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Re: More aquascaping questions



Allen wrote:

> I've found sod forming plants like glosso and lileopsis to be rampant enough
> growers once they get going but keeping the runners from trailing around the
> perimeter of the tank which can be a headache since having the plants right
> up to the edge is something frowned upon in the aquascaping competitions.
> How do you go about edging the lawn.  Currently I've been trying to
> carefully slice the edge growing plants using an exacto blade.  This leaves
> a lot of slashed looking ends and pulls up the occasional node so I'm left
> with a lot of white roots showing up.  I've always had problems thining out
> patches of sod plants for the same reason, no way to surgically remove thick
> buildups.  So my method usually pulls up large clumps and then lines of
> plants that were attached and werent cut off properly.

I think the dutch-tank stylists are the only people who frown on letting
plants grow to the front glass.  No one else has so many rules that they
get down to that level of detail.  Amano's photographs frequently show
plants growing all the way to the front glass.

The only problem I've seen with plants growing to the front glass is the
tendency for the plants to trap visible debris at the front, and to make
algae entangled in the mat overly obvious.  Give the front glass area
some frequent and diligent cleaning and the problems won't build up.

I've tried clear carpet plants back from the front glass before and
found that the only way I could do it was to chop clear swath across the
front then diligently trim new runners that move into the area so that
they cover the exposed roots but don't reach the front glass.  That
takes nearly constant attention.

I don't think you can really do much to thin patches or carpet plants
except dig them up and replant them.  Their runners are always entangled
so it's pretty much impossible to selectively thin a patch.  Keep the
plants healthy, work through the carpet one area at a time and the
carpet will usually regrow fast enough to keep the pruning from being
obvious.


Roger Miller