Marginal plant for a small tank

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

Could anyone suggest a marginal plant which would grow in a small tank? I’m planning a small shrimp tank (30cm cube) and considering using a marginal plant for structure, rather than hardscape. I’ll likely plant it in the back corner.

I suspect many of the native plants growing in my pond will fill the tank too quickly. The reeds would look great but I think will get rapidly out of control. The roots on my irises are larger than the tank 😄. I guess what I’m after is a tall, slim plant that grows as a marginal in about 20cm of water and doesn’t grow exceptionally fast.

I’ll be using dirt in the base and allowing the tank to become mulmy. Submerged plants will be mosses and rotala most likely.

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

If it flowers that would be even better. If I need to keep the roots pruned and manage the spread, I am not against planting it in a pot of some sort.

 

[Myrtle]

I've had Acorus sp growing emergent for over a year and hasn't gone mad, but it's low tech with minimal ferts...

 

[tam]

Eleocharis Acicularis (hairgrass) should be able to find it cheaper in the pond section rather than aquaiurm... although more likely to have hitchhikers. You could try soft rush, I have (I think) it growing and it stayed about 1' for ages, although over winter has decided to shoot up to closer to 3'. I think it might be a light issue... so could be worth a try but may get too big. You could just go for one amazon sword, the underwater portion isn't that big just a few straight sturdy stems (although the root system will be) and the rest will be out of the water.

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

I have a couple of Amazon swords in my main tank and they both touch the surface but haven’t broken the surface yet. Likewise I have Anubias with leaves touching the surface but not breaking it.

A rush might work but it could spread rather fast.

 

[Andy Pierce]

I have had a (mostly unsuccessful) try with marginal plants in my nanotank but in terms of something that might reach out of the water without getting to violently out of control you could try Bog Arum (Calla palustris).

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

I looked into cyperus alternifolia/alternifolius, cant remember how it went. Small and slow.

 

[AlecF]

It would take some time to reach out, but I had Siamensis grow emersed in a shallow small tank, and convert well. They would be easy to control. I've been temped to try the Calla Lily so would be interested how those would work.

 

[zozo]

Quite a lot is possible, but you should have a sufficient light source and light cycle and fertilize it accordingly.

The light source used in the pictures was a DIY LED setup with +/- 7000 lumens, controlled with a dimmer/timer slowly ramping up from 0% to 100% at midday and then down again to 0% in a 12-hour cycle. All this time, fighting algae outbreaks like mad waiting for the marginal growth to develop and stabilise the biotope. The tank was 60x30x30cm with 10cm substrate (20cm water column).

Note: 90% of the plants we buy as aquarium plants are truly bog plants that grow as emersed marginal plants in nature but also can be forced to grow submerged. I remember there once was a large plant database on the Aquatic Plant Central website. The only one with a footnote for every single plant "can be grown emersed" Yes/No. Unfortunately, this database is gone afaik, as I can't find it back... All others don't have this... But as said we have very few true aquatics, most can but might fail because we can't provide sufficient air humidity.

For inspiration look in the General Forums section "Wabi Kusa", "Emersed Growing" and "Paludarium, Terrariums and Vivariums". The wabi kusa section might be of particular interest regarding how to transition plants to lower air humidity and make them live in a living room climate.

The summer is on the doorstep and it's time for pond (web) shops to offer pond plants. You might find some semi-tropicals that can grow outdoors as marginal pond plants. For example, some Rotala's or Lilaeopsis brasiliensis are easy and a good starting point.

Anyway, lots of Light is your best friend for the emersed part and then again Algae is your worst enemy for the submerged part... If you don't have strong enough light you maybe can use a southeast/southwest facing window sill.

 

[zozo]

Cyperus alternifolia/alternifolius, cant remember how it went. Small and slow.

Very small and very slow

Its roots destroyed the tank and pushed the silicone joints open in about 2 or 3 years from seed to mature plant. It's a monster, the downside is you can't prune the root structure if it has a substrate.

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

Very small and very slow

View attachment 217799
Its roots destroyed the tank and pushed the silicone joints open in about 2 or 3 years from seed to mature plant. It's a monster, the downside is you can't prune the root structure if it has a substrate.

Not small, not slow. I thought I'd read about one of the cyperus family being small... Misremembered evidently.

 

[zozo]

Not small, not slow. I thought I'd read about one of the cyperus family being small... Misremembered evidently.

It might have been the Cyperus haspan aka Dwarf Cyperus...

Cyperus haspan 12cm - Turn it Tropical

Cyperus haspan Dwarf Papyrus An interesting foliage plant with exotic grass-like leaves arranged on stiff...

www.turn-it-tropical.co.uk

I've tried it once in the paludarium setup as above and failed because this plant needs sufficient light to thrive in wet conditions. Insufficient light and constantly submerged roots. The plant will have insufficient metabolism. This gives the plant a hard time staying healthy and fighting off diseases and is the main cause of root rot. In a way, the soil will be too biologically active for the plant and then the table is turned and the plant gets eaten from the roots up.

Did you know that many common houseplants in living rooms in pots are riparious in their natural habitat and growing in marshlands? For example Sheflera sp, Monstera sp., Pachira Aquatica and some Ficus trees. But on the window sill in our climate, they can not be kept in wet conditions for the same reason, not enough light and too cold they will rot and only survive in mildly damp soil. But in nature, they stand and grow in tropical bogs.

