Ripariums and Emergent Aquatic Plants
A few months ago Guitarfish (external link) posted a product review on Riparium Supply planting accessories. That original post is right here…
Guitarfish.org: Riparium Supply Review
He recently also posted an update, with a couple of shots showing the development of the planted riparium. Here’s the link.
Posted in Hardware, Other Websites.
– January 10, 2010
I have a few shots here with one tested riparium plant, and a second that looks promising. Last week I picked up some potted material Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses Inc. (external link), a local garden center, so that I could have a little more propagation material on hand. Klein’s has a nice selection of houseplants right now.
I have already used the plant shown here, Pilea cardierei in several riparium layouts, but the specimens there at the garden center looked especially good, so I got three little pots of them.
Pilea cardierei
This plant is easy use in a riparium. With some water column fertilization it grows well with its roots suspended directly in the aquarium water. I have used the Riparium Supply Nano Trellis Raft as a support for the stems, which quickly root from cuttings planted directly into the raft, in the same manner as used for the Hemigraphis cuttings shown in the next figure.
Nano Trellis Raft
With several groups of P. cardierei stems planted in this way it is easy to develop a midground hedge as a midground in front of taller riparium background plants.
This second one, a Dieffenbachia, is something that I have not yet tried in riparium culture. It seems that Dieffenbachia should be able to grow in a riparium, because I understand that most of the species are associated with moist to wet soil. I remember seeing a wild stand of a large species–these might have been D. maculata, the familiar “dumbcane”–in a swampy spot out in the rainforest in Costa Rica. Anyway, here is the plant that I purchased.
Dieffenbachia
I imagine that this plant is some kind of cultivar, but there was no label in the pot. I would appreciate any suggestions that anybody might have. It is small now–the leaves probably 6″ (15cm) or so–but I imagine that it will grow quite a bit larger. I planted the main rooted stem in a Small Hanging Planter and snipped off several little divisions too. The potted plant went into my 20-gallon tank which I recently tidied up again.
20-gallon Planted Riparium with Spathiphyllum, Dieffenbachia and Other Plants
Posted in New Plants, Other Plants, Stem Plants.
– December 28, 2009
I have linked to their site before, but post again with a reminder to check out Green Leaf Aquariums.
They have added quite a few new things to their store, most notably their very own line of rimless aquariums. I have heard that these are quite well-constructed. I was also surprised at the affordable UPS shipping rates to destinations in the US.
Posted in Hardware, Other Websites.
– December 28, 2009
I was moving some plants tonight and got a few shots of an unusual one that is doing pretty well, Cyrtospoerma johnstonii. This plant is originally from Southeast Asia. It has striking leaf coloration.
Cyrtosperma johnstonii in Riparium Planter
I have two little divisions of this plant that are growing well in riparium planters. Mature C. johnstonii specimens can grow to more than 4′ tall. The petioles are quite long and with tiger stripe patternation. Larger petioles also develop sharp spines. I hope that I will be able to control the size of these plants as they grow.
Posted in Uncategorized.
– November 24, 2009
I acquired this plant back in June via a trade with a fellow member of The Planted Tank Forums. It came in a box with eight other plants and I posted pictures of all in a previous entry. I planted this crypt in a hanging planter and situated it in a little 15-gallon growout setup. It has had rather slow growth, but it looks good.
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Hybrid'
This plant has distinctive foliage. A very fine reticulated variegation covers the leaves and the new leaves emerge with a rosy midvein coloration.
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Hybrid'
A closer examination of the leaves reveals an additional variegation pattern, random splotches of lighter coloration.
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Hybrid'
I only noticed this other variegation when I pulled the plant from its other enclosure in order to place it in the 55-gallon emersed crypt display. The splotchy variegated pattern of a new C. wendtii cultivar, ‘Florida Sunset’, has been unstable for many growers, disappearing after a short time in both immersed and emersed conditions. While its variegation is more subtle, this Cryptocoryne wendtii variety, apparently identified in the hobby with the provisional moniker ‘Hybrid’, might retain its variegation better and be a superior alternative for hobbyists wishing to enjoy a variegated crypt.
Posted in Crypts Emersed.
