# Philip's Emersed Growth Experiments (PICS!)



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

What fun! You can get a lot of amazing colors and textures growing some of those emersed stems plants.

I grew some little gardens with stems plants in pots in Aquasoil in a couple of 5-gallon tanks. It developed such pretty growth it made me wonder why this type of growing hasn't turned into its own hobby.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

YAYYYY! Philip finally got to finding more ways to grow plants! Your probably going to do a better job at it than me, since you have all these plants already. I guess you really want a light with a reflector since you said it twice 


PICS PICS PICS!


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## jmowbray (Dec 20, 2009)

Man Philip your parents must be really supportive of your hobby. If I tried to get away with this I'd be kicked to the curb. I just sent up a 7.9G Cherry tank and they had a FIT until I told them you could make $ off of it (no need to tell them I won't even break even  ).


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Da Plant Man said:


> YAYYYY! Philip finally got to finding more ways to grow plants! Your probably going to do a better job at it than me, since you have all these plants already. I guess you really want a light with a reflector since you said it twice
> 
> 
> PICS PICS PICS!


Believe it or not, I only have 5 of the plants on that list right now. I lost/removed a lot of them after the accidental 5-day blackout.

Thanks for the correction-- I didn't realize that I said it twice, even after reading it a few times last night!


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> What fun! You can get a lot of amazing colors and textures growing some of those emersed stems plants.
> 
> I grew some little gardens with stems plants in pots in Aquasoil in a couple of 5-gallon tanks. It developed such pretty growth it made me wonder why this type of growing hasn't turned into its own hobby.


Yeah, I'm really excited about this project. It's a way for me to have more plants (collectoris at its best!) without having more filled aquariums.

I was going to use aquasoil but my LFS ran out and I wasn't in the mood for paying shipping charges. I hope I'll get the same results with the potting soil. I think Adam uses potting soil in his emersed setups.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

jmowbray said:


> Man Philip your parents must be really supportive of your hobby. If I tried to get away with this I'd be kicked to the curb. I just sent up a 7.9G Cherry tank and they had a FIT until I told them you could make $ off of it (no need to tell them I won't even break even  ).


Haha yeah they're pretty supportive. I'm very lucky.

The good thing about keeping the plants in containers is that I can get more and my parents won't even notice since they'll be under my aquarium stand. roud:


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

I decided to go with a 2x24 watt T5-HO Catalina retrofit for the lighting. Very happy with it so far.

Here's a few pics... I need more containers!
I have tons more plants waiting to be planted, just don't have more containers right now... planning on picking some more up this weekend.

Under the stand:









Gratiola brevifolia:









Lindernia sp. 'india':









Poaceae sp. 'Purple Bamboo':









Diodia virginiana:









Hygrophila lancea:









Ludwigia pilosa:









Ludwigia repens 'rubin':


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Awesome! I love the containers...
Never thought to use something like that.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Coltonorr said:


> Awesome! I love the containers...
> Never thought to use something like that.


Thanks, but i can't take credit for the idea.  I stole it from Jose (xjaypex).


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Those look really similar to those containers they sell carnivorous plants in! Very cool!

I'm very glad that you're making progress with that hygro 

I'm going to start planting my extra stems outside tomorrow for the summer.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Cardinal Tetra said:


> Those look really similar to those containers they sell carnivorous plants in! Very cool!
> 
> I'm very glad that you're making progress with that hygro
> 
> I'm going to start planting my extra stems outside tomorrow for the summer.


Yup, and i still have one small stem growing in my tank. 
The L. 'rubin' seems to be doing well also.

What plants are you going to plant outside?


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

looks good phillip! i like the containers! my 15g is crammed with 2.5'' pots lol


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## jmowbray (Dec 20, 2009)

Where did you get those containers???? Like Cardinal Tetra mentioned...I need these to grow my sundews and butterworts in.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

jmowbray said:


> Where did you get those containers???? Like Cardinal Tetra mentioned...I need these to grow my sundews and butterworts in.


The Container Store, of course! :smile:

Here is a link to the different sizes that they have available. Unfortunately, it looks like they don't have a store in MI, but they do ship.


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## jmowbray (Dec 20, 2009)

Thanks man!!!!
JM


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Awesome project bro. Thanks for posting that link to the containers you're using. 

