RE: Floating plants for a breeding tank?

["Yvan Alleau" <yalleau@coas.oregonstate.edu>]

hi Tomoko,
i personally use riccia, salvinia and ceratopteris as surface plant in order
to:
1) have the fish feel more confortable (safer)
2) provide hidding place for the adult (mom can be taff sometime) and the
fry
3) provide food supply (paramecies and other rather small organisms) that
the fry really enjoy at first
4) help in keeping the water quality good (someone raised a problem with
water changes and fry eating behavior with rams)
5) provide a shaded environment that reduces the algea growth
6) because i like it so!!!
Also, all my breeding tanks include java moss for the same reason mentioned
here before. If i don't have enough of those plants, i make sure that at
least java moss is present in the tank.

Now, a lot of people just breed the fish in bare-bottom tanks with nothing
in it but a few pots. Once again, whatever works is good. It is up to you to
add a little touch to make it look less sterile and more like a small
ecosystem.

take care

PS: sorry but i don't know what the comun name of the plants you use refered
to. I haven't been in the US for long enough!


Yvan Alleau
712 NW Kings Blvd
Corvallis, OR 97330
College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Oregon State University
office (Burt 222): 737-3649, to be used wisely!
home: 738-0606

PLEASE NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS:
yalleau@coas.oregonstate.edu

"When you're far from everything, you're getting closer to the essential"


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-apisto@admin.listbox.com
[mailto:owner-apisto@admin.listbox.com]On Behalf Of Tomoko Schum
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 11:02 AM
To: apisto@listbox.com
Subject: Floating plants for a breeding tank?


Hi y'all,

What kind of floating plants are best suited for apisto
breeding tanks?  Amazon frogbits? Water lettuce or water
sprite?  What seems to work the best?

I have a bunch of salvinia and duck weeds.  They have rather
short roots and my apistos do not spend much time near these
plants, although they seem to like the shade these plants
cast and appreciate the plant's ability to keep the water
column clean.  However, duck weeds are so small and more of
a nuisance to "me" and salvinia tends to burn up if I keep
them too close to the light.  I would like to know if there
is a good alternative to these floating plants.

Anyone care to share your opinion?

Tomoko


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