potted plants

J

jr0d

AC Members
Jan 4, 2009
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i just got some potted plants from a local store (4 leaf clovers,cyprss, and green wendtii) i was wondering if when i plant them should i carefully take them outta the pots or leave them in? i asked the guy at the store and he said leave them in but i dont think he knew all that much,he told my to use scotch tape for my new backround and said it "works just like a poster" but he was WAY off so id really like other input please:)

P.S when i got them some tiny snails appeard in my tank,im sure that the only place the coulda came from,anyone know if these are harmful to plants or anything??
 
they will more than likely be pond snails, pretty much all store bought plants come with free snails. All but one in my tank become loach food, they seem to leave the giant pond snail to his own devices. Though they can fast become a pest if there is no snail predator in your tank.
 
I bought some of those plants and one rotted in the pot and the other is okay. I have planted all the rest in my substrate to avoid the rotting.
 
ya i've taken all i found (5) out and put them in alittle tank with my mollie fry,they are leavin little clear gels with white spots all over,not sure if those are eggs or just snail gel,but do you know if these snails get any bigger? and if so if they are good cleaners?? oddly enough i need some and i dont have any loaches.

and thanks for the info btw
 
The lumps of jelly are clutches of eggs; each white spot is an embryo. If they are pond snails, they will probably stay about 1/2" long, though some species get a little bigger. They are good at cleaning up leftover fish food. They will eat algae, but are not dedicated algae eaters like nerites.

I always take plants out of the pot and plant them in the substrate.
 
You should carefully remove the plants from the pots. That will give you greater control for planting and allow the plants to spread more easily.

As far as snails go, I wouldn't worry too much. They don't get much bigger than 7-10 mm. They're detritivores so there's no threat to your plants and their population will even out with the amount of detritus and uneaten food ends up in your aquarium. The clear masses of gel are egg, which are tough to remove. I used to hate the sight of these things but since their population has stabilized and they do their part to clean up, I've come to tolerate them.
 
If you have a potted small plant like dwarf hairgrass or HC, you can just carefully seperate them from the rockwool and plant them in little clusters.
 
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