# Potted vs unpotted



## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

I just bought an Anubias sp for my tang tank and it came in a pot with some spongy material. The plant is on the large side so I'd assume it has a developed root system. Should I leave it potted or can I remove the plant carefully from the pot? The base will be behind a large rock so I won't see the pot of its left with the plant. Any incite will be appreciated!


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Every Anubias I've bought has come that way. I always remove them from the pot and carefully remove the spongy material so I don't damage any roots. I usually attach the plant to a piece of driftwood with black thread. You want to make sure the roots are not buried in substrate.


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

Ok thx I carefully removed the spongy material, but I already had an anubias tied to my driftwood, so I put the plant back into the pot and filled the pot with medium grade gravel, careful not to bury the rhizome. Will this be ok or should the roots be completely exposed? (There are slits between the pot and crevices in the gravel so I assume water can flow between the roots)


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## sparky4056 (Sep 1, 2014)

the roots will be fine, I used to keep my anubias planted in the substrate of my planted tanks (roots completely buried) and they did just fine.


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

Ok thank you for all the advice. One last general quesiton. On one of my other anubias, one of the leaves has some holes in it. I'm guessing this is from nutrient/mineral deficiency. I hav a t8 floramax, what products (trace minerals, fertilizers) should I be adding to encourage healthy leaf growth?


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## sparky4056 (Sep 1, 2014)

I just added seachem flourish comprehensive and potassium occasionally. The nitrogen and phosphorus your plants need should be coming from fish waste and food, so those are about the only two ferts you should need to add with that low of a light level. Holes in leaves are generally a potassium deficiency. Adding potassium won't fix the existing leaves, but should help the new ones not develop the holes.


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

Ok so ill buy the seachem stuff...so should I trim the dead/holey leafs, I heard they never repair themselves?
Also as regards to lighting is the t8 floramax fine? its for a 29 gal


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## sparky4056 (Sep 1, 2014)

You don't necessarily need the seachem ferts, but I found them more convenient for a small tank as opposed to buying the powder ones. I would trim the dead leaves so the plants spend energy creating new ones instead of keeping dying ones alive. A single t8 will work as long as you stay with plants like anubias, java fern, and some crypts. You'll still see new growth, it just wont be as fast as you would with stronger lighting. Just remember to replace the bulb every 12 months or so because fluorescent bulbs loose their spectrum over time


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

Ok last question I swear 
If i plan to upgrade to LED, will this make the Anubias grow faster, or will this light be too strong and kill them?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

cdarminio said:


> If i plan to upgrade to LED, will this make the Anubias grow faster, or will this light be too strong and kill them?


That depends on the PAR value of the LED you choose. LED isn't necessarily stronger than flourescent. It depends on the specific fixtures you're comparing.

I have a couple of different LED fixtures. One of them is barely strong enough to sustain low light plants like Anubias while the other needs a dimmer so that I don't have to put on sunglasses when I look at the tank.

Light is not the only variable to consider with plant growth. Nutrients and CO2 are also critical. More light requires more of the other two to maintain the proper balance. If you have more of all three, most low light plants will grow faster. We call some plants low light not because this is what they need but because they'll tolerate low light.


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

Ah ok so "low light" plants are just plants that can tolerate lower light. I think I will leave the t8 and then add the seachem fertilizers and I will trim dead leaves like sparky suggested. I will monitor the plants like this for awhile since my understanding is that Anubias are slow growers relatively. Thank you Sparky and Zimmy for all your help and advice. Hopefully i can use this to grow some lush plants!


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## cdarminio (Mar 29, 2015)

Sorry to bring this thread up again but I have one general question.
If the plant I buy (I'm thinking vallisneria) is sold to me in a pot, is it safe to assume that the plant can remain in the pot or does it depend on the species?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

cdarminio said:


> Sorry to bring this thread up again but I have one general question.
> If the plant I buy (I'm thinking vallisneria) is sold to me in a pot, is it safe to assume that the plant can remain in the pot or does it depend on the species?


It can stay in the pot but since it grows by spreading runners, the pot will not make a difference once the plant is established. You will want to insert some root tabs into the substrate to help nourish the plant.


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

You should remove all the sponge. Dont worry about damaging the roots. Its always good to damage the roots. Cut some of it off. It forces the plant to put its energy in rooting. After it can start to grow and look nice.

For the best result always damage the roots


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

wortel87 said:


> You should remove all the sponge. Dont worry about damaging the roots. Its always good to damage the roots. Cut some of it off. It forces the plant to put its energy in rooting. After it can start to grow and look nice.
> 
> For the best result always damage the roots


That makes sense. I often trim the roots with scissors when setting up a planted tank. I prefer not breaking the roots off but you're right, it may accomplish the same thing.


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