# Potted Aquatic Plants In New World Aquarium?



## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Hello All,
I have been strongly recommending the use of potted aquarium plants in many of my posts lately. Potted plants are recommended for a few reasons. As follows,

When the aquarium is stocked with Cichlid residents that seemingly could make a Tracked Excavator envious of their digging capability!
When Pool Filtration Sand is used as the substrate. The stuff is a beautiful-looking substrate that Cichlid diggers love to play in. But, is definitely not recommended for keeping live aquatic plants in.
When you haven't fully decided what will grow best in the aquarium. Pulling out or moving a potted plant is MUCH easier than messing with things sited down in the substrate!
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But, there seems to be a natural reluctance to place something possibly so unnatural looking in a planted aquarium. I mean, the very idea of using live plants is to make things as natural-looking as possible in the aquarium, right? So, why on earth would you want to put some wonky - weird looking potted plant in your aquarium? 
So, to answer those questions and possibly give you some ideas for your own aquariums... I thought I would share some photos of one of my own tanks.
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Tank is a 24" X 48" X 24", 150G XH. Filtration is Eheim 2262 & Fluval XP3. Lighting began as 'old school' T5 Flourescent - transitioned to LED - all 6700K. Aquarium was in existence from 2004 - 2018.
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Potted (substrate-growing) Aquatic Plant species included,

Rotala rotundifolia sp. 'green', Round Leaf Rotala
Echinodorus grisebachii, Amazon Sword
Ludwigia sp. 'Green & Red', Long-Stemmed Ludwigia
Valisneria sp. 'gigantea', Tape Grass (Nitrate HOG!!)
Aponogeton capuronii, Madagascar Bulb Plant
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Tank was 'Low Tech' (No CO2). Non-substrate growing plants included at least 3 dirrent species of Anubias, Java Fern and plenty of Java Moss! Non-substrate growing plants were affixed to Mountain Lace Rocks, one large Siltstone rock and a few pieces of Bog Wood.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

And so you think to reply (with possibly understandable indignation). _"Oh yeah, great... nice plants, dooood.
Got Cichlids, much?"_ 
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C'mon now - do you think it was gonna be ALL about those plants? 
So yes! Over it's 14 year life span, this tank had some really nice New World Cichlids stocked in it.
Might as well go right to one of the CA types, I suppose....
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Here is: The Mongrel! I suspect there was a bit of Cryptoheros spilurum in him, along with probably some c. nigrofasciatus (Convict) and well.... who knows? A rescue from the get-go, this boy was kept as an individual male for the rest of his life in that tank. Peaceful and out-going he was one of my favorites.
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And, then there was this Aquidens diadema I got in a trade with another local fish-keeper. This South American guy was a beautiful Cichlid who was safe and got along just fine with everyone, even with the sword tails in there! (The infamous 'Guppy Experiment' did NOT end well, however....). 
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And who says New World Cichlids can't be pals?
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Other residents of this tank over the years included WC C. cutteri and Amatitlania siquia (Honduran Red Point), plus a single Cribroheros (Astataheros?) robertsoni, Blue Sifter. To round things out, a pretty big Rhino Pleco (Pterygoplichthys scrophus), was placed on long-term Algae Cleanup Detail and he had a surly 'frenemy' in there of a (quite territorial) Pseudacanthicus sp. leopardus (L114 Cactus Pleco).


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I can't see the pics. : (


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Hmmmm.... C-f these days, definitely makes you work for it. 

okaaay... try clicking this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TnxmFZKL5g1ccETx9


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## Idech (Nov 8, 2020)

Wow, that is so nice ! I can't see any pots, how do you hide them ? Would you have such a set up with Mbunas ?


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## Stu W2 (Nov 17, 2020)

The link works for me. Here is one of the pics.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Hmmmmm.....



Idech said:


> Wow, that is so nice ! I can't see any pots, how do you hide them ? Would you have such a set up with Mbunas ?


In a word? "No." Mbuna are dedicated algae grazers in the wild. That is, _HERBIVORES_.

A setup like that would be like providing those Mbuna an all-you-could-eat-buffet!!! :lol: 
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Oh, and the glass goldfish bowls I used to pot those substrate growing plants in, are all tucked back behind the rock pile and bog wood pieces, (there's three of 'em!). And, with all of the plants affixed to the rock and wood, it made things get really lush in there - really quick!


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## fishybuisness (Apr 3, 2020)

beautiful aquarium much more of a natural aquarium than i would have thought would be possible using pots!


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## Stu W2 (Nov 17, 2020)

fishybuisness said:


> beautiful aquarium much more of a natural aquarium than i would have thought would be possible using pots!


+1 and given that it's a great tank I'm going to post a few more of the pics supplied in the link. Hopefully the OP doesn't mind.

Regards,
Stu


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Thanks 'Stu W2'! I appreciate you doing that.  
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Oh, and here is a pic of the WC (Honduras) Cribroheros (Astaheros) robertsoni, Blue Sifter I mentioned above.










It's photobucket unfortunately, so the images don''t come out quite as nice with the logo splattered across the front. Hopefully this one came up okay?


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## Idech (Nov 8, 2020)

I can see you last picture. Very cool fish !


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