potted plants

[Condor]

I was wondering what kind of substrate is usually used in the potted plants found in pet stores. It looks like some kind of slimy clay or something. Not something that I necesarily want in my tank. Anyone know what this stuff is? Does it carry anything harmful or decompose over time?
On that note, is it possible to pot a plant in laterite or something of that nature and still keep the water circulating through the roots without the laterite falling out while allowing the roots to expand? I just thought of something. Maby if one of those see through plastic pots were lined with a net of some sort....Any thoughts?
Adrian

[Howie_W]

is it possible to pot a plant in laterite or something of that nature and still keep the water circulating through the roots without the laterite falling out while allowing the roots to expand? I just thought of something. Maby if one of those see through plastic pots were lined with a net of some sort....Any thoughts?
Adrian


Hi Adrian :wave:

I'm a big fan of flourite...nothing harmful in it...I give it a quick rinse through a strainer before using. It's also easy to siphon off from the surface of it the same as if it being used as a full substrate across the bottom of the tank.

HTH

Howie

[Condor]

Thanks Howie,
Do you know of a cheap way to get flourite? Fish store stuff is expensive! I have heard that cat litter is made of the same stuff, but this sounds risky to me.

[ChloroPhil]

Davey J.

The stuff store plants are potted in is called Rock Wool. It's basically super heated and spun Mica, like Pearlite or Vermiculite, although it's closer in consistancy to Fiberglass. It definately needs to be removed [gently] before the plant is put in the aquarium. That stuff holds on to all sorts of chemicals used by the nursery which can enrich the water too much and cause algae and other problems.

As far as potting plants, that's perfectly acceptable and is easily done with a good quality potting soil and small grain gravel/coarse grain sand. Make sure it's Soil and not Mix. Mix usually has Pearlite in it which can cause all sorts of a mess when submerged. Also, you'll want to get a small container of Potting Lime (Calcium carbonate) to mix in the soil too. Mix the soil with a small pinch of lime for each pot and you're good to go. The lime will keep the pH up in the pot which will allow the soil to decompose slowly which will release nutrients to the plants' roots over time.

Don't skimp on the soil, get a name brand soil with just a little tiny bit of added fertilizer and pot the plant as normal, leaving 1/2" from the top for the sand/gravel cap. This can get a little tricky with rosette plants like Echinodorus spp. swords, since you don't want to bury the crown if at all possible.

That's it in a nutshell,
Phil

[Condor]

Thanks Phil,

Nice trick with the potting lime. Never would have thought of that.

Adrian