[blackandyellow]

Hi all

I took out one of my echinodorus amazonicus to open up more space for my background rotalas. The plant is really good looking and I don´t have space for it in the tank.

I would love to emerse it and plant it. Can anybody help on how to properly do this? What do I need? Can I just place it into a pot or does it need tons of humidity? How much water and how often?

My second question is for my crypts. I have noticed that whenever I increase the Co2 rate (up to a max of 4-5 bps) my crypts melt (from what I can see these were grown emersed, round leaves on wendtii crypts), however the rest of the plants are happy and start bubbling. I i reduce the Co2 rate the plants don´t bubble at all?

What do you think is the problem?

 

[danepatrick]

here you go..
hope this helps.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/91790-legos-20-long-emersed-tank.html

 

[blackandyellow]

Thanks! very interesting. so moisture is the Key word here. I´m ready to try it out, see how this echino does emersed (it has done great inmersed and the roots are huuge)

If it works I´ll try it out with the crypts, were I´m having problems inside the tank

 

[legomaniac89]

High humidity and very wet soil are definitely the keys. I keep my emersed plants in a regular 3" pot with around 1-1.5" of water in the bottom, so the soil is constantly saturated. Plants like Crypts and Echinodorus come from very boggy or even partly submerged areas, so they like lots of water.

Just remember, both kinds will need to transition from submersed to emersed form, so expect a good amount of die off before new growth comes in.

 

[Gatekeeper]

You don't need humidity for an emersed setup. Albeit some plants require it such as anubias, but crypts and swords do not need it. In fact, I have had great success without some plants just growing in a pot on a window sill.

Moist substrate is more than adequate for most crypts and swords (and usually some type of covered container, but like I said, I have grown some in just a normal flower pot).

Good luck.

P.S. the crypt melt from the CO2 increase can be alot of things. I would venture to say that the increase in acidity from the CO2 injection is most likely ther culprit. If its a transition from emersed culture to a sumersed condition, then this is very common.

 

[blackandyellow]

Thanks so much, so it´s probably the transition from emersed to inmersed effect too combined with the changed in ph. In the mornings when I turn on the co2 the ph reading in the meter is around 7.0 and it goes down all the way to 6.6 throughout the day. So should I just leave it there and hope it comes back? I have another crypt that is fully converted (long narrow leaves now) and that one doesn´t seem affected at all.



Glenn do you have a picture of an emersed sword? just curious how it looks!