Potted plants

[esoxlucius]

I want to add some hardy, easy to grow, low maintainance plants to my 180g. Bogwood and rocks are ok if arranged nicely but I think it's time for a bit of greenery now. Thing is, it's a bare bottom tank and I don't want to go back to substrate.

I was wondering if I got some small flowerpots, or similar, and added my growing media to the pots and capped off with substrate, and then added my plants, mainly amazon swords probably. I'd then wedge the pots in between rocks and stuff.

Sounds easy enough and Amazon swords are one of the easiest to grow I believe so I shouldn't have any problems, right?

I wasn't planning on ferts or CO2 or the latest lighting tech.

Just wondering if any of you guys with bare bottom tanks have your plants potted in this way or are water column feeding plants probably a better option?

 

[burntrubber]

Did it once years ago, swords and crypts with gravel and Jbl fert balls in pots. Did quite well as the fert balls were concentrated in a small area.

 

[tiger15]

I have a planted tank with no substrate plants, only epiphytes attached to rock with a few potted plants hidden behind rock. I use hydroponic pots for stem and rosette plants such as this. Substrate plants won't work with my cichld which will uproot them.

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All plants can extract nutrients entirely from the water column and don't need rich substrate to thrive. Java fern and anubia do well in low light, non-CO2 tanks, but you still need to dose some fert as fish food do not provide balanced nutrients, typically lacking potassion, iron and micro nutrients.

 

[esoxlucius]

I have a planted tank with no substrate plants, only epiphytes attached to rock with a few potted plants hidden behind rock. I use hydroponic pots for stem and rosette plants such as this. Substrate plants won't work with my cichld which will uproot them.

2", 3", 3.75", 5" or 6" Mesh Net Pots Cups Hydroponics - Choose your Quantity! | eBay

Choose your quantity! Available in the following sizes.

www.ebay.com

All plants can extract nutrients entirely from the water column and don't need rich substrate to thrive. Java fern and anubia do well in low light, non-CO2 tanks, but you still need to dose some fert as fish food do not provide balanced nutrients, typically lacking potassion, iron and micro nutrients.

The fert you refer to, are we talking a liquid fert where a few drops into the water column once in a while will suffice, or are we talking the tablet type fert which you bury in the pots? Do they give the same results? Also, water changes will dilute the liquid fert will they not, so do you have to dose more ferts after water changes?

As you can tell i'm not altogether well versed on even the basic plant requirements.

 

[Fat Homer]

The fert you refer to, are we talking a liquid fert where a few drops into the water column once in a while will suffice, or are we talking the tablet type fert which you bury in the pots? Do they give the same results? Also, water changes will dilute the liquid fert will they not, so do you have to dose more ferts after water changes?

As you can tell i'm not altogether well versed on even the basic plant requirements.

Plants like amazon swords that are heavy root feeders will benefit from root tabs, but others such as anubias will probably benefit more from liquid ferts...

The main difference between the two ferts are that; liquid ferts as you said will need to be replaced during water changes, while root tabs normally last a while till they completely dissolve at which point will need to be replaced...

With all that being said though, plants such as anubias and java fern arent normally the most demanding and will still grow even without ferts as long as they get enough light (which even that they dont need too much of)...

 

[TheWolfman]

I was always under the impression that you don’t dose liquid ferts right after a water change, as the water change is providing fresh nutrients for you plants, but rather a few days after once the plants have had a chance to scrub clean the water. Then dose additional ferts as needed. The reason It’s done this way is to keep Algae from getting out of hand by not overloading nutrients into the water column all at once.

 

[Fat Homer]

There is no right or wrong way really, since everyones water source is different...

I personally add ferts to my tanks throughout the week including directly after water changes...

 

[tiger15]

I was always under the impression that you don’t dose liquid ferts right after a water change, as the water change is providing fresh nutrients for you plants, but rather a few days after once the plants have had a chance to scrub clean the water. Then dose additional ferts as needed. The reason It’s done this way is to keep Algae from getting out of hand by not overloading nutrients into the water column all at once.

WC will both remove and add some nutrients, depending on the chemical composition of the tap water. Typically, NPK are removed, and Ca, Mg and trace minerals that come with tap water are added. So dosing immediately after WC is needed to make up for nutrients that are removed.

Excessive nutrients, with the exception of ammonia, do not cause algae. Excessive organic waste and unhealthy plants will invite algae.

 

[duanes]

I used large pots of papyrus in this 150ish gallon tank. Bit obtrusive, but the papyrus gobbled up nitrate, and provided good spawning sites for Paratilapia.

the pots were at least 10-12" in diameter, and became quite root bound after a while.

Papyrus needs to be partially emergent.

The one below is in a sump

The papyrus would multiply so fast it ended up in all properly lit tanks, and the edges of my ponds.