Darth Mollusk Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 Hello! Just signed up for the forum, and thought I'd share my peace lily/pothos storage solution. I got a large suction cup soap tray from a chain hardware store that fits perfectly on the short end of my (newer) 29 g tank. Only the roots are beneath the water, and it's been doing great. It was a very sad, very cheap peace lily from the grocery store but it's perked up. I washed it thoroughly, trimmed most of the roots, and kept it in a bowl of water with EZ-green until I was sure all the dirt was gone. New roots and leaves started growing within a week. Now, it seems like I can't keep my nitrates above 10 even with dosing ferts twice a week. I've never been able to keep plants alive outside an aquarium...who knew 😆 What are some common house plants you've had luck with in your aquarium/riparium? 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 Philodendron's, I have some purple bamboo but it's early days, lucky bamboo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 20, 2022 Author Share Posted June 20, 2022 I hadn't thought of philodendron! I'd been considering a small monstera, but I think I'd be struggling to keep everybody fed at that point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 I have a philodendron brazil in several tanks. I think rarer ones I would be cautious. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Pothos is a good one too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 My best grower by far is my pothos. I just trimmed my vines back because they were going crazy. Some had gone behind a bookshelf, some were actually digging into the wall! I cut the vines into 2 leaf sections and sold them for $1.00 each, $60.00 total! Almost paid for the succulents I just bought. Here’s a couple pics of the vines and one of the best leaves. Then a pic of my lucky bamboo emerse part (I really need some new pics, they’re twice this height now). Finally a pic of the peace lily from a few weeks ago. All growing in the same tank. But I have pothos growing in 3 tanks and peace lily growing in 2. I’ve been looking for ideas for very small plants that I could grow emerse from nano tanks, 6 gallon cubes, even my 2 gallon cube. I can’t ever seem to get the tiny cube to stay balanced so an emerse might be helpful. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) On 6/20/2022 at 4:37 PM, DarthMollusk said: suction cup soap tray I would love to see a picture of the tray. My normal methods for riparium plants is a hob, or just sticking the roots through egg crate I used to replace the plastic strip on my lids. I’m out of room so looking for more options since I have become an emergents junkie 🤣 I love my peace lilies, pothos and lucky bamboo. I recently became adventurous with riparium plants. I found some great videos by Project plant life on YouTube that focus on riparium plants. I also looked at videos of low light house plants that can be water propagated or low light house plants that do not need drainage holes and do well when their “feet” remain wet. I found most plants that can be water propagated are doing well. Though it’s for beauty as I am not certain how well some of them do for nitrate removal. I’ll attach a thread that gives fantastic info on different riparium plants for nitrate control. Some of the other ones that have done really well for me are anthurium, dracaena, monstera, syngonium, inchplant cuttings (wandering jew) spider plants, red mangrove, polka dot plants. I also have others to put in still in pots because they are not ready to be mother plants and I no longer have room to put the entire plant in. Snake plant, parlor fern, fitonia, pink syngonium, and prayer plants. I had a Calathea that was doing ok but not exceptionally well. I forgot to plug the hob back in 😖 that she lived in so now I’m nursing back from the brink of death on my window ledge. So here are a few of mine. If you want to see the rest of my riparium adventure and how I did them for more ideas you are welcome to. It starts on either page 33-36 I believe of my journal. Edited June 21, 2022 by Guppysnail 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) Somebody just linked this video in a local Band on the Band app. Quick and easy except for any paint curing time if you decide to paint. I would crowd the PVC sections as close together as possible and probably figure out how to stack them, too, for at least a couple rows of tubes. Might skip the egg crate completely and just make bundles of PVC pipe, hook the clips on the zip ties. There are water safe black tubing you can get, too. No painting if you use black tubing and black zip ties and clips. Edited June 21, 2022 by Odd Duck 2 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 @Odd Duck that is fantastic! My snails have recently started to support themselves producing babies for the local fish store, but it never occurred to me the plants could help fund the habit! I watched a bunch of that guy's videos on YouTube; I started using peace lily at his suggestion. I thought about the egg grate thing, but then I happened upon this tray at Home Depot that was perfect for me. It was about $15, but holds a good amount of weight and feels sturdy. I picked up another peace lily at the store this morning for it (and might pick up another tray before they can stop selling them). It's clear and is mostly concealed by plants. It's funny, the first time I tried sticking pothos in a tank it wilted and died on me in fairly short order. The swords and java moss and cryps inside the tank were doing great so I know it's not some sort of plant curse 😆. I started to worry my anti-green thumb that always kills my land plants had struck my emergent plants 😆. But the plants in my newer tank are thriving! It'd be great to have the pothos creep far enough to cover the airline tubing (but maybe I should be careful what I wish for) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 @Guppysnail I love the look of all those plants! I'm feeling inspired to get more adventurous, too. I think I'm gonna need a bigger boat...by which I mean soap tray. 