Leaving plants floated?

[Arron Miyuki]

Hi guys,
I'd like to ask if plants like echinodorus and crypts can be left floating for about a month before planting. Should I leave the light on? With or without fertiliser?
Thanks!

[Urban Aquaria]

Its possible for those plants to be left floating, i've done it for 1-2 weeks at a stretch (mainly for anti-snail/anti-algae treatment purposes, or when there is not enough floor space in the quarantine tank) and the plants were still okay.

Lights should still be supplied, along with fertilizers, so that the plants can continue growing. Its better to align the plants so that they are positioned vertically while floating so that the leaves can receive light for photosynthesis (tie a small pebble to the base of the plant to keep it floating vertically).

If you are keeping the plants for a longer period of time, consider putting aquasoil in plastic pots or containers, then add the plants into the soil. The soil containers can be placed submerged into the tank. In this way the plants continue to grow rooted into soil, yet its easy to just lift up the pot or container without mess.

[Arron Miyuki]

Thanks alot! You just gave me a relief of what I was doing Btw, nice blog!

[cbr_400_cbr]

Hard to keeps carpet plants from parachuting up....

[TheAquarist]

My crypt have been afloat for a month. Original roots melted, new small thin roots grows into jungle-like vine 😂

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[Urban Aquaria]

My crypt have been afloat for a month. Original roots melted, new small thin roots grows into jungle-like vine ��

Yeah, those type of thin roots are called "water roots", they develop to specialize in taking up nutrients from the water column.

When you plant the crypts into soil again, those thin water roots will melt away and then develop thicker soil roots. Its sort of an adaptive process that allows plants to switch back and forth.