– October 31, 2009
I am sure that trimming methodologies would be an important thing to consider when growing stem plants in ripariums, just as they are for regular planted tanks. While some of the stems that I have tried grow more slowly than others, they are all bound to require pruning to control size and shape. The following photograph illustrates this well. This is the same Pilea sp. plant growing on a Nano Trellis Raft in my 20-gallon tank.
Alocasia amazonica and Pilea sp. in Riparium Planters
Although I don’t have that larger plant in this tank, I paired the Pilea with the Alocasia amazonica, which I am growing on for my 56-gallon Column, to get an idea of how they would look together. You can see that the Pilea stems have gotten to be long and leggy and that it needs a trim.
After shooting that picture I did top the Pilea and planted the new pieces on another Nano Trellis Raft. This plant is easy to propagate in this way because as it grows it develops many small roots all along the stem, even above the waterline, so you can just put cuttings on the raft without having to worry about maintaining high humidity while new roots form.
So, I have not had much practice growing stems in ripariums, but I offer as food for thought the idea that growing and maintaining them for pleasing riparium layouts will require some careful observation of the responses of individual plants. It has been my experience that rosette-type plants (e.g., Spathiphyllum, Echinodorus, Cryptocoryne) are somewhat easier to manage in riparium planters, but the great variety of aquarium stems plants that can grow emersed offer many colors and textures for the above-water area of riparium layouts.
Here is another shot showing these two plants together.
Alocasia amazonica and Pilea sp. in Riparium Planters
Posted in Stem Plants.
– October 23, 2009
I was just organizing some image files and found a couple of funny ones from the 65-gallon riparium setup from about a month ago. I shot this full-tank picture with flash
65-gallon Planted Aquarium
The foliage looks different with the use of flash. This next one shows most of the fish in this tank.
Riparium Aquarium Fish
I really like these fish and they make a nice display.
Posted in South America Biotope Riparium.
– October 20, 2009
I have been trying for some time to use aquarium stem plants (e.g., Hygrophila, Alternanthera, Rotala) in ripariums, but I have thus far only had limited success with them. In contrast to most of the rosette plants that I’ve used (e.g., Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus), most stem plants have failed to prosper in my riparium setups, with tendencies to grow very leggy and with poor vigor. The only ones that I have used with much success are a couple of Bacopa, including B. monnieri and another one that I believe to be B. madagascariensis. These develop as attractive floating carpets when grow in hanging planters and draped across trellis rafts, as shown in the following picture:
Bacopa sp. with Trellis Raft and Small Hanging Planter
About a month ago I decided to replant some nice stems with a little more care with the idea of producing some new propagation material. I set them up in a 20-gallon tank with Small Hanging Planters and Nano Trellis Rafts. They have grown in well. I shot the next picture through the open front canopy of the tank.
Riparium Stem Plants
I’m not really using this tank for display right now, so the underwater area looks dingy. I might try to tidy it up for a full-tank shot. Here is the shot above cropped to detail the plants better:
Riparium Stem Plants
I think that this is promising. I only did this in a haphazard way, but it suggest for me the contrasts of color and texture used in Dutch- style planted aquariums. In contrast with most of my previous attempts planting stems in ripariums, with leggy plants tipping over and becoming bogged down in the aquarium water, these hold their shapes well. I think that some of my other problems might have been due to inadequate light. In this case the light fixture, a pretty bright T5 lamp, shines right down on the plants. I have not included any large swordplants or other big specimens to shade the stems. I also took the time to trim a few of the plants to encourage branching and improve their forms.
Here is a shot zoomed in a little more to show the attractive Pilea sp. clump there on the left side. These are planted on a Nano Trellis Raft with their roots suspended directly in the water.
Pilea sp. in Riparium
Posted in Other Plants, Stem Plants.
– October 14, 2009
I haven’t been posting like I need to, sorry. I hope to pick it up again.
Here is one quick update from, a shot of my 65-gallon riparium tank:
65-gallon Riparium
This image is a montage made with photos at three different exposures to correct for the glare and shadow that my camera sees much more of than I do. This edited picture gives a good idea of what the tank really looks like.
Posted in South America Biotope Riparium.
– September 26, 2009
From Green Leaf Aquariums (GLA), the Planted Aquarium Blog:
GreenLeafAquariums.com/Planted-Aquarium-Blog
..with some handy product information.
Also maintained by GLA, the Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts Forum:
AquaticPlantEnthusiasts.com
Posted in Uncategorized.
– August 19, 2009
