Storage of aquatic plants
By Aram Schneider Published Updated
Translated from German with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors.
Who hasn't gone through this? You are setting up a new aquarium project, but not all the components are available yet. How and where do I store the aquatic plants I have already bought? How long will they last? Find an answer to all these questions here in our short guide.
It all depends on the variation you have bought
For correct further storage, it is crucial which variation of aquatic plants you have ordered for your aquarium. A basic distinction must be made between potted plants, in-vitro plants and bundled plants. As a rule, potted plants (recognisable by the fact that the plants are in a small pot) are aquatic plants that were grown above the waterline. This means that these plants are still in their emersed form, as they have been cultivated in this form in the nursery. If such plants are then placed in the aquarium, they change their growth to their underwater form (submersed), which may differ significantly in terms of colour and shape. By the way, you can read about the difference and weigh up the pros and cons of potted plants and in-vitro plants here.
Interim storage of potted plants
You can make use of the fact that the plants are still in their emersed form for intermediate storage, as emersed plants are perfectly suited to being kept in the open air. We usually supply this sales form in sealed zip bags. Ideally, there is a certain amount of residual moisture in these bags. The bag acts like a small greenhouse, preserving the humidity and preventing it from escaping. If you leave aquarium plants in the bag after purchase, they will often last a few more days. It is important, though, that there is still some moisture in the bag. If the plant seems too dry, you can moisten it briefly with a little clear water and then put it back in the bag and simply close it again. The aquarium plants in the bag should then be stored in a cool place (room temperature) with very little light.
Attention - exception! There may be a few individual aquarium plants, regardless of the variation, which are already in their submersed form, or true aquatic plants that do not have an emersed form. Classic examples include Vallisneria and Blyxa japonica. These should be completely submerged in water as quickly as possible. You can find tips on keeping these plants temporarily in the corresponding section below.
Storaging in-vitro plants
In vitro plants do have advantages in their sterile cups if you want to store them for a while. However, certain conditions must be met: the transport must have gone smoothly, the beaker must not yet have been opened and must still be completely sealed. Especially during transport, the containers are sometimes shaken considerably, so that the culture medium and plant parts are strongly mixed up.
Unfortunately, if this is the case, it often has a negative effect on the shelf life of a beaker. In this case, it is advisable to insert the aquatic plants into the aquarium quickly or to store them temporarily in a water bath (see the chapter on ‘Storing submersed plants’).
Poor transport conditions can also cause the cups to open easily, for example, and some of the nutrient liquid can sometimes leak out. For this reason, we pack in-vitro plants in a zip bag . If liquid leaks during shipping or if the cups are damaged/opened (you should check this carefully), we recommend taking the plant out of the sterile cup, removing the culture medium and placing it in a bowl of water for interim storage.
However, if the transport went well for the in-vitro beaker, the starting conditions for intermediate storage are good. Moderate temperatures around room temperature (20°C) or slightly below have proven to be ideal for further storage. Cool storage in the refrigerator is not necessary in any case, on the other hand summer temperatures above 24°C should be avoided at all costs. In particular, aquarium mosses do not tolerate higher temperatures in an in-vitro beaker particularly well.
Ideally, in-vitro cups should be stored in a place with a slight incidence of daylight so that the plants have enough (but not too much) light to continue growing and photosynthesising, but do not overheat. How long aquatic plants last in an in-vitro cup depends on the species. Slow-growing species such as moss or cryptocorynes can survive a longer period of time without any problems, whereas fast-growing stem plants will not. These should be ‘used up’ within a short time if possible.
You can find more detailed information on this topic here.
Intermediate storage of bundled plants
How to store bundles or loose portions of aquarium plantsdepends very much on whether the plants were grown emerged or submerged. If the aquatic plants supplied are clearly in their above-water form, you can proceed in the same way as described above for emersed potted plants to store them. We also deliver these plants in a zip bag, which you can use as a greenhouse for temporary storage.
However, if they are in their submerged form, your new aquarium plants should be placed in water as soon as possible. We will go into more detail on the intermediate storage of plants in the submerged form in the next section.
Storing submersed plants
For plant species that are in their underwater form at the time of delivery, , please proceed as follows: These should also be returned to the water as quickly as possible. You can place submersed plants in a suitable container with water for interim storage. This type of maintenance would therefore be more or less the same as ‘bucketing’ or ‘pre-watering’ - a fairly classic method in which the aquarium plants are placed in a bucket or other suitable container of water for a certain period of time before they are actually used in the aquarium. The container is placed in a location with a moderate temperature (room temperature) and very little light. During classic pre-soaking, which is in principle a quarantine for aquatic plants, a few water changes are carried out. We have described detailed instructions for this method in this article.
On-time deliveries
In order to minimise longer storage and shipping times, it is advisable to order aquatic plants to arrive on the exact day you have planned. To do this, you can select the ‘Express’ shipping method when ordering from Aquasabi. If you have ordered before 12.00 noon, the plants will almost certainly reach you the following day.