Changing to sand substrate?

[Voylike]

Thanks ghost

[Martinspuddle]

Most feed through the leaves, and you can (should) use root tabs for any root feeders.

Sorry to correct you, but all aquatic plant life feed through their leaves and use photosynthesis to extract energy from light. Newly or replanted aquatic plants which would not have fully developed roots will feed this way.

Once root structure is fully formed it is a more efficient way uptake nutrients for the plant.

@Voylike do remember to trim your current plants roots down (5 cm to encourage new root growth) before replanting.

[black ghost]

Most feed through the leaves, and you can (should) use root tabs for any root feeders.

Sorry to correct you, but all aquatic plant life feed through their leaves and use photosynthesis to extract energy from light. Newly or replanted aquatic plants which would not have fully developed roots will feed this way.

Once root structure is fully formed it is a more efficient way uptake nutrients for the plant.

@Voylike do remember to trim your current plants roots down (5 cm to encourage new root growth) before replanting.

True, all aquatic plants feed through their leaves, but some, for example marsh plants such as Amazon Swords and many others that are not fully aquatic, rely on their roots also, and some get more nutrition through the roots than through the leaves. Amazon Swords grow root systems just as large as the green, above-ground part, like a houseplant or a tree. The substrate they’re in contains a lot more nutrients than the water.

I’ve never understood this nonsense about removing a plant’s roots to encourage it to… replace them. It just wastes a few weeks of growth, and stresses the plant. The plant has to stop growing while it replaces it roots because some #>¥*%< has chopped them off.

[Martinspuddle]

I’ve never understood this nonsense about removing a plant’s roots to encourage it to… replace them. It just wastes a few weeks of growth, and stresses the plant. The plant has to stop growing while it replaces it roots because some #>¥*%< has chopped them off.

One reason for trimming the roots is it makes easier them to plant into the substrate with Aquascaping Tweezers. Like you, I was sceptical and thought the same when seeing George Farmer mentioning in one of his videos about this planting technique.

I took two Echinodorus when I replanted the aquarium below, one with roots cut to 5cm, the other with it's roots intact as they come out the old substrate from the previous RIO 180. Both were planted in the new RIO 240 with same substrate, daily fertilizer and lighting.


Click to enlarge

The results where surprising. The uncut Echinodorus was first to grow new leaves, where as the cut Echinodorus grow none. But after a month the Echinodorus the cut roots was not only starting catching up but growing thicker and taller than the Echinodorus plant that was planted intact. By three months the cut Echinodorus on the left had reached the water surface but the other was some 10cm shorter.

I've had the same results from many species of Cryptocorynes.