Not sure if in right place for this..

[metropolis93fan]

I'm wanting to get a rose sword plant for my 10 gallon when it's done cycling. I'm having trouble find the answer to if gravel is acceptable substrate and if it can be grown in a pot in the aquarium so it doesn't spread. Any help is greatly appreciated! Rose sword plant,

 

[Colin_T]

Should be in the plant section but not an issue.

All sword plants (Echinodorus species) can grow in sand or gravel. They like nutrient rich substrate and I found they did best in pots/ plastic containers with at least 3 inches of gravel or sand. I prefer gravel but they grow in either. You can also grow Echinodorus in potting mix in pots, or just in the garden. I have one that is in a pot in my loungeroom. It gets treated like a normal garden plant.

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We use to grow some plants (usually swords, crypts, Aponogetons and water lilies) in 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream containers. You put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the container, then spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Put a 1/4inch (6mm) thick layer of red/ orange clay over the fertiliser. Dry the clay first and crush it into a powder. Then cover that with more gravel.

You put the plants in the gravel and as they grow, their roots hit the clay and fertiliser and they take off and go nuts. The clay stops the fertiliser leaching into the water.

You can smear silicon on the outside of the buckets and stick gravel or sand to them so it is less conspicuous. Or you can let algae grow on them and the containers turn green.

 

[Stan510]

I'm going to try growing 'Marble Queen' in a pot outdoors. I saw a photo of one grown that way here on FF a few weeks ago and the amount of yellow in the leaves was electric. A drainless pot,potting soil and no need for a cap. Something different.
The plant will be a pup of a Marble Queen growing already in my aquarium but is not getting the full blown sun like it will outdoors.

 

[Colin_T]

The marble queen sword plant is a variegated Echinodorus cordifolias and the yellow isn't that good, at least on the ones here.

You can put Echinorodus in normal garden pots. I use a 6 or 8 inch pot for them that is filled with standard potting mix. Have the pot in a plastic tray and water the plant from above until the tray fills with water. Wait until the tray is dry before watering again.

I use trays that are for bigger pots (eg: 30cm tray for 20cm pot). In a cooler climate you could use a 20cm tray for a 20cm pot.

Use a liquid terrestrial plant fertiliser on them once a fortnight and wait for the flower spikes.

Once they are use to full sun, they will sit there all day photosynthesising.

 

[Stan510]

That's true- the other guy's plant was in Singapore and probably was a much better cultivar as it looked very yellow and green. Something like a Croton. My Marble here has about a half dozen young plants on flower spikes.