 

[richardcunliffe]

@zozo your tanks are quality! Love that massive plant. If I could live in a botanical greenhouse I'd love to

 

[Jorge O'Reilly]

It might have been the Cyperus haspan aka Dwarf Cyperus...

I don't think so. I honestly think I was plain mistaken.

Did you know that many common houseplants in living rooms in pots are riparious in their natural habitat and growing in marshlands? For example Sheflera sp, Monstera sp., Pachira Aquatica and some Ficus trees. But on the window sill in our climate, they can not be kept in wet conditions for the same reason, not enough light and too cold they will rot and only survive in mildly damp soil. But in nature, they stand and grow in tropical bogs.

Monstera grows in marshland where I live, subtropical.

 

[zozo]

Monstera grows in marshland where I live, subtropical.

And in Europe, it's a popular houseplant, if you overwater it, especially during the fall and winter with short daylight cycles it will suffer root rot and die...
But it can be kept in a vase or large bottle with water only, but when the roots are in soil then too much water is a no go...

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

And in Europe, it's a popular houseplant, if you overwater it, especially during the fall and winter with short daylight cycles it will suffer root rot and die...
But it can be kept in a vase or large bottle with water only, but when the roots are in soil then too much water is a no go...

I have monstera varieties growing with their root in my tank but was under the impression that 20cm of water depth would be too much?

 

[zozo]

I have monstera varieties growing with their root in my tank but was under the impression that 20cm of water depth would be too much?

I don't think the depth doesn't matter for the roots but the plant base (green or wooden stem) shouldn't be submerged too deep. I guess the issue with the plant completely in soil or substrate and soaking wet gets anaerobic which is deadly with insufficient light in colder climates. Then the plant has little circulation and cannot transport all needed oxygen to its roots and suffocate and rot.

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

I don't think the depth doesn't matter for the roots but the plant base (green or wooden stem) shouldn't be submerged too deep. I guess the issue with the plant completely in soil or substrate and soaking wet gets anaerobic which is deadly with insufficient light in colder climates. Then the plant has little circulation and cannot transport all needed oxygen to its roots and suffocate and rot.

Thanks. The ones in my main tank are growing with the roots just below the surface and not in soil so they grow well. I think sweet flag or a cyperus may work. Flowering rush looks cool too.

 

[tam]

I have a couple of Amazon swords in my main tank and they both touch the surface but haven’t broken the surface yet. Likewise I have Anubias with leaves touching the surface but not breaking it.

A rush might work but it could spread rather fast.

I would guess water height is the trick for the swords. My tank is 30cm deep, so maybe 20 cm of water above the substrate surface. I brought them with emersed leaves that were tall enough to break the surface and they've grown emersed leaves consistantly the whole time. I imagine if you start with a submersed one and wait for it to work out it can reach the surface it may never do so. Mine is currently stretched out above the hanging lights - I think where it's been a bit dull over winter and the tank lights aren't bright enough its a bit leggy. Haven't had it flower yet.

I've anbias that breached the water and flowers. The majority of it's leaves are above water- thats in a 45cm deep tank. It's the big version though leaves bigger than my hands and it's tall enough to be level with the window which is seems to like. It would be too big for a 30cm cube though. I grow petite at the water line but that started on the border so didn't climb out itself.

It's intersting how they adapt to different conditions and the triggers for going from one to the other!

 

[zozo]

What I've noticed with the Amazone swords is when the submersed form leaves reach the surface the leaf tip will stick out of the water and this will dry out. It needs this for an X period with several leaves to trigger the roset to form new emersed form stalks with different-looking small reddish coloured leaves. Once these leaves reach the atmosphere they will grow green and much bigger. Once this process starts it stops making new submersed form leaves and completely transitions to emersed form.

Each Amazone sort variety likely will have its own specific genetic maximum height in submerged growth form. For example, I've grown E. Kleiner Bär which in submersed form doesn't grow taller than max. 6" to 8" (+/- 16cm to 20,5cm). If this is planted deeper than 20cm it will never be able to grow taller than the water surface. And it will never get the trigger to change form. It needs the drying-out leaf tips to feel the surface/atmosphere and transition.

If it's planted at the correct depth and sticking out submersed form leaves start to dry up the tips don't prune these leaves off if you like it to transition to emersed form.

If you like a smaller young sword one from the LFS to stay in its emersed form, don't plant it deeper than the tallness of the plant itself. just deep enough for the leaves to stick only halfway over the surface. It will grow bigger to get the entire leaves into the atmosphere. Then gradually raising the water level over time, the plant will adapt naturally to the new depth by growing new leaves from the roset. If it's planted completely submerged from the beginning it will take a long time to transition from young emersed form into submerged then this needs to reach the surface again to feel the trigger again to transition again. This process you can skip. you could make the already emersed form from the nursery grow bigger in a glass vase on the window sill before moving it to a 20cm deep aquarium. You could go even deeper depending on which Sword it is and how tall it can grow. It needs to feel a water level at its leaves to get the trigger to grow taller than this. You'll be amazed at how fast it can grow with sufficient light. I've watched it grow 3 to 5 cm a day...