Creating a natural environment with anubias and driftwood

[joshito]

You can definitely remove Anubis from driftwood and reuse it elsewhere.

To do this, you'll want to carefully cut the roots as close to the driftwood as possible, then gently rock the plant back and forth to loosen it.

Once it's loose, you can reattach it to a new piece of driftwood or a rock, wherever you want to place it.

To get it to stick, you can use some fishing line or a plant clip to hold it in place until the roots take hold.

[sSjey]

You can indeed remove anubias from driftwood and reattach it elsewhere, just be gentle to avoid damaging the roots. Anubias can be attached to pretty much any decoration, but I find it's safer to secure them to decor rather than laying them on the substrate, as it's easy to accidentally bury the rhizome.

I personally use sewing thread to hold them in place until they've taken hold on their own. Some folks have also had success with superglue - just make sure to check the label for cyanoacrylate. The gel type is apparently easier to work with than the liquid, as it doesn't run everywhere and leave a white residue in the tank. To attach, ensure the decor and anubias are dry, but keep the leaves damp by wrapping them in a moist paper towel or tissue.

[Giggletons]

I've had trouble attaching anubias to anything, so my solution's been just covering the roots with rocks or some crushed coral rubble - seems to work for me.

[petal9]

I've had success with superglue, and I'd definitely recommend the gel type - it's just easier to work with. If you do decide to use it, be aware that it takes a minute or two to set properly. I've got it on most of my plants that are attached to the wood in my tanks, but I will say it can be a bit tricky to use. If you've got some latex gloves, it's a good idea to put them on - trust me, you don't want to end up with superglue all over your fingertips. I learned that the hard way, and even superglue remover didn't always get it off completely. For some plants that I wanted to place at substrate level but kept floating to the surface when the fish swam by, I found a solution. I'd glue small pieces of slate to the plant, something about the size of a bottle cap, and then just press the cap into the substrate.

[joshito]

If I've got driftwood with anubias on it and also some loose anubias not attached to anything,
I want to keep it growing but not in the tank itself.
Can I just stick it in a bucket of water and leave it in the sun, will it still grow?

[joshito]

Just bumping the previous question.

Also, I've got this green wavy stuff growing - is it algae?

[sSjey]

Yeah, it's definitely hair algae. You can remove it by winding the strands around something - your finger or a toothbrush will do. But unless you identify the underlying reason it's growing and address that, it'll just come back.

[petal9]

I'm dealing with it too and it's a right pain to shift.
When I try to wind it into a single strand to pull, I end up lifting the plants off the decor or substrate which isn't ideal.
I've got aquascape scissors that I'm using to cut back as much as I can for now, and I'm planning a big water change soon so I can get to it better with a toothbrush.
The shrimp and otos are doing their bit to help out in the meantime.

[joshito]

I'm wondering what's triggering the growth of this hair algae. Is it because my lights are on for too long? I've only got plants in the tank at the moment, still in the cycling phase. It's really taken off in just 48 hours, so I'm keen to get to the bottom of it.

[coltin]

I've found that filamentous algae tends to thrive when there's an overabundance of nutrients in the water. It's likely that your tank is experiencing an imbalance, possibly due to the cycling process.