Odd Question, Odd idea

[fish_4_all]

I have an idea to make a pot for my plants, specifically my Red melon sword and another sword I plant to get. The idea is to use a raised pot and put sand or gravel in it for the plants. The pot will be high enough that my corys can use it as a cave. The main worry is will I need malaysian trumpet snails if I use sand or will the roots take care of that need? The other question is will the plants get the nutrients they need if I dose the fertilizer in the water being they are off the bottom? If I use Gregs fertilizers dry, can I funnel the dry fertilizer directly to the top of the pot next to the plants in small amounts?

Is there anything I need to do to accomodate the plants being up off the bottom or is this just a really bad idea?

[hashbaz]

I used terracotta pots and quite liked them. Sand and root tabs should work fine, and I would not worry about MTS.

IMO the only drawback is that the pots raise the plants too high, unless your tank is tall or your plants are short.

Go for it!

[travis simonson]

Pots should work just fine. One thing to watch out for is that you use appropriately large pots because sword plants can develop very large root structures that could become root-bound in pots that are too small. MTS wouldn't hurt either. I like to use them anytime I've got a very fine, sandy substrate, as sand tends to compact much more readily over time than larger-grained substrates and can certainly benefit from some aeration by MTS.

I'd love to see some pictures when you get things going

[azn_fishy55]

just an idea:the pots would look nice with some type of moss attached to it.

[fish_4_all]

I think the pot will work, but it could be rather large for a 10 gallon tank. Will get a picture as soon as I have one, maybe tomorrow. If anyone wants one after you see them, let me know.

How big do you think the pot needs to be to accomdate the roots? The planting area of the pot should be around 6 inches square and 4 inches tall.

Will this be enough for 2 or more of them?

The picture will post tomorrow if I can get it and maybe that will help with an answer.

[czcz]

Here's Xzap's cool planter. He has great pics of growout in the showcase forum. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=59896

[fish_4_all]

That is cool. Mine won't be any near as heavy because it will be ceramic but I like the natural look better. I will have to look around the ceramic shop tomorow and see if there is anyhting I can modify to make a planter out of it. The one I am making is tall enough for fish to play under, namely my C. trlineatus. Would be perfect for any grassy plant because it will have a "rim" that will hold the plants and substrate in place. I can't wait to get a picture on here.

[fish_4_all]

This is the planter I am going to use for my sowrds or whatever I canget to grow in it. Let me know what you think. I will be taking the top off of it before firing and painting it so the cut out part won't be there.