Bamboo in the aquarium?

We've got bamboo in the yard. The thin kind. Would they grow if I stuck them in a tank, with a bit of it poking above the waterline, and also monitoring the rot propensity?

 

Yes it will grow I have two stalks growing out the top of a tank. Looks really cool.
Carol

 

Lol I breathed a sigh of relief when I read that you'd already done it, Butterfly.  What, did you just cut and stick?

 

Actually what I have is lucky bamboo, it's a little different than what you have. The kind in the yard will do even better. Just cut it, rinse well and plant. Can you get a few roots with a small piece? Watch for it to rot as it does different in all tanks.
Carol

 

Another good idea! Lucky bamboo is greener than what I have. I may end up switching to it; I like its look. Wait, what tank do you have it in? Can I get a picture? Or two?

 

Sure you can have a pic
This is a ten gallon with play sand. You can't really see the bamboo for all the other stuff growing.
The next is over the top of the tank.
The two short ones to the right are growing in the filter.
Carol

 

whats in the tank?

 

There are 10 half black yellow guppy juveniles in that tank.
Carol

 

kool when I lived in FL their was a place I would go to all the time that had a forest of bamboo

 

I do like that! They're growing in sand?

 

The tall one on the left is rooted in the sand and has been since last summer. No sign of rot. The short ones on the right are growing out of the filter.
Carol

 

Wow, that really shows the tenacity of bamboo.  We had some in a small bit of the yard and it's just exploded in this southern humidity and heat. But to seed itself and grow out of your filter...! That's cool.

 

Actually they didn't seed themselves. They are just shorter pieces of bamboo that I've put in the filter to grow. I keep plants in several filters, they use some of the nutrients in the water circulating over their roots and help keep the tanks cleaner.
Carol

 

Ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...how clever <writes that down> They need a lightbulb smiley for things like this. I take it you don't need to rinse that filter?

 

No I don't have to rinse the filters with plants in them near as often. the plants love the gunk and use it to grow. when I rinse it I just pull plant and filter media out rinse them in used tank water as usual and plunk plants and media back in until the next time it needs to be cleaned.
Carol

 

I thought you can't use play sand in an aquarium ???

 

I dunno about Butterfly, but I used pool filter sand in mine. I heard bad stories about all kinds of ick in playground sand.

 

Yes you sure can use play sand in an aquarium. I really like the pool filter sand better, it's not as fine as play sand.
the problem with sand of any kind is having it pack and form anerobic air pockets. You have to stir it about once a month by hand or keep snails(preferably malasian Trumpet snails) to keep the sand loose and aereated.
I use MTS in all my sand tanks and have never had a problem.
Carol

 

I stir every once in a while ever since I read about the air pockets. When I didn't have any plants, it wasn't a problem. Now that I'm trying to "aquascape", my stirring has to be extremely pinpointed. lol

 

Your plant roots will also help keep the sand aereated. In the sand tank with lots of plants I would stick a drinking straw down in the sand about every 4-5 inches. Sometimes not even that close before I put the snails in. Now I don't stir at all, the snails do my stirring
Carol

 

Oh, no way? So I don't have to actually stir, just poke? Score!

 

you got it!!!
Carol

 

Now I have always liked bamboo for looking... but I have seen at the last 3 fish stores I have been to (granted I count petco and petsmart) had bamboo in afull water environment... now from my experence bamboo might be ok for a partial water/land tank for say crabs and frogs but wouldn't it die in a full water condition.. if not what would it take to grow it... I would love to put a bamboo wall across the back and then maybe re aquascape everything to an asian theme with a fake banzaI and dragon sculpture and maybe a budha... maybe I ll wait till I can get another tank... but I would like to know if it is really possible...

 

I believe I read on plant geek that Lucky Bamboo is not an aquatic plant but you should beable to keep it in an aquarium as long as the leaves are kept out of the water.

If I'm abl to pick up a 20 gallon long like I want to, I want to basically do the same. My betta girls love their asian decorations but I'd like to do something a little more "alive" for them. From the pictures I've seen of tanks that grow lucky bamboo, the leaves help create a little canopy over the tank - the tanks don't use lids or lights so there is the possibility of jumpers though.

 

I am thinking I might do a little 10 gallon with bamboo but i'm thinking about some smaller yet more active fish than bettas.. don't get me wrong I like the way bettas look but I ve never seen one active... also I d be tempted to get 2 males separated then forget why I had the separation... just to see the fight... and I believe that is techniccally animal cruelty which in TN is highly illegal... not that anyone would know but i'm not into that... I ll hunt game animals and eat them and fish for game fish and eat them but intentionally killing "pets" is just wrong in my opinion... I think this may be a weird way of looking at it...

on to more direct stuff... yeah I saw this bubble breathing dragon that comes in 3 different styles... I think that a small budha and a fake bonzaI and it will be my best creation yet... granted it'll only be my second aquarium... I guess I need to choose a fish... is there a small active asian fish?

 

Totally submerged Bamboo is not an aquatic(plant geek was correct). But if you leave the leaves sticking out of the top of the tank it will do real well. The leaves are what die and rot(and pollute your tank) when under water while the rest will grow roots at all the nodes under water. I have kept it in a ten gallon before for long periods of time this way.
Carol

 

Butterfly's right. Lucky bamboo can handle being in pretty deep water. The important thing is that it has space for the leaves to grow out of the water. TrI'm any that grow submerged. I have kept lucky bamboo in water for quite awhile, and just added some to a tank a couple of months ago.

