Anchoring plants... still no clue!

Hey :happy: Not posted on here for quite some time! Nice to return to see new photo's of tank set-ups and some lovely looking Axies!!

I've decided to do a bit of a tank overhaul. I currently have a slate bottom tank with some large pebbles (big enough not to be swallowed!) and a cool-looking plastic cave. I used real plants previously, held in small plastic containers (the kind that usually hold humous etc.) with very fine gravel in, topped with more large pebbles. This wasn't very successful - and as well as my Axolotl consistently being able to dig up the Elodea and another similar looking plant, I also discovered that he'd actually ingested a few tiny pebbles. They passed through eventually, but obviously I don't think I should try this anchoring technique again.

I tried using fishing line once before - but as well as being really really tricky to attach, it seemed to come undone fairly easily. I was thinking possibly using sponge? Sticking the stalks of the plants in the sponge, and the sponge could sit inside the containers I used before?
Sand maybe? I know it wouldn't be as dangerous if my Axie ingested it, but will the plants still be easily dislodged?

haha. I rambled a bit there. I just wondered if anybody had a nifty trick to secure plants in a slate bottomed tank? Cheers guys!

get some lead (not really lead actually) plant anchors! they're a must for any planted tank. It works on any stem plant that doesn't actually need anything to root in. Just get yourself some little vases, pots, anything, and drop the weighted plant down into it.

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?planta&1264203761

Root feeders like Swords and crypts, really do prefer a substrate to root into though. actual soil with river rocks placed on top will work for those.

I used cotton thread and just tied the plant's roots to driftwood, or a stone..holds until the plant cant take root, and doesn't look bad either.

Some plants, like elodea, don't need to be anchored and will do quite well just floating around. Another option is to rest large stones on the plant bases..

I find it really easy to anchor rooted plants in sand, and they are not uprooted easily.
Plants like Elodea and other plants which do not root into substrate can be quite effectively anchored by first tying the bunch of plants together at the bottom with some thread or fishing line, and then placing that under a rock.

Take a look at "Update on Sunnys tank" I have done what GWH suggests and used lage stones around my plants.

I don't know if this helps but I put a rubber band (elastic) around the plants and around a rock, not too tight or the plant will break or rot and come off. But this keeps them from moving around.

Rubber and elastic bands will fail when submerged, it is only a matter of time. They then pose an ingestion hazard for Axolotls.

I tie them to a polished river rock with fishing line.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

I ended up buying some plants which already came planted in little pot containers, which I will be able to re-use when Colin eventually rips out and chews up everything hehe.

Now I'm thinking of buying a piece of hollowed out hardwood from a local pet store & anchoring moss to it - I'm going to look for threads on that subject on here, but will be back to ask advice if I cant find anything on that.
Cheers guys

I use the lead weights myself, comes in a reel and you just cut a bit off. Wrap that around the stem and most are also wedged between the large rocks in the tank. Some stalks do still end up coming loose but that's part and parcel with having live plants I think.

I would be concerned about using lead in an axolotl tank - now i dont know for sure which product you are talking about, perhaps it is coated in plastic or what not, but i certainly would not put lead or any other kind of metal directly into contact with the water of my axolotl tanks.

Regards Bjorn

BBJ said:

I would be concerned about using lead in an axolotl tank - now i dont know for sure which product you are talking about, perhaps it is coated in plastic or what not, but i certainly would not put lead or any other kind of metal directly into contact with the water of my axolotl tanks.

Regards Bjorn

Click to expand...

Your concerns are covered here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...ms/38891-using-coiled-lead-weight-plants.html

It seems that the lead weights produce no risks to the health of the Axolotl.