January 24, 2010
DIY: Fake aquarium plants from plastic trash bags
HOMEMADE PLANTS FOR YOUR
JACK DEMPSEY CICHLID AQUARIUM
Jack Dempsey cichlids, like most large cichlids, enjoy ripping plants to pieces. Even artificial plants take a beating from the larger fish. If you wish to have plenty of hiding places in your breeding tank, try this simple method of making plant like cover.
Take a large green plastic trash bag and cut along one of it’s seems so as to spread it out on a table. We want to be cutting through just one layer. Before doing anything, wipe down both sides with a warm cloth or clean sponge to remove any industrial residue that may be on the surface of the plastic. Use this template (diagram 1) as a rough guide. Don’t be too fussy, this method is very forgiving. Cut your flat plastic sheet in a similar pattern. It doesn’t have to be perfect because plants are not perfectly symmetrical.
Place an appropriate sized rock in the center of this cutting and put a bit of silicone on it. Now bunch up the leafy petals around this rock (diagram 2) and use a rubber band or string to tighten the plastic around the rock. Leave this overnight and the next day the silicone will be cured. These homemade plants are now ready to be placed in your aquarium. Bury the bottom weighted section in the gravel or just let it sit on the surface of the tank bottom. The Cichlids will enjoy moving them about the tank.
You can be creative if you wish and cut these plastic leaves in all kinds of shapes. Cut them very thin and make it look like waving grass. You could slice the leaves in the middle making the leaves look unique, maybe even attractive. These plastic plants want to float so it will always stay upright for you. At the very least, you will provide a lot of cover for young fry. Kinda neat, huh? :)
… Jack Lamountain
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Should My Jack Dempsey Fish Tank Have Live Plants?
January 25, 2010 at 6:45 pm
[...] out this method of making your own DIY artificial plants for your aquarium from green plastic trash bags. It’s not for your show tank but it makes [...]
HOW TO BREED JACK DEMPSEY CICHLID FISH
January 26, 2010 at 11:17 pm
[...] In general, forget live plants. (make your own plants) Your Dempseys will uproot them and/or shred them. Use plastic plants instead. Weight them with [...]
kimberly
May 10, 2010 at 3:40 am
Should the trash bag be green or could I use black or white? However, the idea is a good one!
jackarthur46
May 10, 2010 at 4:27 am
Kimberly… any color trash bag should do. I’ve only used green myself but a combo of colors would be interesting. Thanks for submiting your question.
Goldfish8241
July 12, 2010 at 1:57 am
Will the goldfish, while tearing the plant apart, eat the plastic? They probably won’t tear it to shreds or anything but it is good to know.
Goldfish8241
July 12, 2010 at 1:59 am
Will the goldfish, while tearing the plant apart, eat the plastic? They probably won’t tear it to shreds or anything but it is good to know. Also, should the trash bag pieces you are going to be working with, be boiled or soaked in hot water?
Kevin A. Cole
October 4, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Wow, i started with 2 Jack’s….and about 3 months and I now i have 20 growing monsters,,,, its amazing they all survived and they eat feeders. Anyone wants some Jacks “free “
dkn798
February 9, 2011 at 3:11 am
ill take them!
Mark
August 2, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Their probly huge by now! I live in so cal semd em to me
Derrick
April 16, 2011 at 10:12 pm
I’ve got almost a 2 year old breeding pair. They have had 2 broods. I recently tried the mirror trick to get the male going, but my male Jack has always been skid-dish. He darts around sometimes if he’s spooked and will just run right into the walls. He now has all the other fish acting the same way and I guess it’s because when he takes off it scares them. Anyways, the mirror didn’t work, he just looked at it and did nothing. I love him, but he’s a freakin sissy! Any suggestions?
Hayden
April 20, 2011 at 2:32 pm
mine was the same way till i moved bothe of em into a 150 with two oscars now their fine ha.
K dot
May 4, 2011 at 10:49 pm
You could try turing your heat up a little bit more jacks seems to be more agressive when they are kept warmer
jennie
July 19, 2011 at 10:44 pm
very unique and easy idea i like it.
Myself
August 23, 2012 at 12:53 am
Awesome idea, plants are way too expensive… So thanks, I found that if the trash bag has a thick drawstring you can cut it up and use it too I used a red one and it looks kinda cool