question about plants...?

Question

I bought some plants tonight for my aquarium. They come in little containers - like little pots. Do I just put them in the aquarium like that or am I supposed to take them out of the pots and put them in the gravel? I have no idea. I've never had live plants in my fish tank before.

Answer 1

You can do either and depending on the specific plant, some will fair better left in the pot and some better out of the pot in the long run. A single large plant will probably do best left in the pot for a while as it adjusts to your tank conditions and grows new leaves. If you got a grass like plant in the batch, it will be best to gently remove it from the pot and allow it to spread out more in the gravel so it can grow.

Plants can be as complex to keep as fish really and you will want to read up on the general aspects of aquatic plants as well as specifics for the plants you have. I would recommend the link below as a starting point. Most anything you will need to know is covered on the links from this page and you will find much interesting and informative reading here:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/AquariumGardenSubWebIndex.html

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 2

You could do either one, but I prefer to take them out of the pots. If you leave them in the pots, the roots will stick out of the pot and grow. But the pot will usually stick up from the gravel, which is not a pretty sight. If you do take out out of the pot, remove the pot and then remove the rock wool around it. If you want to break the plant up into smaller plants, you can do that.

~ZTM

Answer 3

I leave mine in the pots... we have fish that like to move gravel and eat the roots of the plants so leaving them in their plastic pot usually helps them to survive.

Answer 4

both ways are acceptable.
but it depends on what fish you're having.
fish that likes to dig will most likely harm your plants by unrooting them.
but other peaceful fish don't harm the roots, so it'll be fine.

the best way if you want to plant 'em without the pot is to pick 'em up gently, loose the cottons, and cut little bits of their root edges. remember, just a little, but to all roots.
this'll help the plants to adapt and establish roots faster .

Answer 5

i always take them out and put them in the gravel.