Adding pots with finer substrate for plants

[reefhugger]

I have an established 70 gallon planted tank.  I used a small size gravel for the substate.  Currently Pogostemon Stellataus is growing with reckless abandon along with  crypts and anubias .  I want to add colorful red or yellow plants.  I'm setting up CO2 and have a good light.   What I'm trying to work out is if  using clay pots with more fine grained substate along with root tabs will assist with the "harder to grow"  plants I'd like to add.  I would sink the  pot and soil in a bucket of aquarium water from a cleaning first to settle the soil before gently placing in the tank.  I wonder about using an aquarium soil mix without a lot of added nutrients to avoid an ammonia spike?   I am already dealing with green spot algae by adding phosphate, and learned that the CO2 will help with that as well.

Is this a decent plan?  What don't I know that I don't know?  How will this go horribly wrong?  Is it even necessary?    Whew.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Totally viable plan. I use pots and they work great. I don't grow a lot of red plants as they generally do better in high tech tanks, but you're going to do CO2 and I think the advantage to pots with the reds- they'll be closer to the light, which they also LOVE. Several of us use pots. Happens a lot in bare bottom tanks but also in tanks with substrate. I have a few in one of my tanks now, above gravel with eco complete and the plants are doing well. I totally encourage you to try it. 

@Guppysnail and @Odd Duck have this look in bare bottom tanks. Advantage: you can move the plants around easier too. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Guppysnail]

My ludwigia, swords, moneywort, and Aponogeton did great in pots. I’m low tech and used only gravel in the pots. 

[Odd Duck]

Low tech only here, and not great with stems, but I’ve grown some in pots and grown lots of plants in pots overall.  I use a bit of high iron clay, Osmocote granules (or root tabs), then sand.  I’ve been known to top that with a thick layer of very large pebbles to hold tough plants in place for species that rough up plants.  See my 75 G Jack Dempsey link below if you’re interested.  Mostly I grow out tissue cultures of crypts or temporarily plant something I impulse bought but haven’t decided where I want it.  🤷🏻‍♀️ Sometimes growing out various new starts until a tank is ready for them.

If you’re wanting to plant primarily stems, then use whatever substrate you want.  Cories and plecos will toss around sand as will some other species.  Fine gravel may work best for holding stems in place.

I do put sheet type floss in the bottom of pots with holes to keep the substrate from leaking out of any holes.  If there’s no holes, you won’t need a layer of floss.

[reefhugger]

Thank you all for the information.  I'm going to give this a try.  I've tried adding bits of color to good success but do long for some of the lovely red colors.  I don't want to do anything to harm the fish who are healthy and appear happy and so want to keep the tank in balance.  Again, thank you.