IME, MG moisture control is crap (big time compaction issues) although I guess it will be fine for emersed stem plants. Just something to keep your eye on.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I use peat, mix in my own ferts, then plant, then add rootmedic caps. Easy, efficient and you can wash it off roots fairly easily.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

First off, those containers are SWEET! I am certainly going to give those a try. Make it very easy to keep the emersed setup a bit more versatile and movable as well.

Second, as far as substrates, there are a lot of things out there to try. MG is certainly a great choice and never heard of these compaction issues before. Weird?

I personally use a mixture of many things, old recycled substrates from older tanks, MTS, clay, clay pellets, peat moss, sand, SMS, Laterite, aquasoil, aqua schultz and anything else that looks like plants will grow from it. LOL.

I have a tub in my basement just full of all these things. Its awesome. I believe the combination of all these things plus a little MG ferts goes a long way. I adjust the peat for more acidic plants.


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

i use oil dry with seachem root tabs


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Thanks for all of the comments/advice everyone. The miracle grow seems to be working fine for the moment, but i'm sure i'll be adding more nutrients to the soil later on.

My lindernia 'india' is wilting. All of my other plants are fine. What does this mean?


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

AzFishKid said:


> My lindernia 'india' is wilting. All of my other plants are fine. What does this mean?


Did you put too much miracle grow on it? A fungal attack could also produce the same results.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Cardinal Tetra said:


> Did you put too much miracle grow on it? A fungal attack could also produce the same results.


You mean did i bury the lindernia too far into the substrate? I don't think so... i basically just planted them like i would plant any other plant outside. It was all doing great until a few days ago.


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## Cardinal Tetra (Feb 26, 2006)

Check to see if it's roots/base underneath the soil is rotting.


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## peyton (Apr 17, 2007)

Those are cool containers! Do you leave the tops on them 24/7?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Are those containers sealed completely?


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## lysmelee (May 8, 2011)

Wow, that setup looks professional. Eager to see The progress.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

lysmelee said:


> Wow, that setup looks professional. Eager to see The progress.


Thank you!

I leave the lids on the containers almost 24/7. I usually open them all up, give the plants a spray or two, then put the lids back on ~10 minutes later. The containers are pretty much sealed with the lid on-- I was wondering if this had anything to do with the wilting. Should I drill a small hole or two in the lid?


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## xJaypex (Jul 4, 2009)

AzFishKid said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I leave the lids on the containers almost 24/7. I usually open them all up, give the plants a spray or two, then put the lids back on ~10 minutes later. The containers are pretty much sealed with the lid on-- I was wondering if this had anything to do with the wilting. Should I drill a small hole or two in the lid?
> 
> ...


Thats what i did. I just heated up a needle and burnt 3 holes on the lids.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

xJaypex said:


> Thats what i did. I just heated up a needle and burnt 3 holes on the lids.


Thanks, i'll do that later today... and i'll also check to see if there's anything rotting in the soil in the lindernia container.


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Pics.................


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

I drilled 4 small holes into each container's lid today. I think part of the problem with the wilting was that there wasn't enough gas exchange... but who knows. :hihi:

The soil in the lindernia container seems fine. I didn't find anything abnormal.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I got a question: How long to do keep your lights on? I keep mine on for about 14 hours/day.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Da Plant Man said:


> I got a question: How long to do keep your lights on? I keep mine on for about 14 hours/day.


About 16 hours/day. roud:


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Okay  I need to get a timer for mine.


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Pics.........


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

JamesHockey said:


> Pics.........
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


Not much has changed, lol... Pics are on the first page.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

AzFishKid said:


> I drilled 4 small holes into each container's lid today. I think part of the problem with the wilting was that there wasn't enough gas exchange... but who knows. :hihi:
> 
> The soil in the lindernia container seems fine. I didn't find anything abnormal.


I would venture to say that humidity control may be a factor there as well. I vent all of my emersed setups. Not a lot, but enough to keep some type of fresh air exposure.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Gatekeeper said:


> I would venture to say that humidity control may be a factor there as well. I vent all of my emersed setups. Not a lot, but enough to keep some type of fresh air exposure.


Is wilting caused by too high of a humidity, too low, or an inconsistent level?


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

AzFishKid said:


> Is wilting caused by too high of a humidity, too low, or an inconsistent level?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I can't say its not! I have never had the species in question, but I would venture to say that if the conditions are not indicative of its native environment or it hasn't been adapted properly over time, it may cause the plant to wilt. Almost all plants have a "transition" period between submersed and emersed growth, with the exception of very few. Are you sure it "wilted" or was it shedding its submersed growth for new.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Gatekeeper said:


> I can't say its not! I have never had the species in question, but I would venture to say that if the conditions are not indicative of its native environment or it hasn't been adapted properly over time, it may cause the plant to wilt. Almost all plants have a "transition" period between submersed and emersed growth, with the exception of very few. Are you sure it "wilted" or was it shedding its submersed growth for new.


