Riparium Basket Project

Hi,

I have been lurking for a while and I thought this adaption to my 180l would be a good opportunity to break cover.

So...I love planted tanks but my temporary housing for a rescued pleco is looking very sparse for obvious reasons. I also like the look of emergent plants so I have decided that a good rainy day project this weekend for my son and I will be to make a riparium basket for the back of the pleco tank. When his proper home comes, the baskets can shift too.

At the moment we have a shower basket with sucker cups arriving from Amazon tomorrow and 4 plants from a fish shop near where I work. They comprise 2 crypts, an anubias and a hemianthus which will hopefully obscure the basket. I will probably use gravel or filter floss for the basket and add some clay balls to it for extra nutrients.

The recipient tank is this one.

 

Are you planning on having all the growth out of the water? If so, there are a TON of houseplants that would look amazing, and they are way less expensive than aquatic plants.

 

Thanks for that hint. I have found a great thread on The Planted Tank so shall browse that.

Here the four I purchased at the LFS.

 

Well the first attempt failed as the planter was too heavy and slid down the tank side. Attempt two is staying put but I am worried that the humidity is too low. To avoid losing the rest of the plants I have thrown together a Walstad bowl and popped the remaining plants in there until I decide if a second planter is worth it.

I will post pictures in the morning when I have daylight as opposed to horrid artificial light!

 

After nearly a week, the anubias is ok as is one crypt, but the other is wilted. I am going to make a second but with house plants after we get back from holiday. Also, here is a picture of the impromptu Walstad bowl.

 

Those both look lovely!

As for keeping the planters from falling, I'd try some different, lighter substrate. I would try smashed up lava rock! What are you using right now?

 

Those both look lovely!

As for keeping the planters from falling, I'd try some different, lighter substrate. I would try smashed up lava rock! What are you using right now?

Thanks

At the moment I have those baked expanded clay balls with a sprinkle of gravel on top. I am going to try using stiff wire as a hanger. What do you reckon?

 

Long time...no progress

The anubia was replaced by a fittonia that is growing well but because of a tank reshuffle I no longer have a suitable open topped tank.

The Walstad bowl needs a clean up but the crypts in that grew well. If I did another I would use a thinner soil layer, maybe 1 cm and then only 2cm gravel.