Housing Plants for Future Projects

[Sharlotte Adams]

With 40 plus aquariums at home, I would like to start keeping cuttings from already planted tanks for future projects. Would you suggest keeping them potted in rockwool or in planted substrate? Still pretty new to the planted tank world!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

My extra plants (roots or rhizones) literally just float around in a QT tank and they do just fine. So it depends on whether you want the plant tank to look nice because it's visible to others or if you're literally keeping them as back up/future plants in a tank whose looks don't matter. I personally find it easy to just root around in my plant QT and pull out what I want without worrying about disrupting substrate.

[Streetwise]

You might enjoy using organic soil and a gravel cap for plants.

[JoeQ]

You might want to look into learning to convert plants into emersed growth. It seams like a way to save clippings without the space needed for more tanks. Then just convert them back to submerged growth when you for future projects. 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi @Sharlotte Adams

I only have four tanks and I wanted to keep plants for future 'scapes but had no room so I too went emersed / emerged about 10 years ago as @JoeQ suggested and have done a lot of trial and error.  Currently I think I have about 15 species growing emersed - I have had up to 25 species at one point.  I grow mine in an unheated attached garage with one (1) 4', 42 watt, LED shoplight.  Under the containers there are waterproof seedling heat mats like they use in greenhouses that are all controlled by one thermostat.   It's gotten down to 5 degrees outside with the garage temperature at 45 degrees but the pots stayed at about 55 and all the plants did fine. -Roy