Making plants work - structure

[kaylaj2355]

Hiya! I'm starting up a 55 gallon tropical tank for tetras, so that I can experiment with plants and they won't become salads

I'm not near ready to start it up yet, but traveling out of town in the next few days to go to a pet shop so I wanted to ask this now.

My working plan is to get different pieces of driftwood and hook them together (think Superglue would work?) in sort of a lattice-like structure. Scientific, realistic, perfectly to scale example photo:

So I'm thinking it'll just be a bottom-to-top structure that would be against the back of the tank and become the support for mosses and plants and such. Then the front/middleish area would be open for swimming.

I'm a total newbie so I'm wondering if this sounds like an okay plan to you all! I really like driftwood and have a couple large pieces that I'm not currently using, so that's where the idea was hatched.

Edit: Just realized this area is for goldfish planted tanks...mods, please move if you think it would fit elsewhere!

Edited May 3, 2013 by kaylaj2355

[4prettyfish]

Super Glue works great and a lot of members use rubber bands also if you don't have the patience to wait for the glue to dry. Not sure about your plan for your tropical tank because I don't have one and haven't had much luck with live plants. Much success to you and your tank.

[kaylaj2355]

Thanks so much! I wonder how Superglue works on the driftwood...after I posted, I actually started wondering if zip-ties might be easier

[fingers]

Aquarium silicone works and is safe!!! good luck and have fun:-)

[cathys]

I think plants are pretty easy. Good substrate, light and a little fert and off they go!!! I found the longer you leave the lights on the faster they grow !!!

[kaylaj2355]

Thanks guys! I think I will go with the silicon, I'm going to be attaching so much after all I'll have to search the forum for fertilizer posts!

[cathys]

for

Thanks guys! I think I will go with the silicon, I'm going to be attaching so much after all I'll have to search the forum for fertilizer posts!

for the ferts I use root tabs and flourish. I started also using the flourish excel and iron when I got the red plants.

[kaylaj2355]

Oh thank you! I have root tabs, but I admit they confused me. On the package it said to use one tab per every 30 sq inches of substrate, which I understand, but then it said that in a normal 10 gallon tank, you should have about 6 tabs. I don't want to overdo it or anything!

[cathys]

better to start off slow with the ferts. depends on the size of your plants and how many you have. I have a 46 gal planted with a lot of plants and usually stick in 10 about every 3 months. the liquid flourish I put in a capful weekly of the regular flourish and the iron. I was adding a couple capfuls of the flourish excel (liquid carbon ) every few days but now I just add when I think of it. I ordered them all from foster and smith's website. They have information you can read about the products.