[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

An APC member asked if I had any additional pictures of the emersed set up I maintain. As the current GSAS club President and the HAP chairperson I did the emersed set up to have a 'Plant Bank' of common and uncommon species available for our GSAS members. Obviously I do not grow enough of a species so a member can aquascape a whole aquarium, but I can provide a "starter" of 30+ different species that are 'snail-free' and 'algae-free'.

Here are some additional pictures of the set up. If people are interested I can also post a copy of the short article that I did for Northwest Aquaria (our club newsletter) on how to make the Peptents (soda bottle humidomes).

Questions? Just ask in this thread and I will post my answers.
-Roy

 

[heartnet]

The soda bottle humidity domes looks very interesting. I would greatly appreciate it if you could upload some more information about it, or provide a link.


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[bigstick120]

What are the containers with the yellow lids?

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi bigstick120,

Those are the 'Peptent' I make from cut off Pepsi bottles. They make excellent humidomes for smaller specimens of emersed plants.

@heartnet - I posted how to make the 'Peptent' on Google Blogger because it had embedded pictures.

http://seattleaquarist.blogspot.com/?view=classic

If you have any other questions just ask.

 

[Michael]

Thanks for posting this! One of our members has begun a similar emersed "plant bank" for DFW-APC, and we are visiting her for our next meeting.

 

[Newt]

Very nice Roy.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi Michael and Newt,

Thanks for the kind comments! A member PM'd me and asked about the lights and what substrate I am currently using. Here is what I told them.

"Each shelf has a 48" 'shop light' fixture with 2X40 watt bulbs suspended above it; one bulb is 'daylight' (about 6500K) and the other bulb is 'cool white' (about 5000K). The fixtures are all operated off of one heavy duty timer.

As mentioned I currently use coir pots. I have been doing this for almost a year and my substrate preference has changed over that period. First I used ADA Amazonia I but it is expensive and seemed to promote cyanobacteria (blue-green algae/BGA) outbreaks. Then I tried using only Turface (heat treated montmorillonite clay) but because it contains no nutrients I had to fertilize frequently to maintain growth. Currently I use Scotts Miracle Grow Potting Mix (not 'moisture control') covered by 1/4" of montmorillonite clay or cheap non-clumping/no fragrance kitty litter to keep fungus from growing on the potting mix and make it easier to spot a BGA early. The fertilizer in the potting mix lasts for about 3 months. I augment the fertilizer in the substrate with Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food which I use at 1/2 strength every couple of weeks when I water."

 

[asukawashere]

I find the "peptents" very amusing... both the name and the shape of them. Like little plant eggs...

I also am totally jealous of that erio flower. Very cool.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[chrislewistx]

Hi Roy,

Great setup. I have really enjoyed reading about your setup, and I love the pictures. Thank you for sharing.

One question on the little Peptents (soda bottle humidomes). Do you use these to jump start plants from submerged to emersed condition, or are these used to continually maintain the plants?

Also, can you elaborate on the setup in this particular picture? I have been wondering if people used anything in the "emersed tube gardens" for water flow. In this picture I see a little pump or powerhead. Also, in this one you seem to have the fiber pots on an eggcrate like material in a plastic tube. Is there a top on this container? If not how are you maintaining humidity? Do you have an overall picture of this particular setup, and maybe some more details on it?

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi chrislewistx,

I use the 'Peptents' for several functions. When moving a plant from submerged to emersed growth the high humidity helps prevent the plant from dehydrating and going into shock. They are great for keeping smaller species like P. helferi, P. erectus, Helanthium tenellum, H.C., A. nana 'Petite', and Erio parkeri. Plants grown in high humidity typically have a thinner leaf cuticle which also makes it easier to move them from emersed to submerged growth.

Yes, in the growing vats (which are Sterilite 16 qt opaque containers) I use a Hagen Elite Mini internal filter for circulation and filtration. In order to keep the filter submerged I have to fill the containers up about 3" with water. When I do that the smaller 2 1/2" coir pots would be submerged so I raise them up on the eggcrate material you see in the picture which I cut our from 48" X 24" white eggcrate lighting panel material which I purchase by the sheet at Home Depot or Lowe's. I don't use the thick plastic covers that come with the Sterilite containers because they block too much light. I use clear 'cracked ice' acrylic panels that I purchase by the sheet or 1/2 sheet at Home Depot or Lowes.

Keep in mind this is not a "growing" operation where I am trying to grow a lot of plants to sell. I am trying to maintain a stock of some of the more difficult to locate plants so our GSAS members can get 'starter portions' for their 'scapes when they need them.

If you have more questions just ask.

 

[Sjb1987]

very nice...if only my wife understood the "hobby"

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi Sjb1987,

lol, my emersed setup is relegated to the garage. She puts up with a few tanks in the house but somehow she feels the emersed setup doesn't go with the decor!

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

I decided to do a quick inventory of what I am growing emersed and this is what I have in the mad plant-scientist lab currently.

