New to plants need advice (pots and ferts).

[Kit Craft]

Hi everyone, I am returning to the fish keeping hobby after a bit of a pause but I have never really kept aquarium plants before so I have a question or two that I could find a direct answer to with a search. I have seen that the Co-op has planters on the site, but I didn't pick those up. So, my question is about leaving plants in their pots. 

1. Can I leave plants in their pots in the aquarium until I am ready to plant/place them?

2. If so, for how long? (generally)

3. Does plant type matter? (In the case of leaving them in the pot) Like, Rhizome vs grass like vs stem etc.

4. Unrelated to the pots but should I fertilize from day one? I think I saw a video that said yes, but I've consumed more information than my brain can contain for the time being. (I got both easy green and root tabs.)

I ask because I saw the video about the potters and I think Java fern, Anubias and Val were the examples. I figured the easy planter was just a way to keep the plants from moving around so I don't see why I can't just leave things in the pots for a few days, but I figured I'd ask anyway. Plus, I kind of wanted the beneficial bacteria from the rock wool etc like in the short that was recently posted. Since I don't have access to seeded filter media (I do have fritz though). 

 

I have read the quick guide, how to get started with plants etc but as I said, information overload. 

 

Thank you for any advice in advance and happy to be aboard. 

[JettsPapa]

1. They don't need to be planted in substrate immediately.
2. I don't think there's a hard and fast number, but it's quite a while in most cases.  Probably at least several weeks.
3. You'd probably want to get rhizome plants out of the pots sooner than plants that are typically planted in the substrate, but a few days certainly wouldn't hurt anything.  I'm pretty sure they don't drop dead in the warehouse if they aren't shipped immediately after arrival.
4. I don't know of any reason not to fertilize right away.

And welcome to the forum.

[Kit Craft]

On 10/4/2023 at 2:02 PM, JettsPapa said:

1. They don't need to be planted in substrate immediately.
2. I don't think there's a hard and fast number, but it's quite a while in most cases.  Probably at least several weeks.
3. You'd probably want to get rhizome plants out of the pots sooner than plants that are typically planted in the substrate, but a few days certainly wouldn't hurt anything.  I'm pretty sure they don't drop dead in the warehouse if they aren't shipped immediately after arrival.
4. I don't know of any reason not to fertilize right away.

And welcome to the forum.

Thank you for the detailed reply and the welcome!

[Miranda Marie]

I left my crypts in their pots for a couple weeks to acclimate them. In fact, for more sensitive plant species, Cory from Aquarium Co-Op encourages that you do that in order not to shock the plant's roots while it is getting used to your water perimeters. It worked well for me - I had almost no die back from the crypts, which are notoriously finnicky!

[Kit Craft]

Thank you for answering and sharing your experience. I got two Java ferns, two Val and some java moss in the mail yesterday and have them sitting in the tank in their pots now. As I am new to plants, I don't really know how they should look. I went ahead and set my light up for a six-hour cycle and dosed ferts as directed by the bottle. I actually kind of like them in the pots, lol, but I'll attach them eventually. I have one piece of driftwood that is just like a stick shape so not much good in the looks department. I'll probably cut that in 2 and attach the java fern to it and set them in front of the sponge filters (though the tiny nano co-op sponge filters are almost too cute to hide). 

[Miranda Marie]

These are the youtube videos that were absolute life savers for me when I got into planted aquariums! I find watching concise, easy to follow videos simpler for taking in all the information rather than reading text walls, so hopefully they'll be useful to you!

 

How to Set Up A Planted Tank: https://youtu.be/29aKqiu0b7w

 

Why Aquarium Plants "Melt": https://youtu.be/OFvIyc2j13E

 

Five Things To Know About Planted Aquariums Before Getting Started (playlist): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlBBJ7xBuqub-rl6z7cnGfSp_rUoyGN0U

 

Guide To Planted Aquariums (Playlist): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlBBJ7xBuquZWUAQTV_qV-4RT526rh1sy

Maybe they can help you the way they helped me!

[Kit Craft]

Thank you. I have already watch around half of those as I was deciding on which plants to buy! I will watch the others now!

[Miranda Marie]

On 10/5/2023 at 8:55 PM, Kit Craft said:

Thank you. I have already watch around half of those as I was deciding on which plants to buy! I will watch the others now!

You're welcome! They're the ones I always share to people who are new to planted aquariums, because they were so helpful to me starting out. I hope they can be useful to you, too!