messages
21
I use stratum in the back of the tank for my giant red flame sword, val and dwarf sag, some drift wood as a barrier and sand in front. The sag is always putting runners into the sand but I pull them out. My apistos readily breed in that tank, I’ve got some clay caves discretely tucked into the wood. The stratum can be a pain as it’s very light, stem plants need a little weight when starting from cuttings. But swords go nuts, I hit them with root tabs every month or so.
Thank you for your input I’ll definitely take it on board
 

Mats

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
9
Location
Sweden
Hi.
Foto on my tank`s, 2 foto scalare and apisto claer water Ph 6 and 2 apisto dark water Ph5,4-6. Tank 1 is subulata.
Mats
 

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Apistomaster

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
703
Location
Clarkston, WA
I am a big fan of dwarf Sag. subulata but in an Apistogramma breeding set up I'd probably go with more water logged leaves, eg. Indian Almond or Oak leaves.
 

JoseF

New Member
Messages
28
My favorite I used some vertical hardwood to anchor larger species of buchephelandra with super glue. Even used a piece of carved ebony anchored to slate. The plants closer to the surface and light did particularly well. I have at least one dwarf cryptocoryne in sand which is very slow growing. Also a dwarf water lily in a ebony container with sand The water lily periodically dies off some and regrows. Also have Anubis anchored to manzanita branches with are epoxy anchored to petrified wood.
 

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