The Puffer Forum

is it possible to get a planted tank with congos
I know they like to dig in the substrate .... which is where plant roots go..
this seems to be an issue..
any help?

I have a baby Congo (probably an inch or 2 long) and he is in a planted tank. Though he does bury himself in the substrate, he has not dug up the plants yet. I have live and plastic plants in the tank, the plastic plants being quite long and I bend them to create a kind of a drape effect in the tank. So far so good.

There are plants which don't need to live in substrate--Java fern & anubis to name a few. Great low-light plants too. You can tie them to a piece of driftwood with a thread & the roots will attach to the wood.

I was looking at putting in some tiger lotus and melon swords crypts sagitaria and other grasses...

I think you totally can.. as long as you have an open space for them to bury themselves. I have my congo planted with apononogeton and giant hygrophilas, and philliphine java fern. .. he actually likes staying in the 'branches' then burying himself.

definitely use a sand substrate though.

js97 wrote:I think you totally can.. as long as you have an open space for them to bury themselves. I have my congo planted with apononogeton and giant hygrophilas, and philliphine java fern. .. he actually likes staying in the 'branches' then burying himself.

definitely use a sand substrate though.

those are rhizome plants..

what about hardcore root plants.
melon swords and lotus's are pretty rooty.
would a peat bottom and laterite work you think.. atleast around where I'd plant.... cover that in a thinner layer of sand and than put some pebbles around the base of the plant going out a little to make it harder to dig up the roots.
for instance around the sides and back put peat and laterite a layer of sand and than cover it with pebbles and the like.
and than I'm up front do a sand bottom.. does that makes sense? make it so it can't dig around the plants and has a few soft "beds" for diggin.
would that work?
plus I think you could make that look really cool if I planned it right. basicly line a pit for sand and than a few smaller areas for plants that are in a no dig zone..

If you are really going to do this, I'd suggest going with a 30g tank, so that the fish has plenty of open space to burrow, w/o bothering with the plants. Those are some far-reaching roots on the swords. The puffer could really make a mess of Laterite.

Pufferpunk wrote:If you are really going to do this, I'd suggest going with a 30g tank, so that the fish has plenty of open space to burrow, w/o bothering with the plants. Those are some far-reaching roots on the swords. The puffer could really make a mess of Laterite.

peatmoss would be even more of a mess.. it'd be tea brown soup..
I'd 'leave the sanded areas free of the like of both lat and peat.
and I thik I'd plant the back near the glass sides and maybe a dwarf or tiger lotus in the center?
it has some potential.
potential to screw up
potential to look amazing
potential to take hours on end with no results
potential to take hours on end with amazing results.
I do like the idea of it though

Well, it can't hurt to try...

Pufferpunk wrote:Well, it can't hurt to try...

oh... it could
peat could get all in my water suddenly
quicky pump the ph and give bacteria some munchins..
puffer death?

I guess you think farther than me in a planted tank. I have fine & med gravel, 4 flourescent lamps over a 90g & add Yamato green to the water weekly & Jobe's Plant Spikes to the roots about every 4 months. I keep low-light plants--this is my discus tank.



Actually looks much better/more lush now.

Pufferpunk wrote:I guess you think farther than me in a planted tank. I have fine & med gravel, 4 flourescent lamps over a 90g & add Yamato green to the water weekly & Jobe's Plant Spikes to the roots about every 4 months. I keep low-light plants--this is my discus tank.



Actually looks much better/more lush now.

beautiful tank!
discus look so good.
but they're too expensive and delicate for me..
thats my excuse.. ha
basicly they don't bight things in half like puffers...
yeah I REALLY like the way normal sand looks.. and black sand (but I've never used black sand)
never fertilized my plants... ever.
but I use a ton of peat which is basicly plant steroids.
my 55 planted even survived a dojo loach and a huge destructive pleco (although its recovering..)

I think I could get a tank with swords appengetons and onion against the back and sides.. and a lotus in the center. and just protect the area around the plants with rocks pebbles and wood maybe?
this tank has to be perfect ha.
I'm pumped incase you cant tell
who know maybe get some kind of zen garden thing goin