New to aquarium plants. Adding bulb with substrate to existing tank

[Crystal_W]

Hello,

I'm new to aquarium plants. I purchased a dwarf aquarium lily bulb from Aquarium Coop. It showed up today with directions to plant it with the loose substrate it came with. 

The problem is that my tank is already set up and has loose gravel in the bottom. I'm trouble shooting on how to plant. The only thing I came up with was using a PVC pipe to funnel the substrate into the planting area. Will this work, or would it be a total fail? Do you have a tip that worked for you?

My other option is to wait until I set up a 40 gallon in a few months. If this is my best option, what is the best way to store this bulb until I use it?

Thanks in advance for all advice.

 

[Fish Folk]

You can check out this quick overview here from Cory...

Go to 2:44 and watch him review the plant.

Just put it in, down halfway. Add the gravel / dirt around it. Unless you have high flow, it should settle in for you. I have had good success with lilies from the Co-Op. Not so great success with other lilies from other sources. Just hit and miss.

Here's how mine started out (I planted the bulb half way in)...

And here's what it looked like awhile later (center of tank)...

 

[Crystal_W]

On 5/9/2022 at 6:54 PM, Fish Folk said:

You can check out this quick overview here from Cory...

Go to 2:44 and watch him review the plant.

Just put it in, down halfway. Add the gravel / dirt around it. Unless you have high flow, it should settle in for you. I have had good success with lilies from the Co-Op. Not so great success with other lilies from other sources. Just hit and miss.

Here's how mine started out (I planted the bulb half way in)...

And here's what it looked like awhile later (center of tank)...

 

Thank you Fish Folk for the info. 

[Blaha]

I just put mine halfway in the gravel, I had plant weights but didn't need them. 9 months later this thing is out of control for a 29G and I love/hate it haha. I get a new 4-5in diameter pad every few days from the first daughter bulb to grow. This first daughter has sent out 5 or 6 babies off of it now, and one of those started growing the little mini pads that it starts out with. One of the baby bulbs isn't even in the gravel, it's just floating like 3 inches above the substrate with roots that made their way down. I chop out a couple pads a week as they start to melt but there is layers of pads now. It's a lot to keep up with but the fish and the crypts love the shade of a canopy

Edited May 10, 2022 by Blaha

[Crystal_W]

Wow! What a cool picture. It sounds like a very hardy plant. Thank you for the info. 

 

Ok, I planted it on the gravel. Some of the dirt that was around it has floated to the top of the tank.... hoping that will settle to the bottom tonight. 

Fingers crossed it sprouts soon. 

[Crystal_W]

My Lily is very happy! It sprouted quickly