# Ultra-low-tech aquatic plant trays



## orgolith (Jan 15, 2007)

Greetings.

I found about the aquatic plant hobby by accident, while looking at information on how to overdrive fluo tubes.

I like simple, low-maintenance fast-growing plants, and I've kept a few of them in my life. I don't like pets. I don't like fish. I like plants that grow very fast, that I can trim down to keep to a manageable size. I like resilient plants that will endure temperature swings.

I've never had aquatic plants before, but your site has made me want some. I'm a DIY kind of guy, and I like ultra-low-tech. Also, I don't know how long my interest in keeping aquatic plants will last. It could be 1 month, it could be 6, or it could be many years. Therefore, I only have 20$ and a few hours to spend on making myself a very basic, very low-tech setup for aquatic plants.

I have the following equipment already:

* A dual-tube T12 fluorescent fixture with a magnetic ballast
* A pair of T12 tubes identified as "grow-lights"
* Four 22" x 10" x 2.5" clear plastic trays
* A spare table
* Some bricks

My current plan is to make two piles of bricks on the table, separated by a bit less than the width of the fluo fixture. I will then install the fluo fixture on top of the bricks, pointing at the table. I will be able to adjust the height of tubes by adding or removing bricks. This should provide 80W of lighting in the proper spectrum. I will also make a basic reflector setup with white card if necessary. In the future, it will be easy to upgrade to a 4-tube electronic ballast and to overdrive a pair of T8 tubes, but I'm going to start with 2 NO T12s that I am getting for free.

Now, I'm going to install a pair of plastic plant trays right under the lights. The trays I've got right now are 22" x 10" x 2.5", and can probably be filled up to at most 1-1.5" of water - which means 1-1.5 gallons per tray. I'm going to double up the trays since they're made out of weak plastic and put some kind of slab under them, like a cafeteria tray.

I can grow plants with water 1-1.5" deep, right? My light will be diffused over a 48" wide surface, and given my budget, I don't think that I want to be purchasing new trays right now. Maybe I could get a smaller yet, deeper glass tray for 10$ - maybe something made for baking cakes - and use it alongside one of my cheap plastic trays. I don't want to build my own tank at this time either. Also, I need a lot of surface area since my light will be quite diffused, and more surface area means more plant matter to look at from above, which is good.

So, I now have trays and lights. I now need water - tap water that I'll boil and let stand for a few days. Should I be adding anything to the water? Some fertilizer perhaps? Can you suggest a universal fertilizer that is cheap and easy to find? I want to go to a home depot or a gardening store and get myself some appropriate fertilizer. I'll go to a pet shop if I have to, but these places usually are overpriced. So, any suggestion regarding fertilizer?

Next, substrate. Do I even need a substrate? Maybe some small rocks. I suppose that we now need to answer an important question: what exactly am I planning to grow.

Here are my candidates, which are all classified in the database as common, very easy plants that grow small and are supposedly easy to find:
* Lemna Minor (Duckweed)
* Hygrophila polysperma 
* Hydrocotyle leucocephala 
* Egeria najas 
* Ceratophyllum demersum
* Egeria densa

A critical criterion is "easy of acquisition". If I can't find the plant locally, for cheap, and without having to visit different stores before I find it... However, I figure that I can easily locate one or more of the plants listed above. How much should I expect to pay for a specimen of these plants - and where should I buy them, a pet shop?

I'm wondering if any of the 6 candidate plants I listed will have any trouble growing in my shallow trays under a pair of 40W T12 "grow-lights" ?

Are there any of those plants that you would highly recommend that I get first? I like Ceratophyllum demersum and Egeria Densa, and Lemna Minor is fine too. Do I need a substrate for any of these? Should I use a substrate anyway?

So. I think this sums up my current plan.

I don't expect to be testing the PH, using a mechanical filter, adding more than fertilizer to the water, using special water, controlling the temperature, or even giving the plants daily attention. I don't expect to have any bad smells coming from the plants, and any smelly plant will die. 

I'll give my aquatic plants, 12 to 24 hours a day, 80W of fluo light in a spectrum they like. They'll have a temperature around 18-22C, water changes when/if needed, some fertilizer, trimming if needed, some love, and that's about it. If the plants aren't happy with that kind of treatment, then they'll die and I'll get rid of them.

If the plants like it, and if I like the plants, then maybe I'll upgrade their living quarters to something better than a tray, and maybe I'll give them a pair of 2X overdrive T8 tubes, and maybe I'll spend more than 20$ on all this.

But for now, I have 20$ and a couple of hours. I've never had any aquarium or aquatic plants before, and I don't know much about them.

So here I am, I've told you what I am planning. I've asked many questions along the way. I now kindly ask for your advice, as I am interested in joining your hobby, and even though I am not willing to spend much money or time on it at this time, I think that I can still manage to grow aquatic plants and to love them.

I thank you in advance for your opinion, feedback and advice.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Welcome to APC! Let's see where to start...

Well your goal sounds like you want to use a "baking" pan type tray and grow aquatic plants. Most stem plants will grow more than 6 inches, and can grow up to 2 inches per day. So you are limited in the types of plants you can "grow".

Lemna Minor (Duckweed) would be an excellent choice for you since it doesn't require much anything but light to grow. You can have it in a body of water like your potential setup, it floats right on top and grows rapidly. No need for substrate or gravel.

