Plants In Sand

[jeff_hopkinson]

Hi, i was advised to put this in this section. i have sand in both my tanks how can you put plants in sand without leaving them in the pots, when i got them my LFS told me to leave them in pots which i have done but they do not look very good, plus what depth of sand should you have in a tank. i have corys two bristlenose plecs and two ottos furrowing through my sand. i understand this is good when you have sand.

 

[Lateral Line]

Unless you have real burrowing fish, I would always advocate removing plants from the wool/pots they are often sold in. Cut the pots if necessary to avoid damaging the roots. Once you have clean plants, (and you may be suprised at how many you have ), trim off any obviously dead roots and then plant in your sand. Sand is much better then gravel for rooting, unless you have really serious diggers, you are better off getting rid of the pots.

Corys etc. are grubbers, not diggers.

 

[RYO]

Hi m8, I have sand in one of my tanks (planted).The main problem with sand as a substrate is lack of nutrients, so as your sand is already in your tanks root tabs are the easiest way to go.
my sand is around 2.5 inches deep at the rear and around 1.5 at the front. This gives root feeders something to spread out into.
My corys love the sand and help turn some of it over. You can use your fingers or a chopstick to stop the sand becoming compacted and release any gas build up. Once your plants have taken hold they do the job for you.
Id take the plants out of the pots personally.

 

[robgurr]

i started out with just sand in my aquarium...then i added a couple inches of gravel on top...my plants seem to do fine in it