Best Plant to Grow Above Tank

[jandb]

Hello. I'm looking for the a good plant to grow above my 270 with roots submersed. I've had pothos and would like to avoid going that route. I have a piece of driftwood I could stick above the water to have the plant grow on if necessary. Thanks in advance.

 

[eon aquatics]

Pothos is a standard and cheap plant.
It grows as vines and the vines branch out and root in the water.
Similar plants work well.

Tradescantia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Callisia repens - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

All three of these grow easily, however I feel that Callisia repens is the best option as it has much smaller leaves and takes root quickly.
Callisia repens also has more stems when you buy it, rather than a plant such as pothos that has fewer stems with larger leaves.
Therefore you might have more cuttings to root if you choose callisia repens.

 

[eon aquatics]

 

[abominus]

esoxlucius Joseppe duanes

These guys have many semi aquatic plants in their tanks.

 

[esoxlucius]

What I've found over the years is that "recommendations" from other hobbyists are all well and good, but may not work for you. Plant positioning, lighting, nutrient levels etc may be different.

What I've enjoyed doing in the past through trial and error is trying all sorts of different plants and discovering which ones work for me and my set ups. It gives you real time experience.

Personally I prefer plants that stay quite compact and whose root systems aren't too intrusive. Constantly chopping leaf and root growth back isn't for me.

At my local garden centre there is a section for very young houseplants. They are really cheap so if they don't work out you haven't lost much. Most of my different attempts over the years have come from there.

Maybe you could do something similar. I find it more enjoyable than just doing what somebody else is doing.

 

[abominus]

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[tiger15]

Lucky Bamboo is the best houseplant you can grow with stem permanently submerged. Roots are small and tight. Leaves grow slowly above water neatly without the mess of pathos and other fast growers. It’s so appealing that Petsmart include it regularly in the aquatic plant bench. The only challenge is how to anchor LB in a fish tank. I attached a tall LB to the back glass of my planted 125g with a suction cup, and the leaves have now grown 2 ft above water in 3 years. There are several varieties of LB with different stem pattern you can find in oriental stores, but they cost more than common LB. I’ve seen in YouTube bamboo forest set up in small tanks.

 

[Lotsoffishandthings]

Depends what you’re looking for from it, nice appearance or maximum nutrient export. Some tick both boxes, I’ve found pothos or monstera are hard to beat for nutrient export. I’ve got variegated monstera now as it’s worse for nutrient export than the standard version but I prefer the appearance.

I’ve got mine in 3d printed baskets that hang on the rim but there’s a million different ways to do it. Just needs to be somewhere the roots are in the water and the leaves are getting light. Helps if it’s somewhere the fish aren’t gonna knock it as well.

 

[duanes]

Beside the aquatic plants in my sump, that hold nitrates to undetectable , I use Dieffenbachia.
One sits about midway into the 6 ft tank.

The other sitson the other end, and drapes its arm think branches over thet patio.

As you can see by my testing, they hold nitrates to an undetectable level.

 

[eon aquatics]

Could try snake plant.
Although im not sure if snake plant roots can be in only water.