Has anyone seen this tank??

[soulmia]

Guys,
I saw a fantastic tank which had a very tranquil looking buddha and bamboo in a tank.... I have been looking for pictures of this tnk - has anyone seen it???

Please do send me a link if you have seen it.

I'm very interested in having bamboo in my tank - any ideas??

[cocoa_pleco]

in the video section, theres a link to it.

Apparently it rots. I wanted to try it too.

[cocoa_pleco]

Here we are!

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Drumachine09]

That tank is SOOO relaxing!

[soulmia]

Thanks for the link... but the thing I'm talking about is not a video - it's a picture...

[soulmia]

It's this : [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

I just adore this!!! Does anyone have an idea how to do bamboo a the tank??

[Drumachine09]

It's this : [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

I just adore this!!! Does anyone have an idea how to do bamboo a the tank??



Theres no buddah or bamboo in that picture.

And you cant use bamboo, it rots

[Lady Hobbs]

What bamboo? Sure is an awesome tank, tho

[cocoa_pleco]

thats a awesome tank. I cant see bamboo though.

In seattle, petco had bamboo for sale, but it'll probably rot

[2manyfish]

Sorry but my computer is old and I can't see the video but here is a pic of a nice tank with buddha and bamboo. (If it's the same thing as the video, then sorry!!)

[Drumachine09]

Sorry but my computer is old and I can't see the video but here is a pic of a nice tank with buddha and bamboo. (If it's the same thing as the video, then sorry!!)

Its not quite the same, but equally tranquil.

[2manyfish]

BTW I should state that the above photo is NOT my tank and I don't know who it belongs too!!

Anyway, a couple of years ago I wanted to try bamboo in a tank. So at that time I got some nice sized pieces and I soaked them in a pan of polyurathane varnish. Once they had dried I used aquarium silicone to glue them to small pieces of slate. This was just a test to see if the bamboo would last and if this was all safe for fish. This was the end result BUT I only kept this for a couple of months before moving the betta to a bigger tank and dropped the idea of real bamboo.

[2manyfish]

Well at least it's different!


Okay, so now it's been a couple of years later and I want to do the bamboo thing again only I don't have access to live bamboo. I've heard of people submerging the "lucky" bamboo but I don't want to do that so instead I go to PetSmart and they have fake bamboo.

So here is my version of a bamboo tank (all fake decor).

[Drumachine09]

Well at least it's different!


Okay, so now it's been a couple of years later and I want to do the bamboo thing again only I don't have access to live bamboo. I've heard of people submerging the "lucky" bamboo but I don't want to do that so instead I go to PetSmart and they have fake bamboo.

So here is my version of a bamboo tank (all fake decor).


I like that oriental looking vase. But, however, you need a Buddah!

[soulmia]

Drum: That is a buddha in the tank. I just assumed those were bamboo...what are those tree like things??? I just LOVE this tank!!!

[cocoa_pleco]

I saw that bamboo at petsmart today.

Its like 15 bucks for 2 fake stalks of it, a little too much

[soulmia]

2Manyfish: while your tank looks great (and I love that vase!!) I still want the real thing... why not lucky bamboo by the way?

I have loads of those at home and they seem to be doing very well! The oldest I have is about 3 years old.... also, if I want regular golden bamboo sticks (no leaves) ..... what can I do to "preserve" it under water...

[cocoa_pleco]

if you completely submerge it, it rots. If you do the half-bowl idea its fine, but not fully under water

[Chrona]

Soulmia - the tree like plants you are talking about in the foreground is pellia. Fairly hard to grow and not that easy to find either.

I've seen some places that sell prepared sticks and stuff for aquatic aquascaping, so I'm sure you can do the same for bamboo. Where you'll find a place that sells it I have no clue.

[cocoa_pleco]

petco has it for 3$

[soulmia]

I have this growing at home: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I was wondering if I could use the golden stems in the tank.... I have several stems that range from 1/4th to 1" in diameter.... maybe I could use the stems...and have live plants around them or between them....

do you think this is possible?? If so, what varnish can I use to coat the bamboo stems to preserve them?

[2manyfish]

You can use those Soulmia. The bamboo sticks need to be coated really well, even on the inside. Which is why you need a pan big enough to put the bamboo in so they can soak, so the varnish can get inside the sticks. I used a polyurethane varnish on mine and it worked really well.

