Setting up a riparium

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fr499y
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Setting up a riparium is VERY easy and rewarding. It's a great way to add some life to a tank with fish that would usually devour plants.

So what is a riparium?
Put it simply, a riparium is a way of keeping plant leaves/stems emersed (above water) while roots are immersed ( below water). This can be done by using floating rafters ( dense foam ), Riparium planters, Bathroom caddies, HOB filtration, shower filters  or simply using decor that sticks above the water line.

What you need!
  1. Riparium planters or bathroom caddies ( Click Here )
  2. Growing media ( Click Here )
  3. Plants!
What to do?
  • Preperation - Start by pulling your plant out of its pot and remove all of the soil from the roots. I recommend washing the roots under tap water to remove any soil that remains.
  • If there are multiple plants, split them up as you want one per pot to allow room to grow.
  • Trim the roots down on the plants. I try to keep them at around 3-4 inches long, depending on the planter they are going into.
  • Wash the media you plan to use to remove any dust/small particles.
  • Take your growing media and place a small layer into the bottom of the planter. I use Hydroponic clay pebbles as they are lightweight, very porous and double up as filter media.
  • Next, place the plant into the planter and top up media till the planter is full.
  • Place in tank, sit back and admire your work.
Remember that plants with there roots in the water will absorb nitrates from the water. Not only that, they have all the co2 they could possibly need from the air. If you have plants in the aquarium, you may need to start feeding!

Any questions, feel free to ask :)

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Last edited by fr499y on Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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PJN
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Looks very nice, and I'll try it in my new setup :)
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