 

I suppose its personal opinion but I've found bettas to be highly active. Granted, they are slow swimmers by nature but when given a nice heated, filter tank large enough to swim freely - they're just beautiful to watch. But then again, bettas arn't for anyone.

I believe I know what you mean. Some of my relatives hunt and while they do enjoy it, its not just for sport, everything has a use and saddly central NY and western PA have a shockingly high deer population. I don't liek the idea of hunting and could never partake in in but that's because I'm a squishmish person who can't even get up enough nerve to kill a spider that's been stalking me Putting any fish together to see a fight in my book is animal cruelty. You're aware of that fact and aware of what you might be tempted to go so that's a good thing - perhaps bettas just arn't for you ^_~

There are plenty of other opinions. I might suggest looking into a school of zebra danios. Their natural distribution would lead me to believe they would work nicely with your theme. They are very active and while most sites say they are top dwellers, I find mine all over the place. What size is the tank?

 

Unfortunately, the really active fish are likely not going to be terribly happy in a 10 gallon tank, as they are usually schooling fish and like to have a bit more room to swim. You could try a few glassfish or danios, but they might not be as active if they don't have swimming room.

 

I am thinking I might do a little 10 gallon with bamboo but i'm thinking about some smaller yet more active fish than bettas.. don't get me wrong I like the way bettas look but I ve never seen one active...

Probably because most people keep them in appalling, uncycled tanks/vases... All Bettas kept in fully cycled and large enough tanks are active as... Zebra danios! My old Betta MalachaI was (Was...) living proof of that. A Betta should be a really active little cutie in a 10G.

Pygmy gourami is a nice little Asian delight. A school of cherry barbs would be cool as well. What about this: 1 male cherry barb, 3 female cherry barbs and 2 pygmy gouramis. And just to put the cherry on the cake (If that's how the saying goes?) 3 amano shrimp. Here is a nice layout idea: Lucky bamboo forest on the left, with an asian temple ornament on the right. On left and right of the asian temple is a small field of Dwarf hairgrass, and behing the temple, is a few Vallisneras. In front of the temple are some small pebbles. Substrate: 66.66% natural sand, 33.33% natural gravel. Sound good?

 

that accually sounds awesome... I doubt I can afford all of that right now... I have a few major expenses coming up... I was going to get me a 55 gallon and maybe doing something like that... however I would have to add some air decorations... maybe dueling air spitting dragons...and (since every chinese resteraunt I see has them) a air powered waterwheel... I like the cherry barb idea... but I might change or add tiger barbs to it... whenever it may be that I get it... it's good to dream... btw if anyone is in or near west TN that needs to get rid of a tank (any size)... you know who to msg first .... just in case you got the answer wrong... it's me!!!

 

Can you add bamboo plants to fish tanks I saw them at petsmart and I hve a bunch of them at my house would they be good for a fish tank?

 

You can put lucky bamboo in a tank as long as its leaves are above the water line.

 

Is lucky bamboo the stuff that grows in little bitty pots with rocks? We've got some sitting in our dorm room that keeps getting knocked over, so putting it in the aquarium would be a great way of getting it out of the way.

 

Yes. Nearly everything that's sold as bamboo in this country is lucky bamboo. It's in another class of plant from real bamboo, but it kind of looks like bamboo, so people started calling it bamboo.

 

I don't think that many people could handel real bamboo, in ideal conditions it can grow like a foot a day.

 

Actually, a lot of people use them as ornamental plants. They don't do well in pots because they spread by rhizomes, and will eventually get root-bound (especially if they're a fast-spreader), but they do well in gardens.

 

Hey gys, yet again I find my self turning to the Fish Lore and it's group of experts, and newb's like me looking for help. So here is the question I thought it would like nice to put the bamboo plants I have had in small pots in with my Discus, is this a no no or am I cool to do so? I have had them for a long time now I kind of collect them I suppose, I would be still using the BB but putting in about 7 or 8 little pots witht the bamboo in the tank, oh and the Bamboo would be totally submerged as they are only a few inches tall, is this ok?

I have seen it done at the LFS but I do not know if it is special bamboo looks the same to me and there's was just floating not totally submerged. I read some where that it may "water log" the Bamboo and that it can only be done if the leaves come above the surface.

I also do not want to throw off my water chemastry, nor do I want the plants to be toxic to my Discus.

Please guy/girls any help here would be apreciated thank you in advance!

 

Again this is what I wm currently thinking about doing with my "BB" tank but if this is not sutible for my Discus while growing them out in the BB then is this type of arangement ok for when they are adults? Like I said before I want to provide some for of coverage or retret for them while they are growing out and I would keep the plants in their pots for easy removal and clean up, and this is how I plan to do it whether they are in a BB or the final show tank I am planning on having. How long will it take for these guys to be considered full grown? in other words when you can you go from 5 - 7 feedings a day to just 3 and when is a BB tank no longer needed for these fish? I am willing to do whatever it takes to make things happen the way the need to for these fish to grow to their full potential this is the reason I took harpua advice on the BB tank which took the wife and I about two hours to accomplish but well worth it I might add makes clean up and water changes a snap as well.

 

I have bamboo in my Blood red parrots tank and ONLY the leaves are sticking up before the BRP I had it in my 10 gallon guppy tank, I have had no problems.