Idea for potting a plant in a tank

748 Views 4 Replies 5 Participants Last post by eme012, Mar 1, 2014

givemethatfish

Discussion Starter · Feb 28, 2014

Hi all - longtime lurker, this is my first post.

I am setting up a new light-moderately plated tank. I am going with a terracotta kind of theme with a styro rock background in oranges and browns and incorporating some unglazed terracotta pots into the background with arches, etc.

I would love to have a couple of plants in actual pots inside the aquarium, but I know that would restrict water movement/nutrients. Can you see any harm in my getting those cheap plastic terracotta-look pots, cutting off the bottom half, and just planting the plants in the substrate with the just the top of the pot around it like a ring? It would basically just be set down around the plant, maybe slightly pushed into the substrate so it doesn't shift around.

I have a kind of OCD thing where I like to put things in little compartments...

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Hardy85

· #2 · Feb 28, 2014

First off.... it's CDO - alphabetical... the way it should be

Second - yes, I know many people that have bare bottom tanks but with potted plants in them. In works great for breeding tanks because some fish enjoy the plants, but people want bare bottom to be able to monitor the fry better

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Fishumms

· #3 · Feb 28, 2014

I have terra cotta pots in almost all of my tanks at the moment. They all have gravel in them, but as Hardy85 stated they work fine bare bottom as well. The terra cotta doesn't seem to interrupt the exchange of nutrients or at least in anyway I've ever noticed. I started doing it because I do dirt tanks and I often make a mess since I like to move things around all the time. I just put Miracle Grow Organic Potting soil in the bottom and then cap it with gravel. I have tried putting gravel in the bottom to kind of "cap" the holes in the bottom of the pots to keep the dirt in, but it seems unnecessary so I don't do that anymore.

I'd like to see your tank. I always thought that would be a good kind of tank for ADFs or newts.

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lochaber

· #4 · Feb 28, 2014

I think a terracotta pot would look much better then a plastic one.

You should be able to use a hacksaw to cut it, if you want to remove the bottom.

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eme012

· #5 · Mar 1, 2014

I'm with fishumms. Just use the Terra cotta pots as is. Mgops capped and plant. I use jelly jars and small baking dishes in my 10 gal with crypts and anubias and they work great. Much easier to maintain.

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