# emmersed tray question



## Gilraen Took (Apr 19, 2007)

I was given a small bit of creeping charlie for my tank, and know it does better emersed, so I figured I'd get a small tray and put it in that. The tray I've got has holes for water movement and suction cups, but what should I do for substrate? Would plain gravel with some fluorite work, or would I need to find a way to block the holes on it and put it low enough that water can move over it?

WAIT! MINT charlie, doh! Pardon my slip  micromeria brownei.


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

if you want to do an emmersed tray i would consider using one of the more nutrient rich subtrates shuch as shultz aquasoil or ADA's amazonia these are very nutrient rich substares which with give the best results in the long run.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Anything will work, I'd think about it if it was a crypt, aponogeton, sword, but a stem plant is gonna get most of its food from the water; I 've done this zillions of times without anything more than plain stupid aquarium gravel.

Roots on stem plants when submersed are more holdfasts than sources of nutrients. This changes when they become emersed; transpitational loss of vapour thrhough the leaves will suck up nutrients from the roots - but again, this only happens emersed. Underwater they just hold the plant in place.


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## Gilraen Took (Apr 19, 2007)

Should I plant it then? As I mentioned, I have read that they like to be emmersed more than submersed.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Eh. It grows submersed, but not well and requires very high light just to stay alive.

There's a reason this isn't a popular aquarium plant.


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## Gilraen Took (Apr 19, 2007)

Hey, didn't buy it. Was given it.

I'm also kinda halfway tempted to set up a paludarium soon. Would that be a good place for it?


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Sure.


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## Dryn (Sep 6, 2007)

I was thinking about something like this as well. I was studying ponds and they have these vegitation filters that consisted of a very densely planted section of emersed bog plants. I thought this could be translated into aquariums. 

I was going to use a couple of breeder traps and fill them 3/4 of the way with substrate medium and plant them with plants that prefer to be emersed. I would be curious if they would act as sort of a vegitation filter like with the ponds. If you add some trailing plants and/or driftwood, it may make a cool effect. Then again it may just look stupid. 

Maybe you could hang something on the back and incorporate siphons and air pumps (like the older filter models) to get water to flow through them. This would look very natural and extremely cool, especially if you could see it through the glass.

I would like to try this some time.


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