Plants that feel from the water column vs substrate
 

I'm getting a small nano tank and want to use a very shallow layer of either white gravel or sand no thicker than a inch. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for plants that would do well in such a substrate and feed mostly from the water column.

I was thinking anubius or java ferns perhaps on a rock or wood?

Those and mosses, floaters, stems, and just about everything aquatic can feed okay foliarly(word?) By the leaf... But, most rosettes require atleast some root level encouragement.

Any specific recommendations? I'm getting an Innovative Marine Nuvo Pico tank (4g) with in black with the 14k led light. I'd like the 10k better but the black only comes with that light.

A better view and much more based on observations: they get nutrients from both locations if they have roots, or....not. the sediment leaches nutrients either way.

So whether you want to believe one way or another really does not matter, if you add them to BOTH locations, then no matter who is correct, you have your bases covered. Replacing sediment is not something people tend to like to do on a tank that's up and running already really.

So do that.
Then you have a back up if you forget to dose the water, and you have a back up if you do not add ferts to the sediment or the sediment runs out of N etc.

This covers it all.

No I'll believe that. Its just with planning on putting less than one inch of sand or gravel in I didn't believe they would be able to get much of anything from the substrate anyway so I was looking for ones that would get their nutrients from the water.

How would you say that applies to plants on driftwood or rocks? I can see maybe putting some tabs in the soil but not on the driftwood.

ok i guess i'll ask the obvious.. why such a shallow substrate?

Why not? There's no reason not to have a shallow substrate in the front of the tank per se or at all really. You can still very easily grow plants in 1 inch of substrate. You can use more to create a slope or deeper soil bed or less to create an accent but plants will still grow. Look up some of the sand wabi kusa setups. A lot of them use less than an inch of sand and are still beautiful.

Well it was due to the fact that the tank I was getting was only ten inches tall and I didn't want to take up almost 1/3 of that space with substrate.

However I got a rather big surprise in the mail just now....instead of getting a pico 4 I got a nuvo 8 tank. http://innovative-marine.com/nuvo-aq...ano8-0202.html

Needless to say I'm not planning on giving it back when I got it for the price of the 4, so now the depth of the substrate is less of an issue and where to put it. While I would trust my current computer desk to hold 40 lbs I'm not trusting it with 80lbs or so.

Hmm maybe there is some way to brace the desk underneath the tank so it's more trustworthy.... Its not the surface that I don't trust its the possibility of side to side motion tearing the screws out of the particle board uprights supporting it.

Any progress with your Nuvo 8 gallon? I have been thinking about getting one.

Well, I can't say that I like the flow through the main tank area but then I think its more designed for saltwater than fresh. Also, I've gotten used to tanks that have beefy canister filters on them :)

The trickle filter is alright but I'm contemplating what to do so that I can use the entire chamber for media instead of just the smaller plastic filter column. Mostly though I'm tempted to setup the back to take a small canister filter so I can arrange things the way I'd like to do them.

The only thing I do like is the 'sump' type area in the back and the way it works to keep the water level in the main chamber even.

Mostly though I'd say splurge the money on a simple cube, lilly pipes, small canister filter and an in line heater for the same type of look but much more efficient filtration.

Thanks. My LFS sell NUVOS. I would need to buy rimless cubes online.
As a newbie, and old fashioned, I'd like to see what I'm buying.