Little plastic pots

[gadazobe]

When I buy plants - which I do quite often due to my destructive pleco - they come in little plastic pots with the roots wrapped in some kind of sponge. Should I keep the plants in these pots or plant them straight into the gravel. I've noticed that sometimes after a while, the sponge disintergrates and starts to smell like rotten eggs, (some form of sulphuric whatever) and I have to de-pot them and clean up the mess Yet some of the plants are fine and have been living in their pots for months with no smells or anything. Any help as to why some start to smell and others are fine

 

[Alien Anna]

The rotten egg smell is sulphur dioxide and it can kill your fish, your plants and the beneficial bacteria in your tank. Do everything you can to avoid it, and if that means getting rid of the plastic pots, do so. Whatever works - there is no right way or wrong way. Personally, I am finding my pl*co dislodges the pot-planted plants, but not the properly rooted ones.

 

[Rose]

If you want planed plants use terricotta pots. They are used in aquariums all the time just make sure they aren't painted or glazed with paints and stuff. Rose

 

[gadazobe]

Ok Rose, if I get terracotta pots, what do I fill them with?

 

[Rose]

fill them with a gravel fertilizer and gravel. Fertilizer gravel would be something like Laterite, Florite by Seachem, anything along those lines would work. Plug the hole of the pot with extra filter floss or some mesh bags cut into pieces. Place a thin layer of gravel over that. Put in a little bit of the Laterite and gravel mixed (or other fertilizer). Put plant in and cover with gravel. Put in tank. Easy as pie. Rose

 

[Great Lakes]

Pie! Yummy!

 

[Rose]

What kind do you like GL??? Me I love wild black berry pie. Tastes so different (and much better) than the normal black berry pie. Yummmmm. Rose 8)

 

[Tatya]

Bramble and apple - always better with a bit of apple

And it has to be a nice wet year to get the best juiciest Brambles - of course in Scotland thats not difficult

 

[adeyc]

steak-- with gravy chips and baby carrots. hmmm

 

[Rose]

Grilled Steak and baked potatos with the works. Mmmmm. Rose

 

[adeyc]

Now that is a meal but I was on about a pie with a big pastry lid.

 

[Dragonslair]

How's about this: Apple pie, Wild Blackberry pie, Strawberry coolie, greens of allsorts with trout finished off with rose hip or peapod wine. All free courtesy of mother nature herself.
That's what I have to SUFFER every summer. What a hardship. Oh we do get the occassional salmon too. Terrible life is'nt it? Now and then we get the odd pheasent or grouse from the farmer next door(1 mile away) And bunnys, god we have them coming out of our ears!!! It really is terrible living out in the stix. Don't you agree? :laugh: :laugh:

 

[Micheal Deason]

Why do you persist in purchasing new plants if your Pleco consistantly destroys them? Are you purchasing them for food? Do you have money to burn? If not I would recommend attaching a piece of cucumber or Zucchini to the inside of your tank in an attempt to distract the Pleco. You might also purchase Java Fern or Moss which it will not touch unless starved.

 

[adeyc]

you could also use a courgette as well.

 

[Tatya]

Adeyc, zucchini is courgette

Mine get a bit of brocolli too