The other plants you listed will definitely outgrow your tray. They out grow my 10" tall tanks. If you want to grow a low lying plant on substrate, I suggest you take a look at HC. You'll need a substrate that consist of small 3mm or less grain gravel. Eco complete, ADA aquasoil, and flourite common substrates for planted aquariums.

As for ferts, gregwatson.com is a great place for fertilizers. Check out the Fertilization section of the forum (specifically the stickies) for recommendations on what to buy from him and how to use them.

-John N.


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## orgolith (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks,

What happens when an aquatic plant overgrows a tray? My trays can hold up to 1.5 gal - there's actually a lot of space in there. I could use some of metal wire to force the plants to grow in a certain way, stunting the growth of a fast-growing plant. Do you think Egeria or Ceratophyllum could be coerced to grow in a shallow tray?

Or, do you know if there is any kind of tray or plastic container that would do a better job, under 10$? I'll try to find some cheap, deeper containers, but I doubt I can go much deeper than 4".

Also, regarding GregWatson.com since I'm in Canada it's not a good option. 1 pound of fertilizer from him costs over 20$ with shipping, and he doesn't appear to sell smaller quantities. 1 pound is overkill for me. I think a good buy would be 100 to 250gr for 5$ including shipping to Canada. Do you know anywhere I could get such small quantities?

I'd rather spend money on better trays than on stocking up on fertilizer. I'll see what kind of substrate I can find locally - 3mm gravel shouldn't be very expensive, and I'll look for specialized planted aquarium substrate too.

I think Lemna Minor, if I can find any, will be my first acquisition. It should no doubt be easy to grow.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Plants will outgrow the tank, or fill in the tank quicker than you can imagine, especially with only 2 inches in height. Plants have a nack for climbing towards the light despite bing pushed down by a grill. Egeria densa can grow in the conditions as a floating plant, but it'll easily swamp the tray area. Same goes with Ceratophyllum demerum.

I would recommend going with some anubias nana petites (see aqmagic.com), or looking into some of the plants listed for nano tanks.

Also, you can do an emersed type tray setup like the one here.

You're right about the fertilizers. For such a small tray of water, I would just keep things simple, and use the Seachem Fert. line (bigaslonline.com). I'm not sure where to get better trays, maybe someone will come along and feed us that info and add some more thoughts.

-John N.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

1-1.5" deep is definitely emersed plant growth territory. You may find more info in the Plant physiology and emersed culture forum:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/on-plant-physiology-and-emersed-culture/


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Sounds to me like you want plastic plants, and I am not trying to be mean. Plant roots need more than an inch or two depth. Most fast growing stem plants can grow up to two feet in height. You can keep them trimmed to a low height of a few inches, but you will be cuttin and replanting every few days. There is a few ground cover type plants that can grow in a few inches of water or reach a height of 2 to 4". There is grass like plants and clover like plants, but I am not real clear on what you are trying to accomplish or what you would be satisfied with. I don't get the point


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## orgolith (Jan 15, 2007)

Robert, if it sounds like I want plastic plants, then I have not made myself clear. As I have said on the "Introductions and Greets" forum, my English is odd, and I am sorry for any failure to communicate my desires and expectations.

I want to care for simple, fast-growing living organisms. Right now, the only thing I'm caring for is a culture of yeast, which I understand is a good source of carbon for plants.

I also have a good source of light for plants: a pair of "grow-light" 48" T12 fluo tubes. I also have 20$, a spare table, some time and four 1.5g trays.

What I want: One or two fast-growing aquatic plants, on a 20$ budget.

Robert, I understand that as a magazine writer who by many years is my elder, and who is quite experienced with aquatic plants, you are probably used to much more expensive setups. But I know what I want: a 20$ ultra-low-tech setup to grow aquatic plants in.

I fear that you have concluded that my current inexperience precludes me from successfully growing aquatic plants, but you say that "I want plastic plants", even though you are not trying to be mean, and I believe you. As you said, grass, clover, and many other land-based plants are very small and very forgiving.

But I want *Aquatic* plants, not land plants.

Lemna Minor (Duckweed) and Egeria Densa are my two first choices at this time. If I can find those locally, I would try growing each in a separate tray. I would give them some extra CO2 by using a tiny DIY yeast bioreactor.

I'm fine with building this setup, but I need advice regarding the following issues:

What kind of fertilizer can I get for those plants for under 10$ locally? Should I just get normal houseplant fertilizer with micronutrients, and add that to the water? Is there a particular kind of fertilizer that works better with aquatic plants? Should I go liquid or with a powder? What kind of dosage would you suggest? I don't have to worry about fish either.

John N. suggested Seachem, but I can't make head or tails out of what they sell. They have too many products. I'm not going to spend more than 5-10$ on ferts, and I don't want to buy more than one type of fertilizer either.

My other need is for better plastic trays. What item under 10$ can you think of that can be used as a tray for aquatic plants?

If the plants overgrow my trays, I don't care. I'll trim them twice a week if I have to. I don't think I'm going to replant them very often either. If they become too big, I can just trim them down.

Robert, you asked me what I was trying to accomplish, what I would be satisfied with, and what was the point of all this.

I'm trying to make plant life grow in my apartment, under controlled conditions. I'd love to have aquatic plants growing here. The point is to have fun and to have nice plants living with you.


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