Live plants with sand?

[10Gallon]

In the 20 long I plan on doing live plants, which is something new to me. But I like to rearrange the plants and decorations often. With Java Fern I understand it's good to attach the roots to a rock so this won't be a problem. But with the Jungle Val will I be able to uproot it from the sand and move it about once every 2-3 months? If I don't change things up in the tank I get bored with it

 

[Fresh2o]

It is best to leave the plants where they are but they can be moved from time to time. But this may also make it hard for them to become re-established. Depends on how favorable the conditions are for plant growth. Some plants develop extensive root systems and moving them can be quite disruptive to the plant and tank in general. I’ve been guilty of doing this every 3-4 months when I had a Planted tank.
The nice thing about Val’s is that they produce runners. These can be detached and planted elsewhere as needed.

 

[ZxC]

Vals shouldn't be an issue. A common practice to keep a planted tank "clean" is to uproot overgrown bunches of plants, siphon out mulm/crap while uprooting them, thin out and replant. Val roots aren't huge, maybe uproot mother plants and replant the runners would be the best bet as Fresh said ^^ +1 to that.

are you positive you want vals in a 20 long? Dwarf sag would probably be a better option for the background... Most vals will get 3 feet tall if let be, dwarf sag should stay within a 20 long's height limits. Then again, you sad you'll be constantly moving things so they would never get that big...

 

[Fresh2o]

+1 in the cal size. I kept a similar plant (crystal river Val) in a 55g and it would grow to the top in one corner and along the surface. That is 5+ feet of plant. I trimmed it regularly.

 

[10Gallon]

OK thanks for the advice. But I just thought of something else. Shouldn't you stir up your sand regularly anyway to avoid poisonous gas pockets from forming in the sand?

 

[coralbandit]

I have placed plants in plastic cups and covered the cup. Makes it easy to move them and easier to target fertilize . You can place fert in cup and know it goes to plant.
If the sand is not to deep[3+ inches usually ] gas should not build up. Dragging a poker /stick through sand should keep it good.

 

[ZxC]

If you have a lot of plant mass (talking root mass here) you can have deeper sand, plant roots need aerobic conditions to grow, and they can supply O2 to rooting zones, this helps keep things aerobic and not create nasty gas pockets.

a 20 long physically doesn't have the height to allow for a large/deep sand bed anyway.

 

[SFGiantsGuy]

And also, as a base fundamental, I recommend being wary of any fine grain sand. Although fairly easy to work with, it tends to be very dense and over time, many rooted plants have a very tough time with overall root penetration. However, larger grain sand such as some types of river rock sand, possesses larger grains, and therefore permits it much easier for root penetration.