Which plants will grow emerse?
I have a 1.8m long aquarium which is 60cm deep. Are there any plants that I can grow emerse in this tank please? I don't want to add CO2 to this set-up. It has two twin banks of LED lighting.
JAY CROMWELL, VIA EMAIL
JORDAN SAYS: Emersed plants are those that grow above the water line. They are a great way to add an extra element to open-topped aquariums and are becoming increasingly popular. One benefit of using emersed plants is that they can take CO2 from the air and don’t require it to be injected into the water column. Most plants in the hobby can grow above the water, but at 60cm tall your tank may be better suited to growing plants on hardscape placed near the water line. I would suggest looking at plants such as Hygrophila pinnatifida, Bolbitis heudelotii and Epipremnum aureum (pothos) to name a few that can be directly tied to hardscape or wedged into gaps. If you have the ability to include wood coming out the top of the tank then attaching moss to the emersed section is also a great idea for visual impact.
You can experiment with using different stem plants and a huge range of other common aquarium plants. If the plant isn’t a true aquatic plant then there is a good chance it will grow above the water. True aquatic plants such as Vallisneria spp, Blyxa japonica and Nymphaea spp are known to only grow underwater.