Artificial Plants

Artificial habitats – Plants
Wanting to simulate a natural sea grass meadow while creating an artificial habitat for the seahorses, we studied the literature and following Dr. Dounas suggestions we constructed an artificial plant with thin leaves (0.20mic) from green, transluscent PVC. We cut the leaves in very thin strips and the stalk was made from Stemarin POM, a substance with a very good diastatic stability, minimal moisture absorption, a high resistance to wear, good foldability, high chemical resistance and measuring only 8mm thick. The complete structure is made up of the stalk (20cm and 25cm long) and on its end a bunch of PVC leaves was attached with tie raps.
Then the plants were pushed in the sand until only 1 cm of the stalk was visible.
When planted in a random sequence close to each other they simulated a natural sea grass meadow.
Conclusively, the PVC leaves did not provide sufficient holdfast for their tails, but they did provide camouflage, while the edge of the stalk seemed sufficient for them to hold on to. The aquarium plants provided better camouflage and holdfasts in their entire length, however the PVC plants have greater advantages in their resistance to the harsh weather conditions since they can be anchored in deeper, they also have less colonization from other organisms as they are so thin. Another advantage is the cost of production compared to the cost of buying the aquarium plants.

Διαφορετικό πείραμα κατασκευής τεχνητού φυτού – δεν χρησιμοποιήθηκε όμως
Τα τεχνητά φυτά

Τα φύλλα των τεχνητών φυτών από από ελαφρύτερο PVC

Σκοπός των τεχνητών φυτών ήταν να προσομοιάσουμε αυτή την εικόνα
Πρώτη επιλογή φύλλων τεχνητών φυτών από PVC λίγο πιο παχιά από την τελική μας επιλογή

Πρότυπη κατασκευή τεχνητών φυτών από τον Miguel Correia

Πείραμα πύκνωσης των τεχνητών φυτών

Ο πρώτος μας κάτοικος στα νέα τεχνητά φυτά
Ο κορμός των τεχνητών φυτών – υλικό Stefarin Φ8mm
Κατασκευή των τεχνητών φυτών

Κατασκευή των τεχνητών φυτών με το ελαφρύτερο PVC