How to emersed setup?

11392 Views 25 Replies 8 Participants Last post by vincel892, Jan 20, 2016

HybridHerp

Discussion Starter · May 22, 2014

I guess this is the best place here to ask this.

So, I've got a 10 gallon aquarium and nice chunk of aqua soil and organic potting soil around.

I'm thinking I get a light or two and try and start growing some stuff emersed. Specifically, UG, HC, and Monte Carlo (might try some other foreground stuff as well). What do you guys recommend doing that is also as cost effective as possible to get a nice emersed setup going?

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

Seattle_Aquarist

· #2 · May 23, 2014

Hi HybridHerp,

What are you going to be doing for light and is there a top on this tank?

HybridHerp

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 23, 2014

Seattle_Aquarist said:
Hi HybridHerp,

What are you going to be doing for light and is there a top on this tank?

Well, currently there is no top. I'd either get a glass top or just ceramic wrap the top with some holes poked in for ventilation.

No idea what I want to do for the light, aside from have it be economical. I have no idea how to light a non-aquatic setup for plant growth, I think thats where I probably need the most help.

mistuhmarc

· #4 · May 23, 2014

HybridHerp said:
Well, currently there is no top. I'd either get a glass top or just ceramic wrap the top with some holes poked in for ventilation.

No idea what I want to do for the light, aside from have it be economical. I have no idea how to light a non-aquatic setup for plant growth, I think thats where I probably need the most help.

You're thinking about this a little too hard when it comes to lighting. Remember that water will affect the amount of light that will reach the bottom of a tank. Without water, there is more light that reaches the bottom.

With this in mind, you are now open to several types of lighting that you can choose from. The cheapest way would be to either get a couple of t8's with a shoplight, or get some clamp lights that can hang over the tank. This will be more than enough light for the plants. More light = more growth of course. Another plus to an emersed set up is that you're not limited to how much light you can put on the tank. No algae should be able to grow in an emersed set up, so plants are the only inhabitants that will be competing for nutrients.

For a top, plastic wrap will do fine, you don't necessarily need to put in a few holes if you leave one small opening in a corner for air to go in and out. In addition, if you mist often (like me), you'll end up opening the tank just to mist the plants which will aid in gas exchange anyways.

Your aquasoil should be more than sufficient enough for the plants. No need to use the soil. Unless you want to go the other way around and save the aquasoil for a future project.

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Monster Fish

· #5 · May 23, 2014

Get two 8.5" clamp lamps and some daylight cfl bulbs. For a cover, you can use an old versatop or get a glass place to cut you a pane.

HybridHerp

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 23, 2014

mistuhmarc said:
You're thinking about this a little too hard when it comes to lighting. Remember that water will affect the amount of light that will reach the bottom of a tank. Without water, there is more light that reaches the bottom.

With this in mind, you are now open to several types of lighting that you can choose from. The cheapest way would be to either get a couple of t8's with a shoplight, or get some clamp lights that can hang over the tank. This will be more than enough light for the plants. More light = more growth of course. Another plus to an emersed set up is that you're not limited to how much light you can put on the tank. No algae should be able to grow in an emersed set up, so plants are the only inhabitants that will be competing for nutrients.

For a top, plastic wrap will do fine, you don't necessarily need to put in a few holes if you leave one small opening in a corner for air to go in and out. In addition, if you mist often (like me), you'll end up opening the tank just to mist the plants which will aid in gas exchange anyways.

Your aquasoil should be more than sufficient enough for the plants. No need to use the soil. Unless you want to go the other way around and save the aquasoil for a future project.

Probably XD

How many and what wattage would I want if I did domes for lighting?

I'll probably do the aqua soil since I have half a 9L bag (if not more)....and what else am I doing with it? XD

Unless the nutrients in the soil last longer or something...but even then (shrug)

mistuhmarc

· #7 · May 23, 2014

HybridHerp said:
Probably XD

How many and what wattage would I want if I did domes for lighting?

