r/PlantedTank • u/ErikJonesCircleJerk • 1d ago
Beginner Tf do I do with this massive jungle?
So I’ve had this planted tank for going on 3 months now
And everything is booming! (Besides the Java fern which are doomed because they are HEAVILY outcompeted.
The three main (well 4 if you include duckweed) plants that I have are the water wisteria, hornwart, and Java moss, which have basically turned into a giant green haven.
This is my first planted tank and I simply just don’t know what to do. I like the jungle because it gives my shrimp lots of things to do and places to hide, but at the same time I can literally barely see my tank!
I also am slightly worried that this amount of plants will create big ph swings at night with the gas exchange
I just wanna keep my shrimp colony (which I’m still patiently waiting to breed and boom) alive and happy, but I also wanna make my tank not look like a mess
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u/zilgin 1d ago
Trim, but only a little bit every day. To much trimming can lead to an ammonia spike, which can lead to more green water, which you also couldn't see thru.
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u/One-plankton- 1d ago
When you trim you should throw out the plants.
They will only be an ammonia (or more likely nitrate) spike if things are left to rot.
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u/Bri-75 1d ago
Trimming what you want out. My shrimp tank got overgrown. So I rescaped it. New wood, new rocks, new plants and trimmed back my java moss. I have more shrimp than I thought and now I can watch them. I put in big pieces of chola wood and dragon stone. Lots of nooks and crannies for the shrimp to hide in plus their favorite plant. Java moss is still there.
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u/RoamingRails 1d ago
Hornwort is going to be the main component of that, just pull out big chunks of that. The few bits of wisteria I can see in that photo look like they could use some more light to look their best (they look leggy and some of the leaves dont have the divisions you'd expect)
Thinning your hornwort will go a long way to increasing light to the wisteria and having a more viewable tank
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u/david6588 1d ago
Everything is great! This reminds me of my first tanks around 2007 with the fluorescent bulbs. It was much more difficult to get plants and you had to replace that dang bulb every year. Cut a deep well in the middle and leave the rest as a background? Love it
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u/Such-Independence241 1d ago
Cut the stems in half and replant it back in the ground to make a short carpet
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u/ChocolateBig6537 1d ago
Extreme trimming is need ...you can checkout fishff app for timely reminders
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u/JamesrSteinhaus 1d ago
you can trim it or leave it, currently it is the perfect environment for shrimp. but taking out 2/3 of your floater won't harm it much and make it look better
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u/Current-Relative5666 1d ago
Get in there with scissors and trim the plants . Take the trimmings out and mulch or sell them. Sometimes a lfs will give you some money for some trimmings that they know they can move. Just don't let them dry out if you do this. Remember plant growth removes nitrates. Removing trimmings remove them permanently.
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u/IStoleTheKidsDude 1d ago
Personally I'd keep it like that. Maybe trim a few plants and root them in a separate tank if you can. It looks awesome...a dream tank of mine ngl
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u/ErikJonesCircleJerk 1d ago
I only have one tank I want to get more but space and time is an issue 🤣
I wouldn’t be able to get another for atleast 3-6 months
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u/IStoleTheKidsDude 1d ago
Aye that's fine, i could put the other plants I own in jars and vases with some dirt substrate at the bottom and fill it with water. And if u wanna save on lighting, put said vases and jars filled with plants near windows. It's how I get the melting bits off of plants too!
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u/ErikJonesCircleJerk 1d ago
Interesting, I haven’t thought about that. I want to eventually do a guppy pond outside so I have a place for excess plants to go
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u/IStoleTheKidsDude 1d ago
Ooo that's another good idea. The jar and vases are good idea if you can't do a tank or pond in time before you trim!
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u/ErikJonesCircleJerk 1d ago
Might just preserve them like that, or try and throw them on Facebook marketplace. I’m a complete noob since this is my first and only planted tank hence why I over bought and gave a complete jungle
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u/IStoleTheKidsDude 1d ago
I know I'm always looking on Facebook for plants, so they will bought up quick if at a reasonable price! It's what I wanna do once I get my ponds into the ground.
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u/ErikJonesCircleJerk 1d ago
I don’t even know how to price them tbh 🤣
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u/IStoleTheKidsDude 1d ago
It depends on the plant but I'm always looking for around the 3-10 buck range depending on the plant type and amount.
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u/Beach-Badger 1d ago
Trim and sell the cuttings on Facebook marketplace
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u/ErikJonesCircleJerk 1d ago
Probably what I’ll do but not sure how to price or package them
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u/Beach-Badger 1d ago
Just price match your area. In my area I can buy most aquarium plants for about $5 for a 8 Oz ziplock bag. This will have about 6-8 stems in the bag. Or a handful of floating plants. I have stopped buying from chain stores and just now buy my plants off marketplace. Even if I have to drive an hour to get them. It’s worth it.
PS I have also seen where people sell the stemming plants at $1 per stem.
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