😆 I got it at Home Depot and it's quite sturdy (about $15). It's pretty unobtrusive looking. It's only been in for about a week (I had the plants precariously perched on driftwood before) but it seems to be holding up well. I might pick up another next I'm able... Since I can't seem to stop buying plants 😅😆 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 (edited) Being clear it is perfect. I had guppy fry invade a smaller one similar that was to full of roots to see then. The openness of the will allow my CPD and guppy fry to have a safe space but I can still see them and feed them and remove them easily if they get to big before they venture out. 🤗 Thank you! Edited June 21, 2022 by Guppysnail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 @Guppysnailthere are slits, but they're fairly small (but not breeder box small). I have a baby amano shrimp who is a big fan of hiding in there (and I'm a fan of him hiding in there, too 😆) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 I was hoping it had decent size slits to allow the fry back out once they grew a bit. The other one I had did not so fry grew a bit and could not get out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 On 6/21/2022 at 11:16 AM, Guppysnail said: I was hoping it had decent size slits to allow the fry back out once they grew a bit. The other one I had did not so fry grew a bit and could not get out. The slits are only on the bottom; here's a pic with a dime for scale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 That is even more perfect! My fry don’t understand clear glass and plastic and try swimming through the bottom unable to figure out why they can’t go any further. Home Depot here I come…glad they also have a plant section 🤣 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Softbreeze Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Clear plastic soap tray is genius, and looks great too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 On 6/21/2022 at 11:51 AM, Guppysnail said: That is even more perfect! My fry don’t understand clear glass and plastic and try swimming through the bottom unable to figure out why they can’t go any further. Home Depot here I come…glad they also have a plant section 🤣 I never thought that store would be a danger zone for me, but here we are 😆. "I'll take one of these and one of these and...." 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 On 6/24/2022 at 9:52 AM, DarthMollusk said: I never thought that store would be a danger zone for me, but here we are 😆. "I'll take one of these and one of these and...." And 6 of those! Lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Been going to my local flower store recently getting a collection of house plants started that I can emerge in my tanks. I mean hey 2 plants for the price of one. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 On 6/24/2022 at 3:50 PM, TeeJay said: Been going to my local flower store recently getting a collection of house plants started that I can emerge in my tanks. I mean hey 2 plants for the price of one. Nice! What plants are you trying out? I've just added a polka dot plant to the peace lily and pothos--still lives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 So far a pothos. Swiss cheese plant and inch plant and devil's ivy. Which I think is in the pothos family. And just picked up a small lucky bamboo today. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Mollusk Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 (edited) @TeeJayOooh nice! I'd never considered inch plant but it would look great with the colors in my tank. Very jealous! I'll have to keep an eye out (and try to limit myself to ONE😆) Edited June 24, 2022 by DarthMollusk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 On 6/24/2022 at 4:45 PM, DarthMollusk said: @TeeJayOooh nice! I'd never considered inch plant but it would look great with the colors in my tank. Very jealous! I'll have to keep an eye out (and try to limit myself to ONE😆) Get a mother plant. I do then I have a house plant and unlimited number of tank plants. There are tons of videos on YouTube how to water propagate inch plants. It’s simple you just snip off a vine and jam it in the tank. Takes about a week to see tiny roots. The videos show how and where to snip and which leaves to remove to encourage roots. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Yes my inch is still small. It will be awhile before I have any runners long enough to to be able to emerse in the tank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 On 6/24/2022 at 5:04 PM, Guppysnail said: Get a mother plant. I do then I have a house plant and unlimited number of tank plants. There are tons of videos on YouTube how to water propagate inch plants. It’s simple you just snip off a vine and jam it in the tank. Takes about a week to see tiny roots. The videos show how and where to snip and which leaves to remove to encourage roots. Is the plant with the purple on the leaves a wandering jew plant? I think I have one in my backyard that I used to have in a pot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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