Yeah I'm pretty sure it wilted. It turned very droopy and I was able to remove the stem by just pulling it lightly. The other stems in the container seem to be doing fine; I only lost 3 or 4 stems of the lindernia.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

In my experience, some plants die off completely and then pop up 2 months later (My rotala mini type 2 being an example). Sometimes different plants don't survive, almost all my mexican oak leaf had to die before growing again, while my hygro's didn't even loose any leaves.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

AzFishKid said:


> I drilled 4 small holes into each container's lid today. I think part of the problem with the wilting was that there wasn't enough gas exchange... but who knows. :hihi:
> 
> The soil in the lindernia container seems fine. I didn't find anything abnormal.


That's a good move. I'd also recommend that you experiment with removing the top and misting the lindernia in the morning.

The wilting may be due to a lack of air circulation and heat.


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Haven't updated this journal in a while...

Not much has happened lately. I'm planning on building a separate storage cabinet for the containers soon since i'll need the space under the 60-P for equipment when i get that tank set up. I'd really like to expand my collection/get more containers (and lights) once the cabinet is built. Overall, the plants are doing really well. roud: I tried misting them with a mixture of water and a liquid hydroponics fertilizer, but i didn't see any improvements and the fertilizer had a really bad odor to it, so i decided to stick with just water for now.

Currently, here's what i have growing emersed:
- Hyptis lorentziana
- Rotala 'gia lai'
- Rotala indica
- Bacopa lanigera
- Staurogyne stolonifera
- Hygrophila lancea
- Gratiola brevifolia
- Lindernia 'india'
- Lindernia grandiflora
- Limnophila 'sulawesi'
- Acmella repens
- Diodia virginiana

I hope to experiment soon with:
- Aciotis sp.
- Ammannia latifolia
- Penthorum sedoides
- Several Rotala species
- More Bacopa species
- UG, Belem HG, HC, other carpeting plants
- Polygonum's, etc...


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

What rotala species?


You can call me Bob


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

orchidman said:


> What rotala species?
> 
> 
> You can call me Bob


R. 'vietnam', R. 'wallichii', R. hippuris, R. 'colorata', R. 'singapore', R. occultiflora, R. ramosior, uhm... Maybe others too? 


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Nice. Are those ones you ready have in your 90? Or did you choose them because you like them?


You can call me Bob


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

orchidman said:


> Nice. Are those ones you ready have in your 90? Or did you choose them because you like them?
> 
> 
> You can call me Bob


I chose them because I don't already have them, of course!  lol.
I have a severe case of collectoris.


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

hows the rotala doing going through the transitional stage? i tried to gorw rotala emmersed but was a failure!!


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

luke20037 said:


> hows the rotala doing going through the transitional stage? i tried to gorw rotala emmersed but was a failure!!


It took about 3 weeks to convert to emersed growth, but since then it's been doing great. Wonderful colors-- it's a lot nicer above water than below.  I tried hippuris a while back but it never fully converted. I want to try it again since the emersed growth that did show looked awesome.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

nice. i have some colorata i could send ya if you wanted. but i want it to grow some more in my tank first. just remind me about it if your interested


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

orchidman said:


> nice. i have some colorata i could send ya if you wanted. but i want it to grow some more in my tank first. just remind me about it if your interested


Cool, thanks! Just let me know when it's ready to go.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

okay, you might have to remind me.. it might also take a while for them to be healthy. they just came in from gordon's raok


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

hows the Ammannia latifolia


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

matt12 said:


> hows the Ammannia latifolia


Bad news... it all died. Even though it looked like it arrived in perfect condition, i think the heat was too much for it to handle.

Good news... i have 5 stems of it growing in the 90G (from the 1 that you gave me a while ago), so i'm going to try to convert a few stems back over to emersed growth. 

The other plant (forgot the name) also completely perished.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Hi Philip! IM BACK!

We need more pictures.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

BTW, if any one wants to test sediment types on plant growth, this is an easy way that isolates the sediment and there's no water column or CO2 issues.

So you can try ADA AS, MTS, unmineralized top soil, Worm castings, delta clays, loams etc........


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

That's an excellent idea, Tom! I've got some MTS left over and I'm going to try this when I setup another tub.

