Live Aquarium Plants: Tissue Culture vs Potted Plants 

A question we are asked all the time is 'what is the difference between tissue culture aquarium plants or potted aquarium plants?' 

Tissue Culture Plants:

Tissue culture aquarium plants, such as Tropica's 1-2 grow range, are grown in a laboratory setting. This ensures they are sterile, free from algae and pests. These tiny plants are packed tightly into small pots, making them ideal for starting a new aquarium. We recommend purchasing one tissue culture pot per palm-sized aquarium to get started. Tissue culture plants have gained immense popularity in the aquatic industry, with a wide range of species now available.

Potted Plants:

Potted aquarium plants come in plastic pots filled with spongy potting media known as rock-wool. Most of these plants, excluding aquatic species like Lotus and Crinums, are grown in large greenhouses out of water. As a result, they tend to grow faster and larger before being sold in stores, giving you a more impressive display right away. However, you may not receive as many separate plant portions from one pot compared to tissue culture plants. Since they're grown outside of water, there's a risk of pests.

It's worth noting that plants grown out of water will need to undergo an adaptation period when planted in an aquarium. In some cases, plants like Cryptocoryne species may shed or melt their leaves during this transition. This is a normal process, but tissue culture plants don't require this adaptation.

Which Aquarium Plants do we use at Horizon Aquatics?

We use both, we find it nice to mix, some plants give that instant impact we want, some species we can only find in either tissue culture or potted, there no right or wrong, it's complete personal preference. When choosing plants buy from a reliable store, if buying potted make sure you give them a quick check for pests. When buying tissue culture make sure it's healthy check the roots are healthy and the stems are healthy all the way through. 

This is a easy to watch video demonstration on how to prepare tissue culture aquarium plants.

This is a easy to watch video demonstration on how to prepare Potted aquarium plants.