Keeping a terrarium for your aquarium plants.

Stan510

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I've gotten where if I'm not sure a plant I wanted and bought will survive? I take a few small cuttings or strands in the case of moss and put them in jars or my 2 gallon metaframe. Sure enough two species of plants that died in my 240,are now back with my better skills a second time around and doing well. I even have Hydrocotyle tripartita in the 2 gallon in potting soil and its soon going to fill it up with enough for a second try and even maybe trade at the LFS.
So,if you have the room and don't want to lose all a plant...keep some in reserve.
 
A lot of aquarium plants can grow in pots with potting mix, sitting on the window sill or outside.
 
I've started to get into this too :) I have a couple of planted jars but nothing exceptional for now.

One issue I have had is plants just drying up? I tried some Bucephalandra on some wood and it just shrivelled in like a day... any tips?
 
You need to let the water evaporate naturally over time to give the plants time to develop terrestrial foliage.
 
Whenever I have done bottle gardens, I use a cork stopper as a lid.

When first planted up, lightly spray the plants and put the cork stopper on so that the plants get their moisture from condensation that builds up naturally...you can keep the stopper in place and let the plants thrive just by their own condensation or take the stopper off every few weeks and spray gently to top up the moisture. I use a fine mist sprayer that cannot drench anything.

It is the only time I ever managed not to kill plants.....(OK so the aquarium plants chosen for me by my supplier are still alive and kicking but thats more luck than actually anything else)
 
For sure you need a lid. I have a pane of glass over the Metaframe. Lids on the jars. I came very close to losing a C.petchi dwarf because a Roselline barb would nibble any new growth. 2 weeks in a jar and I see new larger eaves for the first time.
Some plants take our winters..like most of the mosses its seems. After that its the known hardies like Bacopa and after that its all guesswork. So far higher plants I do by a window indoors,mosses were fine outdoors in jars.
 

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