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Hi bro, thanks for sharing. Amazing project, really a good way of cultivating aqua plants, very energy efficient too.
Did you dose excel?
Outdoor Plant Grow Project - Fissidens
I started this outdoor project a month ago, it was originally meant as a way to keep excess harvested fissidens and get them to continue growing outside without taking up valuable space in my indoor tanks (and with minimal attention required).
Here is my setup...
To start with, i layer strands of fissidens on pieces of coconut shells (didn't bother to manually tie them on, the fissidens will eventually root in and attach on their own anyways) and then add abit of water into the container.
I prefer to use coconut shells as the base as they have a more natural curved shape once the fissidens establish (like small green hills), compared to using steel meshes which tend to create a rather flat artificial look.
This process is sort of like a "dry start method" (aka DSM) whereby the plants are grown emersed for a while before being submerged. The bottom layer of water will naturally wick up the coconut shells to keep the fissidens hydrated during this period of time.
The containers i use are just transparent IKEA plastic boxes. The lids are kept closed at all times to retain high humidity in the container (very important for fissidens undergoing DSM) and also to prevent mosquito breeding.
In the photo above, the top container has fissidens growing on coconut shells, while the bottom container has loose fissidens just grown floating in the water. The containers are stacked up to save space.
After 1-2 weeks, once the fissidens attach to the coconut shells, i fill the container with water and they will continue their growth submerged.
On a weekly basis, i do a full water change with de-chlorinated water, no fertilizers added. So far, i've not spotted algae in any of the containers, even in the presence of direct sunlight. Most likely the limited nutrients available are all used up by the fissidens and the sealed environment probably helps prevent external contaminants/spores from being introduced too.
Here is a batch showing the growth rate after around 1 month...
As you can see, there is "pearling" (excess oxygen bubbles from active photosynthesis) even from the fissidens... sunlight is a very powerful light source indeed!
Due to direct sunlight exposure and the covered container environment, the water temperature in the containers can often times reach 31-32°C (sometimes even higher), but interestingly the fissidens didn't seem to show any signs of deterioration and instead seem to grow even faster and greener (compared to my indoor tanks), so i guess fissidens can adapt and thrive in high temperature conditions too.
Looks like growing aquarium plants outdoors can be a useful method to cultivate them... sometimes even better than growing them indoors.
Hi bro, thanks for sharing. Amazing project, really a good way of cultivating aqua plants, very energy efficient too.
Did you dose excel?
Thanks!Originally Posted by jlin
I didn't dose any excel... just plain de-chlorinated tap water + lots of sunlight.
I've tried sunning my tank and all i got is algae, huge headache for me. Good suggestion on keeping it tightly sealed, shall try it with my ikea clear containers. Where do you get your husks by the way? I can't seem to find it.
OH WOW! amazing UA! How come the fissiden won't "burn" out? haha
I got my coconut shells from husks leftover from the market... basically just strip away the outer layer, cut and shape them into smaller pieces, then boil them to remove most of the tannins.
You could also get coconut shells from various LFS, they are sometimes sold as hiding caves for fishes or with plants tied to the shells, so you can re-purpose those too.
I guess fissidens tend to brown out when there is a change of environment or if they are left directly under high intensity aquarium lights for too long.
In the case of my fissiden containers, their lighting photoperiod follows the daytime sequence, which gradually increases and peaks at noon, then gradually decreases until evening... so even though the sunlight is very intense at noontime, it's only for a relatively short period of time. Maybe that somehow works well enough to encourage fissidens growth.
Mine burned out after direct sunlight. Did you ever have to replace the water during the first 2 weeks? The water in my container turns yellowish so I always refill or replace the water.
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Maybe you can try shifting them to an area with abit less sunlight exposure, see if it helps the fissidens to adapt gradually. Do make sure that the fissidens are constantly hydrated and don't dry out as that can cause them to melt too.
Are your containers covered? Perhaps the plastic cover and condensation in my containers helps to also somewhat diffuse the light.
For the first 1-2 weeks during the DSM period, i just leave the containers alone without changing the water... i guess yours could be yellowish because the shells or wood are still leaching tannins?
Super like this sharing!! Thanks!!
This is very interesting and inspiring.. i guess everyone at one point will have excess of any plant and maybe this method would work with certain plants. But it is definitely useful it is "documented" before by AQ member. Anyway, Fissiden is surely surprising to survive the singapore outdoor weather..
Anyone else try this method with other plants please share too!
Bro, I am starting my project on this after getting inspiration from you. I had spent some time and effort to hack the full coconut earlier. Now the fissiden is on top of the boiled coconut. I hope to achieve good results like yours!
Bro, you reckon is possible to use the same method to grow fissiden on rocks? Or the coconut husk provides the "water" the plant needs?
Yes, you can use rocks too, but for best results use rocks which have a rough surface (ie. porous lava rocks) as the fissiden roots need something to grip on.
During the DSM period, the fissidens will stay hydrated from water wicked up through the rough/porous surfaces and the surrounding high humidity within the sealed container.
Smooth rocks could also be used too, but you'll need to wrap it with fine mesh netting to create a suitable surface for the fissidens to attach on to.
thanks! Will go give rocks a try, seems like pretty fun
Interesting! I am also going to try this ~
Off to daiso tomorrow to buy some containers for this
Wish to compliment you on your unselfishness to share the fruits of your labour. A very valuable piece of information very relevant to my present situation.
3ft Tank. Eheim 2028. ADA soil. LIghting 2 X 39 T5 / pressurized Co2 @ 8hrs/day.
my first trial failed with the fissidens rooted but burnt (turned black and staining the coconut in the process). My container was placed in the central of the living room away from direct sun.
I am trying my second round, will probably submerge all the fissiden by the 5th day to prevent the fissidens from burning again. I will have to find a way to weigh down the coconut soon.
I'm trying out the grinded fissiden method, using DSM. Where I cut up fissidens into small bits and rub them on a rock. Hopefully it works out too. Will share the outcome in days to come
my fissidens are staining the coconut husk brown. then it will turn black and die again... HOw to stop this staining....?
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