Dwarf aquarium lily need substrate to grow?

[Furby]

Would a dwarf aquarium lily grow if I put it in the bottom hole of the upside down pot in my picture where the airline tube is now instead of in the substrate?

[Jack.of.all.aquariums]

It would likely grow for quite a while using the nutrients from the bulb. You might experience some nutrient issues but I've been able to grow a lot of plants out of the substrate that are typically known as root feeders. 

Give it a go. You can always move it to the substrate if it's not working well. 

[Furby]

1 hour ago, Jack.of.all.aquariums said:

It would likely grow for quite a while using the nutrients from the bulb. You might experience some nutrient issues but I've been able to grow a lot of plants out of the substrate that are typically known as root feeders. 

Give it a go. You can always move it to the substrate if it's not working well. 

So, it is a root feeder? Would it get too big in a 10 gallon?

[Jack.of.all.aquariums]

They can get pretty huge if the conditions to are right but you can trim off the leaves very easily to keep it manageable if it does get out of control.

They are root feeders and get a lot of benifit from root tabs but it may be able to stretch roots down to the substrate from the top of the pot. 

[McNubbin]

Yeah, dwarf is a bit of a misnomer. Its not really all that small. 

In the center of my 75g my dwarf lily. In that pic its about 2 months old. I've had it about 4 months now, the lower leaves are about hand sized and there are now 7 lilies. It will take up a good deal of the lower area and the surface of a ten gallon. 

[Furby]

17 hours ago, McNubbin said:

Yeah, dwarf is a bit of a misnomer. Its not really all that small. 

In the center of my 75g my dwarf lily. In that pic its about 2 months old. I've had it about 4 months now, the lower leaves are about hand sized and there are now 7 lilies. It will take up a good deal of the lower area and the surface of a ten gallon. 

Maybe I am blind. I don't see anything in the center of that tank except some rocks and a moss covered arch of wood.

[Furby]

@McNubbin is that Pogostamin stellatus "Octopus" on the right-hand side of the picture? 

[McNubbin]

Sorry, I guess its not the clearest picture. Just snapped a couple more.

The foremost leaves are about 4 to 5 inches big

And the further back leaf is around 9 inches. Also, another lily has sprouted and is working its way up. This thing is constantly popping out lily pads.

 

2 hours ago, Furby said:

@McNubbin is that Pogostamin stellatus "Octopus" on the right-hand side of the picture? 

Yep

My mollies have been picking at all of the plants in the tank. Hence the lower half of them missing all of their leaves  I am working on a new tank for them though. I am about to do some tank maintenance though. So I'll be trimming them down and replanting the trimmings. That will also cause the sections of pogo without leaves to start growing them again from the cut site up. Its a very heart plant though, that grows really well in my very hard (and apparently softened ) water. I also like the looks of it better than hornwort, i also found that it appears to grow faster than hornwort too.

[Furby]

I didn't realize it would get that big. I have it in my 55 and my 75. How long does it take to take root? It's been in the tanks for 4 days.