Thanks @Linxie, I was wanting to trim them as its pretty much stem for miles and a little leaf on top...was worried though about the roots if the stem is cut shorter, will it not effect the plant adversely?
Where were you planning on trimming the stem? As long as it is between the nodes (I'd say perhaps 2cm-4cm above the substrate) then the stems will shoot more stems. You can replant your trimmings and fill out the tank even more
This is the plant I want to trim...as you can see its leaves only start half way up the tank...was wanting to reduce its height so its growing out from closer to the substrate. Is it possible? Really loving the colour of its submersed leaves...getting a nice deep purple to them.
thanks, ya it was getting a bit OTT in there...being new to this I bought a whole wide range of plants to see what was what and which ones I liked...now that they are starting to grow out and I am seeing in a lot of them their aquatic forms I am and will be removing those that don't appeal to me as much as others.
In other news I believe one of our LFS should be getting in Galaxy Rasboras this evening...hoping to take home the whole shipment as the tank has been waiting for these as the primary livestock. I have also ordered all the components for a CO2 setup, these should arrive next week...the hobby is evolving for me.
I'll have a look at home... I think the office has finally blocked photo bucket. Regardless, you can trim it about 2-3cm above the substrate, then cut the part at the bottom of the new stem (the top stem which you've just trimmed) off and plant the top part with the leaves on it. It will grow I'll put some cut lines on your pic this evening.
Found the youtube video The Secret To Making Plants Bushy And Compact-Aquascaping - YouTube Pic as promised... cut between the leaf nodes (where the leaves sprout from) and if you want, include some root... this it not necessary as the plant will sprout more roots. Applies to all stem plants, but check the video, it has helped me a lot.
thanks for the drawing...gonna invest in some scissors and tweezers for the tank and do some trimming this weekend. Thanks also for the link...really great informative video!!
Finally got my school of Galaxy Rasboras today!!! Been wanting these for the tank since before it was even setup. They are actually a lot smaller than they seem in pictures, but the colours and markings are beautiful. Not sure how many are suitable as a school for a 35g tank...but I got 20 of these little guys...figured if they say a school of 6-10 is fine for a 10g then I'm safe.
Awesome, yeah they'll do well in your tank. Did you get them from a breeder or LFS? Their colours look great
Would definitely be awesome if they did breed! haha ya I read they can be very secretive little fish...its why I bought such a big school, from my experience bigger school happier and more safe feeling fish. They are not at all shy at the moment...swimming around in full force. I have a school of 5 Micro Rasbora Erythromicron which is very shy and I never see them unless I peak down the back of the tank behind the driftwood...hoping maybe the Galaxy's will bring them out into the open...been wanting to increase that school from 5 to more but cant seem to find them again. I got the from a LFS. I was pleasantly surprised by their colour...they looked bright and colourful in pictures I had seen of them and was concerned this was not going to be the case in real life...
After getting some advice and watching the video from @Linxie I decided to get myself some new tools... Did some major pruning of all my major plants today, removing bare stems and old emersed leaves and cutting the plants down to new submersed leaf growth area. Tank is looking a little sparse now with regards to plants and thickness of foliage of those that are still there, but with the hopeful arrival of my CO2 equipment this coming week, I thought it best to cut back now. Hope to get the tank looking like a jungle again soon.
Very nice Mark It'll bounce back quickly, especially with the introduction of CO2. Cool, I'm impressed with the colours since they're from the LFS... they're usually pale then colour up when they've settled in your tank.
