Aquatic Plants

This is a photo os a blackwater stream in Indonesia taken by Silamat. Rhaphidophora beccarii and possibly some sort of  Cyperaceae.  Submerged there is barclaya but no cryptocorynes in this section of water. Leaf litter is abundant in these types of streams as the canopy hangs over the water.  This keeps the …

Joe Brunner has opened a different type of aquarium store aimed at helping enthusiasts with limited space and time restraints on maintenance. The Planted Vase offers a full range of plants, fish, hardscape, filters, and lighting to create an aquarium to suit most any interest or need. Nano aquariums, as …

Why Did my Cryptos Melt? A common question I get is from aquarium keepers asking why their cryptocorynes have turned into a goo.  Usually, it involves either newly acquired plants or plants that have been moved around in an established tank.  It is a common occurrence and it isn’t always a …

A World of Eriocaulon by Bernd Marks Unfortunately Eriocaulons are still a marginal phenomenon in the hobby, and they really don’t deserve this status.  For almost 2 years I have kept E. shiga, E. sieboldianum, E. polaris,  E. sulawesi sp, and E. goias. In the course of time I have …

Dividing Eriocaulon to Produce New Plants by Bernd Marks I have kept a variety of eriocaulon for a couple years.   Erio’s are a marginalized aquarium plant and it should be more popular with hobbyists for many reasons.  First of all, they are easy to keep and secondly they are …

Cryptocorynes are an interesting group of plants.  They are largely easy to keep and make great low light plants for the planted aquarium.  Naturally they grow along shaded stream banks and shallow water as they are really mostly semi aquatic plants.  There is a wide variety of species available to the …

Removing Glass Label Adhesives I like to use glass jars for my projects for several reasons.  Storing chemicals, keeping mosses or emersed aquatic plants, or making a terrarium.  They are readily available and easy to find.  They have all sorts of lids, shapes, and sizes that come in handy for …

Today I received some of my supplies to get back into potting and propagating plants.  I bought a few carnivorous plants from fellow hobbyist and needed to pot them up.  Sarracenia flava varieties, a drosera, and a Venus fly trap got unwrapped and potted up for the balcony. The wife …

Potting soil is really just a soilless plant medium.   You can make your own potting soil if you have a little time and a little knowledge about what is required for a potting medium.  Some plants require differing soil contents, drainage, and texture.  The only other necessity is the ingredients …

DIY root tabs made with dry fertilizers are an excellent way to nourish your aquarium economically and get great results.  Lots of people use dry fertilizers to dose dry, or they mix them with water to make a solution and dose that way.  There is also a way to make root …