Planting Technique Advice

[Fireman77]

I have recently started aquascaping and need some advice. When planting in the substrate I have followed the techniques as seen in many videos but it never seems to work for me. I have tried both straight and angled aquascaping tweezers but I can't get what I am planting to say in position. Most times the plant seems to catch on the tweezers and is pulled out as I withdraw the tweezers or the plant just floats to the top although I have tried to push it deep in to the substrate. At the moment I have stopped using the tweezers and started using my hand and fingers to create the planting hole and place the plant. I would still like to use the tweezer method so any advice would be most welcome.

 

[Tim Harrison]

A decent set of pincettes will make life a lot easier. The business end is often better designed and they're often better sprung. Push the plant in at a slight angle into the direction of any flow. Allow the pincetes to spring open and withdraw them straight up.

If that fails use the mark 1 planting tool, your hand. Push the plant in with pincettes and then hold it in place with your hand or another tool like a gravel flattener and then withdraw the pincettes. Don't forget to allow the pipettes to open up first.

Planting tweezers

Hi, I have the superfish twin pack of tweezers and find planting with them a bit hit and miss. Now, this is most likely a combination of my lack of experience and the fact I'm planting straight into aqua-soil (fluval stratum) which may not be deep enough. Are there good and bad tweezers to use...

www.ukaps.org

 

[Scaperinc]

A better pinset and don't try to do do straight down, do it slightly on an Angel, best technique I have seen on youtube is ADA guys and Filipe Olivera, also don't forget with practice you will get better eventually, tropica pin set is great and not very expensive also jbl one is good too

 

[Fireman77]

A decent set of pincettes will make life a lot easier. The business end is often better designed and they're often better sprung. Push the plant in at a slight angle into the direction of any flow. Allow the pincetes to spring open and withdraw them straight up.

If that fails use the mark 1 planting tool, your hand. Push the plant in with pincettes and then hold it in place with your hand or another tool like a gravel flattener and then withdraw the pincettes. Don't forget to allow the pipettes to open up first.

Planting tweezers

Hi, I have the superfish twin pack of tweezers and find planting with them a bit hit and miss. Now, this is most likely a combination of my lack of experience and the fact I'm planting straight into aqua-soil (fluval stratum) which may not be deep enough. Are there good and bad tweezers to use...

www.ukaps.org

Hello Tim. Great advice. I'm about to do some planting so I will give it a go. Can I ask another question. I have two smallish Anubias Barteri plants that I want to fix to some rock in two already planted fish bowls. Can I superglue them to the rock surfaces with out having to reduce the water levels?

 

[Fireman77]

A better pinset and don't try to do do straight down, do it slightly on an Angel, best technique I have seen on youtube is ADA guys and Filipe Olivera, also don't forget with practice you will get better eventually, tropica pin set is great and not very expensive also jbl one is good too

Thank you for the advice. I see that Tropica have some videos on their site on how to use their tweezers and scissors so I'll give them watch.

 

[LMuhlen]

Some substrates are harder to plant in, they feel lighter and don't hold the plant as well. Nothing you can do about it now, but understand that no matter what you do, it is possible that you won't have the effectiveness that others have with different substrates. You just have to work around it.

 

[bazz]

I have two smallish Anubias Barteri plants that I want to fix to some rock in two already planted fish bowls. Can I superglue them to the rock surfaces with out having to reduce the water levels?

If you're talking about supergluing under water you can but you have to be quite quick, I get the plant ready in the tweezers to go straight in, add a drop of superglue gel and go for it, probably had about 60% success rate but if it fails just try again.

 

[Mike Singh]

Push the plant deep into the substrate.

 

[Fireman77]

If you're talking about supergluing under water you can but you have to be quite quick, I get the plant ready in the tweezers to go straight in, add a drop of superglue gel and go for it, probably had about 60% success rate but if it fails just try again.

Bazz, thanks for the advice. I have done what you advised and we have success! Thanks again.