I like cable ties or wire ties deppending on your local hardware store. They are those nylon bands that are used to bundle electrical wiring. They zip and lock into place and are very strong. They can even be found near electrical supplies in Wal-Mart. I boil some water in a pyrex glass in the microwave and soak them for a while, rinse them with cool water and use them to hold down the plants. After the roots bond they can be cut off with snips. I remove the piece of wood and snip them off. Even a Pleco wouldn't remove them. The plant will shred first.

Java Ferns are a slow grower. I have several in my tanks. I have only ever used 15lb nylon fishing line the fern grows over it adventually and it is never seen again.

Keith

Hi guys,thanks. This is probably due to my tying technique then. I'm just so frustrated by the length of time it takes for this plant to adhere to the driftwood.

Ianna

You think its frustrating attaching it, just try to remove it after it adheres for a while LOL

Hi Woe

I just spent a day re-landscaping the aquarium. Lots of tiny baby ferns dropped off and needs to be reattached now.. Talk about frustration.

What other plants do you have in your tank?

Actually, hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to re- aquascape my 29G aquarium. There is a picture somewhere in the gallery. I just received my compressed CO2 system tonight. I had cut down my aquariums to just the 29 planted with fish and a 55 gallon plant only. I just pruned everything out of the 29 on Saturday and bought a few new fish Sunday. I also have just about completed my basement renevations so I can set up my tanks once more. My plan is to have the 29G re-planted, not sure how I am going to do it. I have a 125G that will be a plant only along with the 55G. All 3 will have compressed CO2 injection. I have also bought a new 75G that will be my first SW attempt, a mixed reef to be exact. But plants on hand at the moment are: Alternanthera reineckii ''roseafolia'' ('Pink'), Aponogeton crispus and boivinianus, African fern/bobites , Purple Cabomba, Bronze Crypt, Amazon Sword, Glossostigma, Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig', Micro Sword/Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae, Java fern ( on and off driftwood), Myriophyllum aquaticum / Frill/ Parrotsfeather-green, Nymphaea lotus (zenkeri)/ Red and Green tiger Lotus, Riccia fluitans, Rotala rotundifolia , Hornwort,Moneywort Ambulia,WaterSprite and last but not least Anacharis. This is the first time I ever listed them, LOL

interesting story: once I used 10 gallon tank to transfer plants during moving. at the destination, I left the plants in this tank with water half way filled and compact flourecent light for my 29 gallon tank on top of the tank for weeks (turned off at nights) while I unpacked other stuff. During this time, my drift wood had a portion stuck out in air, with java moss and jave fern partially above-water. When I got to landscaping my tank, the java moss had grown firmly on the wood at this exposed bit with a lush growth I have never seen before. (there was a fuzzy mold speck growing on the wood exposed in air, but such is nature.)

Why not try thin durable rubberbands?

I agree with littlehippygirl; rubber bands are a good method. I find that the java fern is strongly attached by the time the rubber band deteriorates. Rubber bands are easy to remove because they break off and I don't have to mess with the plants.

I think it takes the plants a few months to develop really good attachment, up to six months if you are trying to grow them on rocks.

I am speaking from 35+yeras experience of fish keeping.

Rubber bands are a very big NONO especially with attaching slow growing plants. The bands break down before the plant adhears to the drift wood. There is also a very good chance a fish will try to eat the rubber band and it WILL choke them. That is the reason Nylon Fishing Line is best.

Keith

thanks for the input.

I've been using jewelry thread which is just as strong but the problem is that driftwood has a lot of deep grooves in it so tying the roots down has been problematic. The lines simply incircle the area but the roots itself won't stay firmly wedged in. The Pleco only helps to loosen the area. I got the pleco long before I decided to go into nature aquarium and so I'm stuck with it.

I'm actually toying with the idea of using some coconut fibers to help set the roots in and to preven tit from moving about. What do you think? Moss (ones used in hanging planters) would probably just darken up the water and so it's not an option for me.
Ianna

Just use plenty of fishing line around the Drift Wood tightly, as I stated Java Fern is extremly slow it could take up to 12months before it is fully adheared to the drift wood it will work trust me just be very patient.

It is natural DW not the artifical stuff I hope as that is a totally different matter.

Keith

Oh I didn't know that about the rubberbands. I got my ferns pre-attatched to driftwood at a chainstore and they used black rubber bands. I guess I'm out to buy fishing line :)

Well I might as well do it once more this weekend. My ferns produced many plantlets and so time to tie them down.

Darn that pleco, it just uprooted my bacopas and ludwigias

Ianna

I also didn't know rubber bands could be dangerous; I do watch the tank pretty closely and usually removed any degraded rubber bands ASAP because they aren't attractive.