Quick Question

[Gourami85]

Hey Everyone,
I have one quick question, I'm new to keeping live plants, but will plants be able to grow and thrive using gravel? Do I just place the roots of the plants under the gravel?
I"ve only ever had one aquatic plant before which was in my Betta tank and I just left it in the plastic pot that it came in.

Thanks

~Chris :)

[Timmain42]

Welcome to Plants!

Cliff Notes version of what's Below: Yes, plants grow fine in small gravel, given certain conditions. Unpot your plants before planting.

The Long Version: You've asked a doozy of a question, and it can be answered, but we'll need more information about your tank and it's parameters. We do this not to be nosy, but just so that we can give accurate answers.

.Tank size?
.Tank lighting?
.Type and size of gravel bed?
.Carbonate Hardness?
.pH?
.Nitrates?
.How long has the tank been set up?
.Do you use CO2?
.Does your city water have phosphates in it?

...and prolly a few more I can't remember at the moment. Anyone else wanna take a stab at it?

[125gJoe]

Gourami85, you can put a fertilizer product called 'Root Tabs' in the gravel, under the plants.

Good growth needs some fertilizer. There are liquid ferts for aquarium plants too...

There's a fine balance when it comes to plants and ferts. If you over-do the fertilizers, you can end up with lots of algae...

[TKOS]

It is also going to make a difference if you want true rooting plants or plants that (like Water Sprite) grow a rooting system along their stocks and the substrate is really less necessary (most of these types of plants will grow fine even if they are floating). So type of plants is very important to know.

[Gourami85]

ok, here are the stats on my tank....

.Tank size? 12 Gallon Eclipse
.Tank lighting? One Florecent Bulb, not sure what wattage, whatever comes with a 12 Gallon Eclipse Aquarium
.Type and size of gravel bed? Regular Gravel that are used in perstore aquariums...about an 1" high, I"m thinking of doubling it once I get a chance to get back to the petstore.
.Carbonate Hardness? I really have no clue
.pH? 7.6 or higher, thats the highest the ph scale went on my test tube
.Nitrates? 5 ppm
.How long has the tank been set up? about 14 hours : p
.Do you use CO2? Nope
.Does your city water have phosphates in it? Honestly, I really dont know

oh, one other thing....I went to Petsmart and Pet Co yesterday, and the plants they have are assorted, it doesnt say what kind of plants they are, so I"m not sure if I should just buy those and hope for the best or what...

[Timmain42]

I'm thinking that you won't be able to grow much besides low-light plants like Anacharis. Since you are not cycled yet, now would be the opportune time to get some strands and give it a whirl before you have fish in the tank.

Your lighting is the only thing that concerns me, and will prolly be the limiting factor in growing plants in your tank. The light that comes with the Eclipse is quite strong enough to provide much watts per gallon.

Anyone else have a suggestion?

[djlen]

Chris, read this:
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_newtank.htm#fauna
and this:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1998/may/aquatic/default.asp
Karen Randall is pretty easy to understand and you'll have more questions after reading these two articles so feel free to ask.
Len