Philip, where are the pictures?


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

AzFishKid said:


> Bad news... it all died. Even though it looked like it arrived in perfect condition, i think the heat was too much for it to handle.
> 
> Good news... i have 5 stems of it growing in the 90G (from the 1 that you gave me a while ago), so i'm going to try to convert a few stems back over to emersed growth.
> 
> The other plant (forgot the name) also completely perished.


 lame....ill send you some when i gets cooler out. i should have used an ice pack


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Well... i guess i should update this thread. :hihi:
Everything has been growing pretty well in the containers. I've had a little problem with algae, though i'm almost positive that it's caused by over misting. I've slowly but surely added more containers over the past few months, and i'm at the point where i need to build a real cabinet to hold all of them-- uh oh, what have i gotten myself into... Anyway, I'm thinking a 2-shelf storage cabinet (35" long and 14" wide, which would hold approximately 72 containers, LOL) would allow me to store enough species. When i get around to it and when i have extra spending money, that'll be my next project.

What i'm currently growing:
- Ammannia latifolia
- Bacopa madagascariensis
- Bacopa lanigera
- Cuphea anagalloidea
- Diodia virginiana
- Gratiola brevifolia
- Hygrophila lancea
- Hygrophila 'araguaia'
- Hyptis lorentziana
- Limnophila 'sulawesi'
- Lindernia 'india'
- Lindernia grandiflora
- Rotala indica 
- Rotala 'gia lai'
- Staurogyne stolonifera



















Hygrophila lancea:









Staurogyne stolonifera:









Bacopa madagascariensis:









Hyptis lorentziana:









Limnophila 'sulawesi':









Lindernia 'india':


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Nice stuff man! The plants look great. I should try this sometime; it looks like something really easy to set up on a work desk or something similar.


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

looks good! hows the lanigera doing?


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

matt12 said:


> looks good! hows the lanigera doing?


It's doing really well, but i haven't been able to get it to flower yet (but i see you have!). I just trimmed all of it so i didn't bother posting a picture. :flick:

Looks like the single stem of Ammannia latifolia that i had in my 90G isn't having any problems converting to emersed life yet.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Update?


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## Hcancino (Jun 18, 2011)

Update!


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update!


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

Picked up two 20L's today at Petco to house more emersed plants in. I won't be able to set them up for another month or two but they had the $1/gallon sale going on so i had to pick up a few.


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

How about some pics, Phillip?
By the way, I got the top made for my 40g, and am buying the light for it this weekend. So as soon as I get it put together I should be ready for those plants we talked about. roud:


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## Centromochlus (May 19, 2008)

zachary908 said:


> How about some pics, Phillip?
> By the way, I got the top made for my 40g, and am buying the light for it this weekend. So as soon as I get it put together I should be ready for those plants we talked about. roud:



















roud:


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## zachary908 (Feb 12, 2011)

Nice pics, but I meant pics of your emersed set up. :hihi:


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

wow, those 20L look nice! lol


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Nice collection. How fast do they grow emersed?


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

malaybiswas said:


> Nice collection. How fast do they grow emersed?


 Depends on the plant. Hygrophila lancea grow VERY SLOWLY, while acmelle repens grow extremely fast. In general tho, most plants will grow faster emersed


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

This is a great looking setup! Did you order your boxes online or is there a container store in the Phoenix area? 

I'm looking at http://www.containerstore.com/shop/...4&green=2dde7600-f2fa-c5c74-af57-7cd80ab9fa32

To grow some more stuff in, although a dozen of the tall boxes in front of my window could be fun.

-Andrew


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## AesopRocks247 (Jan 15, 2010)

That's awesome dude. What are you planning to do with them?


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Upon talking to Philip last night, he just got two new lights for his emersed tank. I also sent him plants for his emersed tanks  

Get some soil, Philip, and your good to go roud:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have wondered if anybody has tried growing _Hygro. pinnatifida_ emersed...and I wonder if the emersed foliage has any kind of morphological change(???).


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## wabisabi (Jan 31, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I have wondered if anybody has tried growing _Hygro. pinnatifida_ emersed...and I wonder if the emersed foliage has any kind of morphological change(???).


The emersed form looks the same. It keeps it's pinnate leaves.


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## klaus07 (Nov 23, 2011)

I have H. pinnatifida growing emersed and submersed. There isn't too much difference in the leaves, of course the emersed form has more robust leaves as they need to support their weight. 

Klaus


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