How long can plants thrive in a bucket?

[bereb]

@cichlidgirl22

I was wondering, based on your experience, if Taxiphyllum or Java moss would melt in a similar way to the other plants. I had a failed attempt at keeping an aquarium about a year ago and I tried keeping Java moss, but it turned brown and broke down a lot. I've been meaning to look into it, but I'm curious if it might have been going through a similar process and I just didn't give it enough time to recover.

[cichlidgirl22]

I was just thinking, and in your experience would the taxiphyllum/java moss melt in the way you described? I recall trying to keep java moss about a year ago, and it didn't go well - it turned brown and broke down a lot. I've been meaning to research this, and I'm wondering if maybe it melted and I just didn't give it enough time to recover.

[bereb]

My plants that arrived today are now in a clear plastic tub of dechlorinated water. I've removed all the packaging and other stuff like rock wool and ceramic rings, taken off dead leaves, and used plant weights to keep them submerged. There's no direct light or heater in the tub with them.

I've got a small heater that came with a 105L tank, but I'm worried it might damage the plants or melt the plastic if I put it in the tub. It's not one of those smart heaters that can regulate the temperature.

The water in the tub is about 7.5L and it's at 19.3 degrees Celsius right now. I'm planning to get them planted in the tank by Sunday, assuming the rest of my plants arrive on time.

How long can they survive without heating, or will I need to heat the tub to prevent any damage?

I'd say they'll be fine until Sunday, considering the conditions you've provided. The plants seem more resilient than you'd think. How's the quality of the plants looking so far, now that they're out of their packaging?

It took me ages to scroll back through my Google photos and find the dates. It feels like a lifetime ago, but time-wise it wasn't that long.

I remember planting my first tank on 15th August '22. I've got a photo from the 20th August '22 where the moss is already starting to look bad. Then there's another one from 4th September '22 after I took the tank apart and gave up.

That's only 20 days in total. I still feel terrible about the fish I lost back then due to my lack of knowledge and understanding. Nowadays, I try my best to create great environments and lives for my fish.

[cichlidgirl22]

It took me a while to dig through my old photos and find the dates. It felt like an eternity, but it's actually not that long ago.

I planted my first tank on August 15, 2022. I've got a photo from August 20, 2022, where the java moss is already starting to look pretty rough. And then there's another one from September 4, 2022, after I'd given up and taken the tank apart.

All in all, it was only 20 days. I still feel a bit down about the fish I lost back then - I didn't know what I was doing and I made some mistakes. But I've been trying to learn from those mistakes and give my fish the best life I can now.