# How can I fence off floating plants.



## Mihai Varban (15 Oct 2018)

Hello. I'm currently growing some righteous floating herb in my 70 l Ciano tank. Amazon frogbit. I'd like to figure out a way to reserve some open surface area for surface agitation and for the light to penetrate to my high light plants (ludwigia rubin, s repens, hairgrass, elodea, bacopa - please correct me if any of these will do well in low/mid light). I want the rest of the surface shaded and crowded to keep GSA off my buces, anubias and crypts. I've see people using floating bits of hose. What do you guys use?


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## mantozhke (15 Oct 2018)

I’ve done it like this  cocktail straws joined together. Floaters inside of the “ring”


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## tam (15 Oct 2018)

You can use airline - make a loop and fit the ends together so it's air tight and it should float. Clear airline looks neatest. You can either contain the floaters in the hoop or put it above the other plants to create a float free circle.


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## Kevin2016 (15 Oct 2018)

mantozhke said:


> I’ve done it like this  cocktail straws joined together. Floaters inside of the “ring”
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Love your tank!


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## mantozhke (15 Oct 2018)

Kevin2016 said:


> Love your tank!



Thanks  although it has changed since that picture. No time to update aquarium diary. But maybe after I do weekly maintenance, I’ll put some new pictures. 


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## david watson (15 Oct 2018)

I’ve seen the airline trick done in nano’s over a island style scape and looked amazing.


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## george29 (15 Oct 2018)

tam said:


> You can use airline - make a loop and fit the ends together so it's air tight and it should float. Clear airline looks neatest. You can either contain the floaters in the hoop or put it above the other plants to create a float free circle.



I was having the same problem as the OP with some a Tropica 1-2 Grow pot of Salvinia ,  just used some airline and sealed the ends with a hot knife and then used the same to join the two ends to form a hoop so I only needed  to secure it at one point.

Great Tip - Thanks !


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## AverageWhiteBloke (16 Oct 2018)

FYI if you fancy going down the route of joining drinking straws together to form a floating loop Subway have green ones that might look less inconspicuous.  Just saying. Obviously treat yourself to some food before liberating a few 

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## Konsa (16 Oct 2018)

Hi all
I am using fluorocarbon fishing line(fly fishing one with low diameter) and is virtually invisible in water.I attach two small suction cups on my sides with line attached  and all my floaters are sectioned in front where I want them 
Regards Konsa


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## Mihai Varban (19 Oct 2018)

Thanks everyone for your helpful answers! I got some spare airline laying around but I also like the fishing line idea a lot!


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## Oldguy (25 Oct 2018)

Konsa said:


> fluorocarbon fishing line


Thinking of using some floating plants myself, but waiting for low tech to settle down as lower end high tech. Invisible fluorocarbon fishing line sounds like an excellent idea. Thanks.


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## zozo (25 Oct 2018)

In one of my tanks i have some large crypts that grows to the top and a a section of the leaf somewhat floats at the surface and grows down again at the other end. Also have a water lily growing with several floating leaves and also a Nymphoydes with floaters. These all grow from and are anchored in substrate and in between all those anchored leaves the free floating plants, in my case Hygroryza aristata are retained and stay pretty well in place. 

Kinda looks like this, using plants to fence off other plants.


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