Potted Plants Mystery

[Paigan]

Hello,

Okay, I know it sounds a very strange request, However i just purchased some beautiful anubias and muriophyllum, however they are very established plants, and in at least a couple of inches plastic plant pots. They are far to big to be planted directly in their pots...however i didnt want to experiment with them, and damage the plant? Am I missing something seriously obvious? I go to the same local fish shop, however the man who usually deals with it, was not in, and the younger chap didn't really know.
So out of curiosity I was wondering if any suggestions?

thank you for your time to read

 

[OldMan47]

I would take the new plant to a sink or another good work location and cut the plastic with a pair of snips to remove it from the root structure. Once it is opened up, you can tease apart the roots to release most of that stuff they use as a growing medium and rinse that away. You should be left with a relatively clean root system that you can then tie to something and allow the roots to reach for the substrate. It is never a good idea to try to directly plant Anubias or java ferns because they must have their rhizomes kept above the substrate or they will not survive.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with OM47. I have a beautiful anubia nana that is just tied to a round rock with a twistem (like you'd use to close a plastic bag) and its great! The roots are mostly just exposed directly to the water all the time. Sometimes I bury a few of the longer stray ones to anchor the whole thing more but the plant is healthy and grows new leaves frequently. Another nice benefit of this is that I can simply lift the entire plant out of the aquarium if I want to wipe any algae off the leaves or I can easily move the plant around the tank and try new positions.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Paigan]

Thank you for your swift reply, So I should attach it something like bog wood or some other structure...
It seems such a silly question, as before i have bought what I would call stems, and bought like a almost pre soaked cotton wool and put them in mini terracotta rings, and inserted them between the gravel, most of the stems have developed their own roots and some are very long spending across the tank bottom.

I shall have a crack with the pots tomorrow. Thank you for the advice/

 

[forby3]

Hi all my plants are fake sorry for posting your post lol

 

[Paigan]

Yes, agree with OM47. I have a beautiful anubia nana that is just tied to a round rock with a twistem (like you'd use to close a plastic bag) and its great! The roots are mostly just exposed directly to the water all the time. Sometimes I bury a few of the longer stray ones to anchor the whole thing more but the plant is healthy and grows new leaves frequently. Another nice benefit of this is that I can simply lift the entire plant out of the aquarium if I want to wipe any algae off the leaves or I can easily move the plant around the tank and try new positions.

~~waterdrop~~

That is a great idea! I shall try that

 

[OldMan47]

As Paigan observed, almost anything that gives your plant a place in your aquarium is a plus for your tank.

 

[Paigan]

As Paigan observed, almost anything that gives your plant a place in your aquarium is a plus for your tank.

I have attached some of the plants to some bog wood and special sand blasted roots, they look rather elegant if i do say so myself.
I am now debating weather to change the gravel to some sort of sand. I do like the idea of a natural look. I wish i gave more thought to design when i got the tank, there are some amazing twigs and pebbles etc. I would recommend any newbie to really think of how they want the tank to look, i worked backwards choosing the needs of the fish, however it has not taken any of the fun out. I just know i could have been more creative with my fish tank.

Thank you for all the advice.