Plastic plants keep floating

[tinyali]

I have some plastic plants in my (currently unstocked) aquarium. They are supposed to sitting on the bottom, but they keep floating! I've seen weights that you can buy to sink the plants, but they all seem to be made of metal - would this make them unsuitable for use in an axolotl tank?

 

[Boomsloth]

A lot of plastic plants require the base to be anchored in the substrate (gravel, sand etc) There are other types of plastic plants that have weighted bottoms that would be a better option.

 

[leandrah]

Or you could weigh it down with a big stone that is too big for your Axies to swallow. You don't need to use a metal weight

 

[fireball99]

I use sand as a substrate and just sink them into that so they're sitting on the bottom of the tank, and have used a few large stones to keep them in place. I was a little worried that my axie would move the stone and get his foot caught but he's been fine and the plants are still in place.

 

[auntiejude]

Are you talking about metal weights like these? They are designed for aquarium use and are safeas long as you watch out for sharp edges.

Other wise, but the plastic plants with weighted polystome bases.

 

[jAfFa CaKe]

You could always try real plants.

 

[xxianxx]

Let them float axolotls like surface cover

 

[tinyali]

Thanks for all the ideas. My plastic plants were weighted, but obviously not enough! I have weighed them down with some nice smooth non-swallowable rocks which seems to be working nicely. I was concerned about the sharp edges on those metal plant weights. I don't have any substrate for live plants, but maybe in the future....
I also have some plastic duckweed which I'll leave floating to provide cover.

 

[ladygodiva35]

I was having trouble with my real plants so I recently bought some transparent slender glass vases that I set up in the corners on the tank. I stuck the plant in there so not only it can't make a mess with shedding but it stayed in there. Except that one plant the axolotls pulled out! lol

 

[tinyali]

I was having trouble with my real plants so I recently bought some transparent slender glass vases that I set up in the corners on the tank.

That sounds really pretty! Have you got any photos?
Also, I really like your profile picture. Is that 2 axolotls kissing, or one axolotl checking out his reflection?

 

[ladygodiva35]

That is my two axolotls kissing! A golden albino and a leucistic. I took the two vases from the corner and placed the plants inside both vases laying flat since my husband thought it would look cool that way. Here is a photo of how I have the vases now but I plan to get two more vases for all four corners. Btw, the axolotls LOVE the two vases connected. They were jumping around on and standing on it like it was a new toy. I included a photo of my golden axie acting like he owns the thing! He probably does!

Oooh and I also put sand inside each corner of the vase which gave it sort of a fallen down hourglass look.