Plants going wild.

[NikkiRae]

I have been letting plants in my tank just grow as they please. The fish like it but I’m worried that it is starting to look messy because I didn’t plan the landscape. I would like opinions on redoing the aquascape. Note: the vine looking plants in the top right corner are fake. But I needed I shady area for my pearl gourami to hide out and I am not a fan of floating plants. 

[Biotope Biologist]

A pair of aquascape scissors will set you back about $20 I like having them for trimming all my plants around the house.

 

It stimulates growth by cutting leaves and limbs that aren’t pulling their weight, but I would say I like the jungle look!

[johnnyxxl]

I would just get some stems and let them fill the area in for your gourami to have someplace to hide.  My tank is looking a bit erratic but it is easy to rearrange most plants if you aren't happy but how tidy is nature if that's what you want.  

[Tanked]

I wish I had your problem.🙂   

It looks like most of he plants tend to be in the front.  You aren't a fan of floating plants, so you need to eliminate those long naked stems.  You could trim the remaining taller plants, or better yet move them to the back of the tank and move some of the hardscape forward.  Mounding up extra substrate to add elevation might also be worth considering, and it may help showcase some of your shorter broadleaved plants.  A small plant free zone somewhere in the foreground might be worth considering..    Whichever route you take, the tallest plants will benefit from a regular trim.

[sumplkrum]

For the most part, I think you can just replant the tall plants in the back rather than the front.
You'd usually stagger stuff like: short, medium, tall - from front to back.
I usually like to leave an open spot in the middle so you can see the fish even in a very overgrown tank.

[anewbie]

I'd leave it messy; fishes love messy plants. The messier the better. Of course you might want the plants to fit your visual needs rather than your fishes so i suppose there is that aspect but... still something to think about.

 

[knee]

You could still make it look more natural without it looking messy. I’d move those plants in the front towards the back since they’re growing taller then add some anubias, buce and maybe dwarf sag in the front. You could also get other stem plants to give the tank some variety and different textures so it doesn’t look flat. 
 

You can use echinodrus bleheri (amazon sword) or red tiger lotus for the corner if you want some shade for your gourami. 
 

[NikkiRae]

I grew those long ones in the front from seeds. They were supposed to be mini leaf grass but I let them go, and they are not mini anymore. I had them planted all around the border of the aquarium, but they didn't thrive in the back so its pretty bare back there except for a Java fern that is exploding into a bunch of other ferns. I think I might take the suggestions to trim them down and try moving the trimmings to the back and see if they will thrive now that they are big. They are basically doing what ever they want at this point. 

[knee]

On 4/17/2024 at 3:12 PM, NikkiRae said:

I grew those long ones in the front from seeds. They were supposed to be mini leaf grass but I let them go, and they are not mini anymore.

99.9% of the time those seeds aren’t truly aquatic. The reason for that plant growing tall is because it’s trying to break the surface. If possible I suggest taking all those plants out and replace them with actual aquatic plants. Ludwigia, rotala, myrio green, hygrophila corymbosa are some easy stem plants. 
 

If you wanna try keeping the plants you currently have there’s a risk because those plants can melt and affect your water parameters, and can even crash your cycle. 

[Creature From The Tank]

OMG, your plants look so healthy!

I'm stuck with a year-old (almost) 5 gallon, and it's a never-ending algae battle nightmare.

I envy you, LOL!!!!!!

[NikkiRae]

On 4/17/2024 at 8:31 PM, knee said:

99.9% of the time those seeds aren’t truly aquatic. The reason for that plant growing tall is because it’s trying to break the surface. If possible I suggest taking all those plants out and replace them with actual aquatic plants. Ludwigia, rotala, myrio green, hygrophila corymbosa are some easy stem plants. 
 

If you wanna try keeping the plants you currently have there’s a risk because those plants can melt and affect your water parameters, and can even crash your cycle. 

They are aquatic. I have let them grow un-groomed for 6 months . I just started replanting my 15 gallon 3 weeks ago and put some of the same seeds in there on my drift wood. This is what they look like when you keep them groomed. 

