Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I finally have the plants that I'm going to use to set up my viv. They're kinda small and straggly now, having been shipped by fantasticfrogs.com all the way from Flordia, but I'm hoping to pick up some more at Northwest Frog Fest on the 1st. I'm planning on having really tick substrate, though not going to do the false bottom thing through the whole tank, I don't think. Just the part where the pump will be for the water feature. I have some clay pellets that I'll use for drainage with fiberglass screen laid over it to keep the dirt out. On top of that I'll have some loose gravel, and then the dirt about 3-4 inches thick. Would it be better to keep the plants in pots, or just plant them directly into the soil?

Some people like pots.... though I thikn you are better off ditching the pots and planting directly in the substrate. By doing this, the roots will spread out, and you will have biological filtration far superior to a tank where the plants are potted. I think it looks much better as well. Just make sure that you.....
a) shake off ALL of the soil
b) make sure the plants are BARE rooted before you plant them in your viv. As you can never be sure what sort of fertilizer or pesticides might have been in the soil that the plant came in.
Good luck
back to lurking
Double J

It depends on the plant IMO. I hear of many people complaining that their broms rot too fast. I use a special kind of pot for my pleurothallid orchids that I grow in the greenhouse. I started using this type of pot in my dart tanks with just broms and orchids and it has worked very well. The don't look lke a plastic or clay pot. I wouldn't like that in my tanks. It also gives you the flaxability to remove your plant without destroying your tank. This is really important if you are using a pump or have a water feature in a tank with a false bottom. I will have a table at Northwest Frogfest selling these pots and orchids. Stop by take a look.

Jon Werner

PS take a look at the thread from a week ago too regarding broms