# Nano riparium?



## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

I use shower caddies to attach riparium plants, and use filter sponges as the planting media (hydroton is more popular though). Do try to know what plants you're planning on using- not all houseplants are suitable for ripariums. The plant you've got looks like it might be an arrowhead, which can get quite large. Might get out of scale with your tanks pretty quickly, but a cutting should adapt to having wet roots. 

As far as the wood goes- that's 100% normal. Wood molds before it behaves properly and looks nice. Should be gone in 1-3 weeks. Shrimp and snails might pick at it.

Riparium plants I've found that work well on a nano-scale include:

Lobelia Cardinalis "small form"
Anubias Nana (if kept in high humidity)
Marselia Minuta
Hydrocotyle Tripartica "Japan" 
_Nerve plant (houseplant)
_Micro Variegated Sweet Flag (this variety only gets 3-5", rare, but might be sold as an outdoor plant)
Variegated Sweet Flag 'Ogon' (get's ~10")
Microsword
Ludwigia Repens
Golden Creening Jenny (sometimes sold as an outdoor plant)
_Mini peace lily (houseplant)_

Hope this gives you a start! Be sure to wash your dirt thoroughly.


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## ScriptedDrama (Dec 29, 2017)

Thanks a lot, i was really scared about the driftwood not being useful anymore.

about the houseplant: it is a clipping from another my grandma has, its leaves remain smaller than a hand, thats why i wanted to try it.
i do wanted to get some anubias to cover the shower caddies and maybe some random weeds i can find in high humidiy places.

i do have crafting mesh, can i make the planters in it? i have some small river rock and some spare gravel mixed with a lil bit of fluorite (the brick looking one)

on another news, i set up the tank without the emersed plants








what do you think?


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

Looks good so far. You using root tabs for that sword? They like their root nutrients

You can totally make riparium planters from craft mesh, I've done it before. You can grow moss out the front of it to help cover it until the roots from the plants block it out. I would caution against using gravel though, as it gets very heavy and can be difficult to work with. Add the weight of the grown in plants, and it could bring your planter down. You can ask in the riparium section of the forum what other substrate people are using in their riparium planters. 

One last thing about the plant since I have no idea what it is- if a plant has milky white sap, don't use it. It'll be toxic to your fish (and bad for you)


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## ScriptedDrama (Dec 29, 2017)

how do i know about the sap? where do i have to cut the plant?

i was also thinking about using plastic covered wire to hang the planters over the edge.

and about the root tabs...i wanted to order some osmocote root tabs but they arent shipped to my country...do you know any other good brands?


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## theatermusic87 (Jun 22, 2014)

There is a riparium plants list and build compilation thread in my signature, take a look for more ideas and pictures of what they look like.

Instead of plastic covered wire (which will rust) get yourself something plastic you can heat and bend, I've seen k'nex toys used before with great success, same with coat hangers


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## ScriptedDrama (Dec 29, 2017)

theatermusic87- thanks for the input, i will look into another alternatives to hanging the planters...right now im deciding the size for the ones im going to craft


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## ScriptedDrama (Dec 29, 2017)

this is the planter i built, 100% plastic








while trying to get the plant out of the plastic planter i caught 2 land snails...is it bad that i relase them in another planter i have?


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

You can cut anywhere along the stem it looks like, In fact you could just take a cutting from it and start a new plant. 

As for land snails, cool, we only have slugs where I live.


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

Nice DIY job on the planter! Quite a few aquarium plants grow well emersed, so look out for cuttings/shares for picking them up cheap. 



Kehy said:


> As for land snails, cool, we only have slugs where I live.


That's weird that you get slugs but not snails, you'd think the built-in house would make them the more adaptable ones. I guess thinking logically, snails aren't everywhere - we just have so many running around outside they are pest you just sort of assume everyone gets them.


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## ScriptedDrama (Dec 29, 2017)

here we have all kinds of critters to watch out for in plants, both snails and slugs and a lot of other things like small worms that looked like detritus worms but in the pot soil

Kehy- yes! i did end up cutting great portion on the stems and ended up with 4 individual plants so i used the 3 smaller ones and i also made a planter half the size because the first one was too big.
as substrate for the planters i used some pebbles , i may switch to aquarium sponge in the future but it holds well and it provides some hiding spaces for the shrimp as the tank is not densely planted and im housing also a betta.
the plant did not have white sap so that why i went ahead with it. it is on the smaller side so the aquarium lamp cover it a bit so it looks kinda funny and empty but im planning to get more plants


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

Looks great so far, especially since the plants have settled in now. That houseplant doesn't look as out of scale as I thought, hopefully it does well for you

Bump:


tamsin said:


> That's weird that you get slugs but not snails, you'd think the built-in house would make them the more adaptable ones. I guess thinking logically, snails aren't everywhere - we just have so many running around outside they are pest you just sort of assume everyone gets them.


I haven't seen many in North America, at least not this part of it. Locally, I think the soil is too acidic to allow shells to form properly. It's an issue with archaeological finds too, since the soil destroys things so easily. We have a lot of fir and spruce forests that drop needles and acidify the soil


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## ScriptedDrama (Dec 29, 2017)

Kehy said:


> Looks great so far, especially since the plants have settled in now. That houseplant doesn't look as out of scale as I thought, hopefully it does well for you


Thanks! it is indeed small, that is why i have trouble finding the species since most arrowheads are huge in comparison. maybe if i find the species i will post it on the riparium plant thread


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