Potted Aquarium Plants
Aquarium plants need fertile soils, rich in nutrients to grow healthily in home aquariums. Planting aquarium plants in independent potting containers allows you to grow a wide range of aquarium plants in decorative substrate such as pea gravel or sand that would not otherwise support plant life. Potted aquarium plants are commonly sold in pet stores; however, proper care and maintenance is important to ensure that the plants thrive in your home aquarium.. Does this Spark an idea?
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Benefits
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Potted aquarium plants have many benefits over planted aquarium plants in home aquariums. While both types of aquarium plants help filter nutrients and maintain stable water chemistry in aquariums, potted aquarium plants are highly mobile and can be conveniently moved to new locations in the tank by simply moving the potting container. As the plant grows larger, you can easily repot it into a larger container or propagate the plant by root division and make several new plants the same as a normal houseplant.
Types of Pots
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Use any potting container that does not pollute the aquarium water. Many aquarium plants are sold in a special aquarium plant potting container that is made with a plastic frame and mesh walls to promote water circulation through the root system. However, you make your own inexpensive potting container for aquatic plants out of the bottom of small yogurt cups or plastic bottles. Small clay pots or traditional plastic potting containers also work well for aquarium plants.
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Soil
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When you make your own potting container for aquarium plants its important to prepare the soil before adding plants. Choose a soil that is suitable for the type of plant that you want to grow. Regular potting soil can be used for many aquarium plants. Place the soil in a large bowl and add water to saturate the soil. Use your fingers to thoroughly mix the soil to try to remove any air bubbles that may be trapped in the soil. However, regular potting soil is high in nutrients and may cause algal problems in some tanks, according to Animal World. Lower the nutrient level of the potting soil by mixing in sand or quartz gravel to reduce the volume of potting soil used.
Planting and Care
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Fill two thirds of the potting container with the saturated potting soil mix and press your thumb into the center of the pot to create a small planting hole for your aquarium plant. Gently place the roots of the aquarium plant into the hole and cover the remaining space with potting soil. Place a thin layer of aquarium gravel over the soil to help anchor the potting container to the aquarium floor and prevent the potting soil from clouding your aquarium water.
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References
- Photo Credit aquarium inhabitant image by petar Ishmeriev from Fotolia.com
