Planting, then Flooding the Tank?

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JackBinimbul

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 29, 2018
Messages
315
Location
Texas
Hey, guys, I had some questions about when/how to plant my tank.

Is it much easier to plant the tank dry, get everything where you want it and then flood it? Not so much a dry start as just being able to put everything in place more simply.

I know how to plant things. Attach with thread where necessary, don't bury rhizomes, etc, but I'm wanting to simplify and streamline the process as much as I can without mangling the poor plants with my inexperience.

If it's easier/better to get everything in place prior to flooding, would it not be more advantageous for me to get all of my plants from one single seller so that they all arrive simultaneously?

Or is it acceptable to leave plants in shallow dishes or bowls of water awaiting placement?

I've clearly never dealt with aquatic plants before and don't want to get tripped up by the logistics!
 
Its better if you plant all at once but its not necessary. Depending on the plant you can leave them in small dishes for a period of time. I've left thing like anubias, creeping jenny, dwarf sag in bowls for a week or more and they were still healthy enough to plant. Some things like utricularia graminifolia or dwarf baby tears won't last very long without proper nutrients and light.

For flooding vs dry start I always do flooding. Fill the tank to just cover the substrate and then plant. After everything is in place fill the tank up. Others will swear by a dry start method. I think it really comes down to personal preference.
 
That's the info I needed! I know I didn't want to do a dry start, but I wasn't sure on how wet to have things when I planted. I'll try to get everything all at once. Thanks!

As an aside; I want a few days to play around with hardscape before getting plants and flooding it. However, I know that I won't be able to get my substrate very dry after rinsing it, but I'm worried about putting wet substrate in without flooding it for a few days. It seems like a prime breeding ground for nasties. Should I leave it out in the sun to get it nice and dry if I'm not going to flood for a few days?
 
Just put a towel down inside your empty tank and add your hardscape... move it around until you got what you like. Take it all out. Then add your rinsed substrate and set in your rock/wood/decorations the way you liked it.
 
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