I'll probably do the aqua soil since I have half a 9L bag (if not more)....and what else am I doing with it? XD

Unless the nutrients in the soil last longer or something...but even then (shrug)

Aquatic plants rarely use nutrients out of the soil when emersed so you're good with using either one honestly. I'm using soil and aquasoil. Testing out to see which one would grow faster but both look pretty even.

Wattage? the 23w bulbs will do fine. Two to three of them along with the dome fixtures should be more than enough light than you'll ever need.

Seattle_Aquarist

· #8 · May 23, 2014

6

Hi HybridHerp,

For light you can use a single clamp on light with a 23 watt 'Daylight' CFL and probably do fine and a piece of glass for a cover to keep the humidity high. Emersed plants derive almost all of their nutrients from the soil. I use Miracle Grow Potting Mix (non-organic) since it contains Osmocote and fertilizers my plants for 3 months or so. I top with about 1/4" or so of Wal-Mart Special Kitty kitty litter (the cheap stuff) to deter fungus and algae from growing on the surface of the soil. I tried ADA Amazonia but it did not do as well for me as the Miracle Grow does. To augment the Osmocote fertilizer in the potting soil I water with a dilute solution of Miracle Grow Water Soluble General Purpose fertilizer. I used to plant in large containers but now I grow my plants in 3" pots. I seem to get good results:

Cuphea anagalloidea

Pogostemon helferi (Downoi)

Pogostemon helferi; H.c. 'Cuba'; M.u. 'Monte Carlo'

H.c. 'Cuba'

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Axelrod12

· #9 · May 23, 2014

Personally I'd say one or two 23w daylight bulbs in domes should do the trick for lighting. I use one on a Rubbermaid bin and have been seeing growth even from the UG. You can lay them on a glass top, plexiglass should even work but it will bow a bit over time.

I would use the MGOCPS. It's cheaper and it don't think aquasoil is necessary for emersed growth. Also if you choose to grow UG I'd advise peat. I have a couple different emersed setups for UG since I focus a bit more on my carnivorous plants sometimes and it's been growing better in peat for me.

HybridHerp

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 23, 2014

Axelrod12 said:
Personally I'd say one or two 23w daylight bulbs in domes should do the trick for lighting. I use one on a Rubbermaid bin and have been seeing growth even from the UG. You can lay them on a glass top, plexiglass should even work but it will bow a bit over time.

I would use the MGOCPS. It's cheaper and it don't think aquasoil is necessary for emersed growth. Also if you choose to grow UG I'd advise peat. I have a couple different emersed setups for UG since I focus a bit more on my carnivorous plants sometimes and it's been growing better in peat for me.

Straight peat moss? I grow (or rather grew) some sarrencia and grow two nepenthes as well.

HybridHerp

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 23, 2014

Seattle_Aquarist said:
Hi HybridHerp,

For light you can use a single clamp on light with a 23 watt 'Daylight' CFL and probably do fine and a piece of glass for a cover to keep the humidity high. Emersed plants derive almost all of their nutrients from the soil. I use Miracle Grow Potting Mix (non-organic) since it contains Osmocote and fertilizers my plants for 3 months or so. I top with about 1/4" or so of Wal-Mart Special Kitty kitty litter (the cheap stuff) to deter fungus and algae from growing on the surface of the soil. I tried ADA Amazonia but it did not do as well for me as the Miracle Grow does. To augment the Osmocote fertilizer in the potting soil I water with a dilute solution of Miracle Grow Water Soluble General Purpose fertilizer. I used to plant in large containers but now I grow my plants in 3" pots. I seem to get good results:

Cuphea anagalloidea

Pogostemon helferi (Downoi)

Pogostemon helferi; H.c. 'Cuba'; M.u. 'Monte Carlo'

H.c. 'Cuba'

So organic potting mix would be better than the aqua soil? I might try both just to see for myself since I have so much aqua soil.

If I wanted to fertilize, couldn't I use the dry ferts or osmocote tabs I have for my aquarium? How often and how do you fertilize?

