Some Emersed Questions

[Smells Fishy]

So quite a lot of aquarium plants are actually grown out of water, I've been getting my head around that latey. For a tank I'm planning I would really like to make an aquaponics filter its just I'm not sure how to go about it. I've watched a few videos and they all say humidity is very important but is that only if the plants have been sold to you grown emerged and you want to submerge them?

Do you definitely need a substrate for the roots to be in or is flowing water ok, something like this http://www.pet-shopper.co.uk/product/superfish-aquaponics-100-filter-kit ? One tank I have my eye on has a hidden compartment at the back for all the equipment so in theory I can turn it into that link.

Are Anubias and crypts grown emerged?

Cheers.

 

[G H Nelson]

Quote= Are Anubias and crypts grown emerged?
Yes they are!....humidity maybe a issue, the emersed plants may need to be acclimatised over a period of time, before displaying them to the UK atmosphere!
You can suspend the roots in water Hydroponic style....but best if you use some gravel for stability!
Have a look for hang on filters like below which can be used for emersed plantings!

hoggie

 

[Smells Fishy]

I was in whsmiths today and had a look at PFK mag and was happy to see an article about HOB's. I'll probably use some hydroponic balls to help anchor the plants a bit, haven't researched in to them yet tho.

 

[zozo]

Look in the pond shops plant section, there you will probbaly find some easy tropical plant sp. which even do good in the garden at summer time. E.g Lileaopsis brasiliensis, Myriophyllum brasiliensis, Eleocharis acicularis i've seen in pond shops. Other aquarium plants which aren't so fussy about humidity are Hydrocotyl tripartita, sagitaria subulata, Juncens repens, Cyperus helferi, Monte carlo, HC cuba, Utricularia graminifolia, Echinodorus Jungle star, Bacopa caroliniana, Pogostemon stellatus i all grew open top outside the aqaurium without much problems.. There probably are many more.. Crypts and Anubias are rather difficult and dificult to keep healthy due to humidity issues. But anyway, if you like aquaponics to be effective from a filter perspective, you rather pic easy fast growers. If you like dificult slow growers for decoration only it will be a lot of trail and error and or a long time to make them used to lower humidities.

As long as the water is fertilized enough than the substrate can be anything you like, even a filter sponge will do..

Just a little experiment, lately threw some Cyperus seeds and a Butterfly pea seed into the HOB filter.. These are the results in 8 weeks without ferts on sponge.

Here is a nice database lower right corner you can filter on "Can grow emersed".
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/
You'll find maybe 95% of the available plants can.. Some are easy others very difficult.

 

[Smells Fishy]

Look in the pond shops plant section, there you will probbaly find some easy tropical plant sp. which even do good in the garden at summer time. E.g Lileaopsis brasiliensis, Myriophyllum brasiliensis, Eleocharis acicularis i've seen in pond shops. Other aquarium plants which aren't so fussy about humidity are Hydrocotyl tripartita, sagitaria subulata, Juncens repens, Cyperus helferi, Monte carlo, HC cuba, Utricularia graminifolia, Echinodorus Jungle star, Bacopa caroliniana, Pogostemon stellatus i all grew open top outside the aqaurium without much problems.. There probably are many more.. Crypts and Anubias are rather difficult and dificult to keep healthy due to humidity issues. But anyway, if you like aquaponics to be effective from a filter perspective, you rather pic easy fast growers. If you like dificult slow growers for decoration only it will be a lot of trail and error and or a long time to make them used to lower humidities.

As long as the water is fertilized enough than the substrate can be anything you like, even a filter sponge will do..

Just a little experiment, lately threw some Cyperus seeds and a Butterfly pea seed into the HOB filter.. These are the results in 8 weeks without ferts on sponge.
View attachment 105633

Here is a nice database lower right corner you can filter on "Can grow emersed".
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/
You'll find maybe 95% of the available plants can.. Some are easy others very difficult.

I am planning a trip to my local garden center sometime in the summer to pick myself out a carnivorous plant so a browse in the pond section will be on the menu don't worry. I've only been there once because its such a trek away, it takes ages so when I do go I make sure I stay for a good while to soak it all up.

I like the idea of Pogostemon stellatus grown up water, couldn't find any pictures tho, does it still look the same but with a stiff stem? I really do want to try a crypt or an anubias on a HOB, yeah there might be problems with humidity because they are from seriously tropical countrys. Maybe a good bet would be to email the supplier and find out if they use humidity?

 

[zozo]

Here you see an Anubias barteri emersed, indoor and natural light (at least for the summer months it has this tank only has artificial light during the winter) And a Pogostemon stellatus.. Both are strugling and arent realy decorative beauties.. Particularly the Anubias has the most difficult time, it suvives and lives, but can't say i got it to flourish in the 18 months it is up there.. There are a few more anubias (nana and golden) very close under the surface, They grow but don't pop out on their own, rather stay submersed.. Anubias realy needs a closed high humidity environment +80% humidity.

Pogostemon stellatus indoor under suficient artificial light, does way beter.. Others are Lileaopsis brasiliensis and Echinodorus jungle star..

This is pogostemon stellatus outdoor in the garden.. Much more colorfull in the sun it has purple in its leaves and a very bright red colored stem. It lurks a lot of iron, it slowly gets greener if extra iron is not provided. In the background you see some Hydrocotyl Tripartita growing..

If it's grown partialy emersed and planted deep enough and gets enough light, the submersed stem also develops submersed side shoots which obviously is provided with Co2 from the emersed growing part.. See the bright green and red colored submersed growth in the circle.. So if there is enough light, this way no co2 addition is needed to grow a red Pogostemon stellatus submersed..