Growing terrestrial plant submerged?

[grayabyss]

Hi all, so- Something that's fascinated me from the very start of my fish journey, is how aquarium plants can have immersed vs emmersed growth. I've successfully grown Pothos completely underwater, and before that, I attempted (but failed) to grow terrestrial moss underwater.

I'm wondering if there's any techniques to identify which plants would do best submerged! I know that probably hardy plants that like a lot of water would be best candidates, and plants that can be found growing near water, and maaaaybe plants that grow via cuttings or runners? It would be a safe bet to check out what grows in the local ponds and rivers, but I'm Wary of taking anything from there, yknow? I don't want to get in trouble, after all.

I'm also wondering, how would you help acclimate something TO being submerged?

[Fish Folk]

1 hour ago, Linebeck Aquatics said:

Hi all, so- Something that's fascinated me from the very start of my fish journey, is how aquarium plants can have immersed vs emmersed growth. I've successfully grown Pothos completely underwater, and before that, I attempted (but failed) to grow terrestrial moss underwater.

I'm wondering if there's any techniques to identify which plants would do best submerged! I know that probably hardy plants that like a lot of water would be best candidates, and plants that can be found growing near water, and maaaaybe plants that grow via cuttings or runners? It would be a safe bet to check out what grows in the local ponds and rivers, but I'm Wary of taking anything from there, yknow? I don't want to get in trouble, after all.

I'm also wondering, how would you help acclimate something TO being submerged?

I’m not good at this, but I’m told it can be done. We’ve gotten moss from the front yard to grow underwater awhile. A guy at one of our LFS swears his elder brother grew marijuana totally underwater in his tank. (Not condoning anything illegal here... mind you...)

Edited April 29, 2021 by Fish Folk

[grayabyss]

11 hours ago, Fish Folk said:

I’m not good at this, but I’m told it can be done. We’ve gotten moss from the front yard to grow underwater awhile. A guy at one of our LFS swears his elder brother grew marijuana totally underwater in his tank. (Not condoning anything illegal here... mind you...)

Got that warning for the mods, huh :P

I'm doing a little more digging and it sounds like plants that do better in often flooded areas (or for our case, completely submerged), are ones already native to wet areas, and ones with good taproots. Hardy plants are an OBVIOUS choice for beginning these types of experiments. 

Ferns may be a good candidate, with a lot of them growing near pond edges, as well as bulletproof things like dandelions and Pothos, plus houseplants that can be grown and propagated in water like Monstera, Chinese Evergreen, Lucky Bamboo, and so on.

Local collected plants and moss by rivers and ponds may have a better chance at acclimating, but with that there's risks of parasites and stuff, so it's risky to do in a stocked tank.

[gardenman]

You might be able to grow impatiens underwater. I know they'll root in water and form "water" roots. The big issue for plants grown underwater is CO2. Air has a lot of it. Water, not so much. It's why growers grow aquarium plants emmersed. If a plant can figure out how to breathe underwater, it should survive, but not thrive. 

[Kirsten]

I'll often see terrarium plants and pond plants sold for aquarium use with a stipulation that it can only be fully immersed for a certain length of time before it needs to be taken out of the water to take a break. So it can depend on the plant, but it is possible for some for at least a limited time.

[grayabyss]

Alright, got some mini monstera today! Currently growing it in the back of my matten filter till it grows tougher leaves and a root system, then I’ll submerge it. 

It was incorrectly labeled at the store, lol. 

I also bought some aluminum screen- Both for the eventual moss wall of my 20 long, and to attempt growing terrestrial mosses on it in my Experiment Bin. I’ll drill holes into the lid (its clear, yay!), both so I can feed airline tubing through, and so that I can use it as Quarantine for fish. Currently, I’m cycling a sponge filter for it by stuffing it in the back of the goldfish’s matten filter. 

[grayabyss]

Discord user Gricket being big brained across TWO of my threads!!

[grayabyss]

22 hours ago, Linebeck Aquatics said:

Alright, got some mini monstera today! Currently growing it in the back of my matten filter till it grows tougher leaves and a root system, then I’ll submerge it. 

Leaves already look healthier!

new growth, too!