Llama

I'm seeing my fish interact with my live plants (hiding under them, nibbling them ect..) so I decided I wanted to get some more - since they're enjoying them too.

Now my tank already has a bit of live plants - there's an Anubias in the middle which isn't growing much, some Java Fern (which isn't doing very well at all) and some Elodea (which is growing really well).

I have 60W of the normal white florcent tubes and a 160l tank.

Now, I want to hide the back of my tank (there's a wall behind the tank, so I want to cover it with plants), so I need plants that will do that, grow up tall and straight, yet hopefully be nice and hardy. There's nitrates in my source water too...

Any suggestions for particular plants?

kwesdog

I dont know what the scientific name is for them but I hear people call them onion plants (I think its "Crinum thaianum"). Its a bulb plant that has very long and semi-wide leaves that grows straight up. You will need to trim it fairly regular because they grow fairly quickly but they are also really easy to trimp because you can cut them off at the water level and there is normally only 5-10 clippings per bulb that you have to make anyways.

Harry

Llama

Hmm, looked them up on the internet. They look great, I think just what I needed, thanks. Now to see if my LFS stocks them.

If I don't find any, is there anything else I could use?

kwesdog

I used anacharis and amazon swords in the back of mine but I feel that the swords are more of a mid tank plant so after I culled down the tank last time I only kept a 1 in the background.

I should have taken pictures of my tank before I culled the plants down because you could not see the back of the tank at all other than where the water came out for the canister because it made a bit of current in that area.

I will get a few pictures of the 55 up today or tommorow. I will see if the wife took some secret pictures of the tank that I dont know about when I had all the plants in there.

Harry

Sarkazmo

Painting the back of the aquarium really helps a lot!!! I tend to use black or black and a variety of techniques to add splashes of shimmer and colour. It's not hard to do and actually quite fun if you're adding effects. I tend to use water based acrylic paint. Thing is, if you get bored of it all ya gotta do is peal/scrape it off with a razor blade and your canvas is ready for a new masterpiece. Painting the back also removes that 'mirror' effect from the back wall when viewing through the sides of the tank.

Sark

GypsyGirl71

Awesome idea, Sark!

Shawnie

theres some really cool wrapping paper styles out there also...tape some on the back and you can change it whenever you want!

Llama

I considered that (and my girfriend wants me to), but I think its 'cheating'. My wall room is green so it doesn't show much, I want to hide the filter tubes mostly.

Shawnie

im so all for cheating ..especially when i change my tanks and deco so much ...and im so serious about some reallllllly cool kinds of paper now a days...im with the gf

Sarkazmo

Here's my micro aquarium. The back is painted with Folk Art brand Acrylic "Metallic Sequin Black"... Cost all of $1 at WallyMart. $.88 for a pack of four 1" wide foam brushes. It's almost impossible to see the uplift tube for the HOB.

Sark