Keeping plants out of the tank

[Rusty_S]

I was wondering just how long plants are able to stay out of a tank environment, I mean just keeping them in a bucket of aquarium water or something. My b/f is getting a delivery of plants which should come on Thursday but he's concerned that the sand in his tank is too shallow so he wants to buy some more. Only thing is he may not be able to get it until Saturday which means he won't be able to put the plants in his tank until then. Does anyone know if they'll be ok just sitting in a bucket of water for a couple of days or will they die?

 

[Richard]

you want to be careful exactly how deap your sand is a lot of peple do not realise that if it is to deap it can create sulfur dioxide its best to keep sand around 1-1 1/2 inches any thicker it may develop problems in the future

as for the plants if you put them in a bucket or a bowl and just have them in a light place like window sill they will be fine

i grow tropical plants for my tanks in a tanks on my window sill no air no heater just tank and they grow like crazy

 

[Lateral Line]

They'll be fine for a couple of days. Sometimes when they are exported from the far East, they can be sealed in the dark without water for 2-3 days.

 

[Rusty_S]

I'm not sure exactly how deep his sand is, it doesn't look as deep as an inch though. I'll tell him what you said Richard thanks I didn't think there would be a problem with keeping them out of the tank for a while but I just wanted to make sure, thanks everyone B)

 

[Bol]

Should be fine in a bucket.

Personally, if he does that, I'd suggest putting a few layers of newspaper on top of the plants (so the paper gets and stays wet).

And, if any of the plants are heavily-rooted (such as crypts or swords), then 1.5" isn't really going to be enough substrate, in my opinion (if he has those kinds of plants, I'd suggest around 3" of substrate). Despite the warnings of anaerobic pockets leading to sulfer dioxide, plants like that will need room for their roots -- and from what I've found, those anaerobic pockets are more of a problem in theory than in practice.

 

[Max]

and from what I've found, those anaerobic pockets are more of a problem in theory than in practice.

or you could just run a chopstick through it every now and them...?

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> anaerobic pockets are more of a problem in theory than in practice.

That is so true. There are people that rake through their sand almost as a religious duty every week, I poke mine about when I think about it, maybe 4-5 times a year.

Keep the crud off the surface and the tank is clean.