I was in Michael's the other day and came across this plant mat that was on sale and almost free, so I picked it up thinking that it might make an interesting background in the 20 gallon tank in my daughter's room.

I'm not sure if I'll leave it in there, but it's certainly different. The background on it was a dark gray/black and this has really brightened things up. It doesn't go all the way to the bottom and I've noticed the fish like to go under there -- it's like a nice dark cave.



It would make a great place for fry to hide out.

When the nasty brown algae starts to cover it, I think it'll have to go -- we'll see.

Now THATS interesting,,,AND different. I like the idea of using that for a fry grow-out tank.

Is it funny or what,,,I am assuming that you didnt go to Michaels looking for this plant mat??? But you gotta laugh when you see something and start to think,,, Hmmmm ,,,that would go good with my fishies. Giggly

How often do you see,,,lets say a rock,,at your friends house,,in a nice landscaping set-up and say,,,,,wow,,that rock would look good in my fish tank. On the Floor Laughing Giggly I do,,,is that weird or what? roll eyes

OK,,,back on topic here,,,,I like the addition,,how "bushy" is it,,,does it take up alot of swimming space?


AP.

It is a simplier version of the moss walls that people build for backgrounds - I like it!

APII I do the same thing all the time. Even driving down the road, I'll see rocks on the side of the road and think it would look good in a tank.

Get some shrimp to help eat the algae off it, Aura.

Yes, AP, that is exactly what happened. I do it all the time, especially in hardware stores and craft stores. And I'm always checking out rocks wherever they may be. My Dad has even started doing it and will bring back rocks that he comes across when they are out walking.

This plant thing is about 2.5 - 3 inches thick, so it does take up more space than I would like in a small tank. It's made up of square grids that can be cut to any size. Also the "tufts" are removable, so that can be customized or thinned out however you want. I removed some of them to make a slot for the intake of my filter.

The fish really seem to like that overhang at the bottom. They can swim up a ways in the back also. I'm keeping an eye out to make sure they can't get stuck back there. I've seen things similar to this at pet shops -- I'm not really sure what they are made for.

Yodahorn, shrimp sound like something I wouldn't mind trying.

That would be cool if you can somehow lay it down and place an air-stone under it.

That'll make for a great fry "nest".


AP.

I like the look, Aura!

And I also find myself looking at rocks thinking the same thing you guys do!

Aura it looks good and if you would get shrimp, which I may be able to help you out with, they would really like the extra hiding spots as well. It gives it a nice jungle feel!

If I decide to keep it in there, I'll look into the shrimp. I've never kept them before. Would they be able to live in the tank with some hatchet fish and one old blue gourami? Or would they get eaten?

Well with that in the tank they could hide very easily with them in there.

If the gourami is big and the shrimp are small some could get eaten, but as cturner says they would have the plant mat to hide is also.

Then whats the since,,,,puting something in a tank you like only to see everything else you like,,,,HIDE?????????

This is how I like all my tanks to be,,I have had lots of caves and crevises for them to be able to 'get away" and not be able to 'hide" all day. Whats the sense of having fish/shrimp if you cannot see them?

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Keep us posted,,,and are you going to try doing something different with the "mat"?


AP.

I like it, Aura! We added some fake vines to our SA tank over the weekend and brought them down from the top of the tank, and I was looking at it last night thinking I might pick up more of them to make it a little more dense on the back of the tank.

Now, I might need to make a trip to Michaels!

Kim

that way, you only see that gorgeous fish part of the time and you never get tired of them Tres Bien!

Are you talking about the shrimp or the background? The background was just an experiment to see what it would look like. The shrimp would be there to help with algae.

The fish in the tank are plenty visible. The hatchet fish don't go underneath and the fish that do are not hidden from view. The plants are so thick that only the tiniest or very skinny (kuhli loaches) can get inside or behind. When I say underneath, I mean that the mat does not extend all the way to the bottom of the tank. There are a few inches left open and the fish can go under the overhang, but they are still completely visible. It's shady under there, but I can still see them. Tres Bien!

Kim, these things come in like a 12 X 12 inch square and fit together on little pegs. I just used suction cups to attach it to the back glass. I don't know yet if I'd recommend it, but if you come across it on sale, you could give it a try and see what you come up with.

AP, that idea of putting it on the bottom would work too, if you suction cup it to the bottom. I don't suppose you'd want to cover the entire bottom or cleaning poop would be a problem.

I dont think AP and cleaning a tank go harmoneously in the same thread. Giggly Wait a minute I cant say that, we detailed and clayed his car a few weeks back

Aura, are you still liking the background? I'm going to Michaels this weekend and just wondered how it was going now as far as clean up goes...

So far I haven't had any problems with it. No junk has been building up in or on it. I pushed water through it by waving my hand around and nothing noticeable came out. Algae hasn't even shown up yet.

The only complaint I have right now is the amount of space it takes up.