(unpotted) aquatic plants, do they need to be bedded into the substrate?

vibe666

i'm trying to make my 260L juwel vision seem a little less empty and a little more interesting for the fish, so i got a cheap plastic log/stump thing and put some live plants in it.

they weren't potted though, just wrapped in a little lead band to make them sink, so i'm wondering if they will need to be dug into the substrate to survive, or if they will be happy enough to live where they are poked into the holes in the log?

if they do need some kind of potting medium, is there something i could use at home that will do the job?

i was also wondering if i should separate them out a bit to make them look a little more natural or if they will grow out on their own? i was thinking if i culd get more of the little lead ribbon stuff, i could probably make smaller bunches out of them and spread them out a bit more.

thanks.

donal2000

You could use some fishing line or elastic bands to keep them in place until they grow a little. They shouldnt need to be planted in the substrate (gravel).

If you are looking to add more plants I would recommend maybe purchasing some Java Fern - it grows very easy even in low light conditions.

One recommendation to enhance the look of your tank would be to add pea (natural coloured) gravel or sand (make sure the sand can be used in awuariums). They will need a good rinse before you add to the tank. You could then add some bogwood - available cheaply at most petstores and attach the java fern to the wood. This I think would give a more natural look to your tank. Just a suggestion by the way.

fungun

should be fine out of substrate - you can buy potting medium for under your substrate but too late for that now! i normally separate any plants i buy and then put a little rock/wood on top of them to hold them in place

Java fern grows easily enough and propagates easily enough too - I have some spare, pm me if you would like some....im in co kildare, not too far out of dublin.

vibe666

its just a temporary set-up for now, my long term aim will be to get it looking as natural as possible, with the pea gravel & sand and lots of bog wood and natural plants and maybe a plain navy background or even a bit of a 3D one, although i'm not sure if the Vision 260 is deep enough front to back to be worth it.

i've only just bought it though, so i want to make sure it's all settled down properly before i start messing with it too much.

that, and its already getting to be a fecking expensive hobby.

also, it looks like one of my snails spent most of yesterday eating through the stalks of whatever the plant at the top of the tree stump is, so most of it was floating round in the tank when i got in from work!

thanks for the offer fungun, it's appreciated but i think we're going to have a bit of a trip out to seahorse aquariums on saturday, so i think i'll end up picking a bunch of stuff up there.

i was actually thinking about it and wondering if fishing shot and a bit of line might do the trick for splitting up the plants a bit and weighing them down in smaller bunches, but although i know it's supposed to be safe, i'm not sure about long term effects in an aquarium environment.