Currently I am growing the following plants in my emersed set-up.
Anubias minima
Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'
Bacopa salzmannii
Ceratopteris cornuta
Cryptocoryne parva
Cryptocoryne nurii
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze'
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Florida Sunset'
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Red'
Cryptocoryne usterianna x walkeri
Eriocaulon parkeri
Eleocharis sp. (tall)
Eleocharis sp. 'Belem'
Hemianthus callitrichoides
Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
Helanthium tenellum
Hydrocotyle sp 'Japan'
Hygrophila lancea
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Hygrophila polysperma 'Sunset'
Hygrophila polysperma 'Tiger'
Hygrophila polysperma 'Sunset'
Lindernia rotundifolia 'Variegated'
Ludwigia brevipes x arcuata
Ludwigia glandulosa
Ludwigia sp. 'Red'
Marsilea minuta
Penthorum sedoides
Pogostemon erectus
Pogostemon helferi
Ranunculus inundatus
Riccia fluitans
Staurogyne repens

lol...so many plants so little time!

 

[chrislewistx]

Now that's a list of plants...

Good job. Out of curiosity, have you run into any plants that you could not convert from submersed to emersed growth? I know not all aquatics can be grown emersed, but have you ran into any that were just extra hard to convert.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi chrislewistx,

Absolutely, there are some plants that do not grow emersed. In addition there are some plants that grow much better submerged than emersed. For example, I grow Nymphoides sp. 'Taiwan' in my tank(s) but it will not grow emersed. Marselea minuta and Ceratopteris cornuta grow much better submerged than emersed as does Echinodorus vesuvius.

Nymphoides sp. 'Taiwan'

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

Growing plants emersed it great, but what happens when I move them from an emersed environment to submerged? To test what happens I set up a 10 gallon with 2X 10 watt 'mini florescent' 6700K bulbs, inert SafeTSorb #7941 substrate, no CO2, and I use only Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and Seachem Flourish Excel (and a small piece of Flourish Tabs under the Crypt).

Here are eight species that I grew emersed and are now in a submerged environment. The Pogostemon erectus, Ludwigia sp 'Red', Hygrophila lancea, and Oldenlandia salzmannii have been in the tank about 4 weeks. The H. lancea grew so much I have had to cut it back once already. None of these have 'melted'.

The Penthorum sedoides, Cryptocorne wendtii 'Bronze', Staurogyne sp. 'Low Grow' (Starougyne repens / Tropica 049), and Hemianthus callitrichoides were all planted earlier this week. It is my intent to update this thread periodically so we can see how the plants do (I am especially curious if the Crypt 'melts').

10 Gallon 8/23/12

 

[Jubs]

Looking good Roy!

 

[shane98270]

Seattle aquarist, are any of these for sale? I live by Seattle, and would be interested in some of your crypts, hygro, and marsilea if possible. Just starting up a fluval spec v for some shrimp, unsure which type yet though.

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[chrislewistx]

Hi Roy,

Good looking experiment you have. Did the leaves go through any kind of change from emersed to submerged growth yet? Out of curisotiy how deep did you make the SafTsorb substrate?

 

[K Randall]

Hi All,

Growing plants emersed it great, but what happens when I move them from an emersed environment to submerged? To test what happens I set up a 10 gallon with 2X 10 watt 'mini florescent' 6700K bulbs, inert SafeTSorb #7941 substrate, no CO2, and I use only Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and Seachem Flourish Excel (and a small piece of Flourish Tabs under the Crypt).

Here are eight species that I grew emersed and are now in a submerged environment. The Pogostemon erectus, Ludwigia sp 'Red', Hygrophila lancea, and Oldenlandia salzmannii have been in the tank about 4 weeks. The H. lancea grew so much I have had to cut it back once already. None of these have 'melted'.

The Penthorum sedoides, Cryptocorne wendtii 'Bronze', Staurogyne sp. 'Low Grow' (Starougyne repens / Tropica 049), and Hemianthus callitrichoides were all planted earlier this week. It is my intent to update this thread periodically so we can see how the plants do (I am especially curious if the Crypt 'melts').

10 Gallon 8/23/12

Vanishingly few aquarium plants "melt" when going from emersed to submersed conditions. That would be unproductive from an ecological perspective. When we more often see melt is when the plants are moved from one type of water to a very different type of water. Some plants can recover and adapt, for others, it's the end.

Tropica was one of the first nurseries to realize that they were actually giving their customers a plant with the best chance to adapt to local water conditions by selling emerse grown plants. Of course, there are other good reasons for growing them this way too. (they grow faster, no algae, no snails, ship better...) There are some plants that are true aquatics, and just can't be grown emersed, but for the MANY amphibious plants that we use in our aquariums, there is no advantage to submersed propagation. (except that people are sometimes surprised by the often DRAMATIC changes in leaf shape, size and habit when the plant reverts to its submersed form!!!)