On 4/17/2024 at 8:49 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

A pair of aquascape scissors will set you back about $20 I like having them for trimming all my plants around the house.

 

It stimulates growth by cutting leaves and limbs that aren’t pulling their weight, but I would say I like the jungle look!

I am going to go pick some up today and do some rearranging since it is tank cleaning day. 

[knee]

On 4/21/2024 at 9:34 AM, NikkiRae said:

They are aquatic. I have let them grow un-groomed for 6 months . I just started replanting my 15 gallon 3 weeks ago and put some of the same seeds in there on my drift wood. This is what they look like when you keep them groomed. 

Real aquatic carpeting plants don’t grow stems when left un trimmed. These seeds are always advertised as such but then they would try to outgrow the tank like the one photo you showed. 

I’m not saying this to discourage you but I’ve seen plenty of posts from other groups and forums that use these seeds and it always ends up with them redoing the whole setup.

If you’re certain that they’re aquatic then you could’ve been lucky but I only know of three carpeting plants that have seeds (DHG, dwarf baby tears and glossostigma).

 

 

[MattyM]

That's a nice jungle scape! I'm with the folks that say to move some of the hardscape forward, and get more plants in back - which will help hide your equipment. Another thing to consider is adding some small anubias or buce to the hardscape, a good jungle tank has lots of different textured and sized plants. And if you don't think your hardscape is nice enough to feature in the front (hard to see what you have), time to go shopping 😉 

[NikkiRae]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:26 PM, MattyM said:

That's a nice jungle scape! I'm with the folks that say to move some of the hardscape forward, and get more plants in back - which will help hide your equipment. Another thing to consider is adding some small anubias or buce to the hardscape, a good jungle tank has lots of different textured and sized plants. And if you don't think your hardscape is nice enough to feature in the front (hard to see what you have), time to go shopping 😉 

Thank you 🙂 There is actually a total of 8 Anubias plants in there that you couldn't see because of the grass LOL. Another valid reason to spruce it up a bit. There is also a large exploding Java fern in the back that you can't see. I did trim some of the grass and moved it to the back last night but I'm thinking it needs more. It is sad that you can't see my beautiful Aubias. The only hardscape I like in that tank is the drift wood. I am waiting for warmer weather and then I am going to head to Lake Superior and find some nice pieces. I want it to make it as natural as possible. 

On 4/22/2024 at 3:10 PM, knee said:

Real aquatic carpeting plants don’t grow stems when left un trimmed. These seeds are always advertised as such but then they would try to outgrow the tank like the one photo you showed. 

I’m not saying this to discourage you but I’ve seen plenty of posts from other groups and forums that use these seeds and it always ends up with them redoing the whole setup.

If you’re certain that they’re aquatic then you could’ve been lucky but I only know of three carpeting plants that have seeds (DHG, dwarf baby tears and glossostigma).

 

 

I would never have known because they are so healthy and have been in there so long. Thank you for the info. I am going to read up on it more. 

[NikkiRae]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:10 PM, knee said:

Real aquatic carpeting plants don’t grow stems when left un trimmed. These seeds are always advertised as such but then they would try to outgrow the tank like the one photo you showed. 

I’m not saying this to discourage you but I’ve seen plenty of posts from other groups and forums that use these seeds and it always ends up with them redoing the whole setup.

If you’re certain that they’re aquatic then you could’ve been lucky but I only know of three carpeting plants that have seeds (DHG, dwarf baby tears and glossostigma).

 

 

After more thought, I am worried. 

How do you know when they are melting? Will the other true aquatic plants help prevent a cycle crash by using the melting plants for nutrition? 

On 4/17/2024 at 8:31 PM, knee said:

99.9% of the time those seeds aren’t truly aquatic. The reason for that plant growing tall is because it’s trying to break the surface. If possible I suggest taking all those plants out and replace them with actual aquatic plants. Ludwigia, rotala, myrio green, hygrophila corymbosa are some easy stem plants. 
 

If you wanna try keeping the plants you currently have there’s a risk because those plants can melt and affect your water parameters, and can even crash your cycle.