Plant pots

[Tiffers27]

Received my Aquarium Co-op plant order earlier than expected but I don’t know that I’m going to have time to plant tonight. Would it be okay to leave the plants in their pots in my tank? I’m hearing conflicting things about doing this and now I’m worried. They’ve already been in there for several hours…

[Streetwise]

That is great! I like to leave my new plant arrivals in water so that I can take my time planting.

[Tiffers27]

@Streetwisetheyre in my tank. Someone just told me that this can cause huge ammonia and nitrite spikes. 

[Streetwise]

@Tiffers27, I have not heard of that. I throw all of my new plants into a bucket with a sponge filter, so that I don’t have any pressure to plant. I like being really relaxed when placing plants.

[eatyourpeas]

I do as @Streetwise and have never experienced ammonia spikes from plants in pots.

[Tiffers27]

@eatyourpeasyou put them directly into your aquarium?

[eatyourpeas]

On 1/6/2022 at 3:39 PM, Tiffers27 said:

@eatyourpeasyou put them directly into your aquarium?

Yes, I put them in the QT while I wait to see what to do with them. I always have an idea, but things change once I actually see the plant. The critters in QT seem fine, and parameters do not reflect ammonia increase.

[1moretank]

I agree with @Streetwise and @eatyourpeas.   I nearly always put new plants direct from the shipping bag into my QT tank (if it doesn't have salt in it) or in a 5 gallon bucket full of tap water and leave it setting in my kitchen floor.  Have never experienced a problem from the rock wool or had an ammonia spike.  I can't even think of a way that plants could cause an ammonia spike just by being new.

They should be just fine in your tank until you are ready to plant.

Good luck.

[lefty o]

new plants in a pot will not cause an ammonia spike.  as for them staying in the pot, they will be just fine in the pot until you get around to planting them. just get them in water.

[Flumpweesel]

I always throw mine in the tank with the fish and leave them for a few weeks while I decide what's happening with them. I like to see new growth start before I plant them. 

Never noticed a change in the water from this.

[Isaac M]

I do not think there is any issues with leaving them in their pots, in fact, the aquarium co-op easy planters are designed to keep the plants in their pots. 

[Patrick_G]

On 1/10/2022 at 12:32 PM, Isaac M said:

I do not think there is any issues with leaving them in their pots, in fact, the aquarium co-op easy planters are designed to keep the plants in their pots. 

And Cory recommends the rockwool in the pots as a good way to introduce beneficial bacteria into a new tank. That should actually help remove ammonia not cause it to spike.