I have seen people use the 'lucky' bamboo (which isn't real bamboo btw), and although the plants were doing okay, I don't know what the long term effect would be since they aren't an aquatic plant. I imagine if the plant grew out of the water it would be alright but then you wouldn't be able to have a hood on the tank. And on the other hand if the plant wasn't able to grow out of the tank then I would guess that it would eventually die.

[gm72]

Wouldn't the polyurethane leach into the water eventually?

[soulmia]

2manyfish:
I'm going to try varnishing the golden bamboo.... but I'll try and look around for some organic varnish.... maybe that will be less harmfull to the fish?

Now I have a new "situation" my plants seem to be groeing new leaves but the colours are not so nice anymore...maybe i have bad lighting....sigh...
back to the drawing board i think

[Drumachine09]

2manyfish:
I'm going to try varnishing the golden bamboo.... but I'll try and look around for some organic varnish.... maybe that will be less harmfull to the fish?

Now I have a new "situation" my plants seem to be groeing new leaves but the colours are not so nice anymore...maybe i have bad lighting....sigh...
back to the drawing board i think


Dont varnish it. I would just not do bamboo, unless you caan find the fake plastic stuff. You dont want to risk your fish, do you?

[gm72]

Drum, that's kind of what I'm thinking. I refinish furniture and do some carpentry, so I use polyurethane a lot. There is no "organic" solution, only water-based polys vs. oil based. Have you ever seen what water can do to polyurethane? Example: glass of ice water placed on a varnished table. The varnish softens and leaves a white ring. Now that simply has to mean some chemical component is going to leach into the water. Harmful to fish? I would think so.

[Drumachine09]

Drum, that's kind of what I'm thinking. I refinish furniture and do some carpentry, so I use polyurethane a lot. There is no "organic" solution, only water-based polys vs. oil based. Have you ever seen what water can do to polyurethane? Example: glass of ice water placed on a varnished table. The varnish softens and leaves a white ring. Now that simply has to mean some chemical component is going to leach into the water. Harmful to fish? I would think so.


Yeah, its impossible to find an "organic" varnish. They all have some sort of chemical in them. If it says dont breath the fumes, then its probobly not Aquarium safe.

The best thing i can think of is to totally cover it in silicon, but then you risk missing a spot, and quite frankly, it would look like crap.

Just see if you can get some fake plastic or ceramic bamboo.

[gm72]

You can find some pretty good looking fake bamboo plants here as I just found:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Drumachine09]

You can find some pretty good looking fake bamboo plants here as I just found:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]



That is what you should get. They are probobly really expensive, i didnt check the price

[soulmia]

:( I reallllly wanted the real thing but I see what you're all saying...no point in risking the fish

well....it was a nice thought while it lasted..
thans you guys

[Drumachine09]

:( I reallllly wanted the real thing but I see what you're all saying...no point in risking the fish

well....it was a nice thought while it lasted..
thans you guys


It does look like a kick arse tank, i just wouldnt want to endanger the fish. You can get some REALLY realistic looking fake bamboo though! Maybe you can get a PANDA cory!......wow, ive sunk to a new low.

[soulmia]

:ezpi_wink1: i deserved that one.

but when i look at other people's gorgeous tanks - i just want ne taht better...or just like it!

when will my turn come where i give people advise??:ezpi_wink1:

[gm72]

Drum, not too expensive.

Soulmia, your time to give advice is coming, be patient, keep reading and asking!

[cocoa_pleco]

Panda cory. How ironic. lol

[Drumachine09]

Panda cory. How ironic. lol


Well, that was the point of the comment.

[soulmia]

sigh... the bamboo idea had died a quick and painless death... I have bigger problems :((
Please read my SOS post!!!! and help!!!!!

[2manyfish]

Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner but sometimes life gets busy you know?

Anyway, varnishes are safe to use in aquariums. They just aren't used very much as most aquarium decor doesn't require it. But if you're building your own tank from plywood and glass you use varnish to seal the wood. I have also read of people who make their own backgrounds of styrofoam and concrete sealing that with varnish too. The first link the guy also has an article on sealing bog wood but I lost the link somewhere!



[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]


Of course, over time I would imagine that the varnish might start dissolving (after all water is a universal solvent!) but that should take years and years (if used in saltwater I would think that time would be shortened quite a bit!).

When I did this with the bamboo in that betta bowl it was in there for months without any kinds of problems. The varnish didn't turn color, the water was fine and the fish was fine too. I would think that if you did try this that if you noticed any of the bamboo becoming discolored/whitish looking that you could simply remove it and maybe do a small waterchange and that would be enough.
HTH