Seattle_Aquarist

· #12 · May 23, 2014

HybridHerp said:
So organic potting mix would be better than the aqua soil? I might try both just to see for myself since I have so much aqua soil.

If I wanted to fertilize, couldn't I use the dry ferts or osmocote tabs I have for my aquarium? How often and how do you fertilize?

Hi HybridHerp,

I don't use the Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix (which contains chicken manure) but rather the standard Miracle Grow Potting Mix (which BTW contains a large percentage of peat moss).

As I said the Miracle Grow Potting Mix already contains Osmocote so I am careful about adding additional ferts to my emersed plants and pots because I don't want to burn the roots; especially with younger plants that are just sending out their roots. That is why I use a dilute solution of the Miracle Grow Water Soluble General Purpose fertilizer (about 1/2 strength); I only fertilizer with the solution a couple times a month.

My experience has been that it is very easy to have fungus and/or BGA algae (cyanobacteria) form on the soil surface, especially if I water with a fertilizer solution. That is why I cap my soil with a thin layer of Special Kitty kitty litter and allow the plants to get most of their nutrients from the soil.

The picture below shows some Erio parkeri being grown emersed. It is an older picture when I used coir pots (I now use 3" plastic) but you can see the green slime algae on the coir pot and the dark discoloration on the kitty litter (substrate in front of plants) from cyanobacteria. Both can be issues when growing plants emersed in high humidity.

Emersed grown Eriocaulon parkeri

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MeCasa

· #13 · May 23, 2014 (Edited)

I understand the high humidity but how wet should the actual soil be kept?

PS: I have a greenhouse and I raise a lot of terrestrials, so just tell me medium or wet, I know the difference.

I don't grow much 'wet' but since these are aqua plants I had to ask.

Thanks

Seattle_Aquarist

· #14 · May 23, 2014

Hi All,

Whether I am growing plants in the DIY Peptents (humidomes) I make or in the opaque containers the lower portion of the 3" pots are always submerged in water allowing the wicking action of the soil to bring water to the roots. For the more shallow rooted foreground type plants I typically have the water level about 1" below the surface of the growing medium. For plants with more robust root systems like Erios I have maybe 1" or so of water in the containers.

How wet is that? I would say "Wet" to "Medium-Wet"

MeCasa

· #15 · May 23, 2014

Very good, terrestrial growers like myself have a basic fear of small plants in wet -medium wet soil, however that's what I'll do

Thank you

mistuhmarc

· #16 · May 23, 2014

Couldn't you get an excel or h2o2 solution and spray that on the plants to help relieve of algae? sorry to hijack thread o:

Seattle_Aquarist

· #17 · May 24, 2014

Hi All,

I have tried a multitude of different solutions to dealing with fungus and BGA (Cyanobacteria) in emersed growing conditions including H2O2 and Excel with limited success. Excel in only effective against fungus and just like in an aquarium ineffective against BGA (cyanobacteria). Warning: H2O2 can do a real number on emersed plants even diluting the solution down to 0.3% concentration.

mistuhmarc

· #18 · May 24, 2014

Seattle_Aquarist said:
Hi All,

I have tried a multitude of different solutions to dealing with fungus and BGA (Cyanobacteria) in emersed growing conditions including H2O2 and Excel with limited success. Excel in only effective against fungus and just like in an aquarium ineffective against BGA (cyanobacteria). Warning: H2O2 can do a real number on emersed plants even diluting the solution down to 0.3% concentration.

So what would be the best scenario in this situation?

Monster Fish

· #19 · May 24, 2014

The bga in my tank eventually went away after my plants took over my pots. You can also prevent the growth of bga by adding a layer of moss around your plants.

HybridHerp

Discussion Starter · #20 · May 24, 2014

Monster Fish said:
The bga in my tank eventually went away after my plants took over my pots. You can also prevent the growth of bga by adding a layer of moss around your plants.

what kind of moss are you adding? aquatic mosses?

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