1/4 inch of gravel,how do I plant live plants?

I have the correct 1/4 an inch evenly spread gravel in my 55 gal mbuna tank.How am I supposed to plant some plants in my tank.I thought about putting them in small containers and then putting them in my tank... but aesthetically speaking that wouldn't look very realistic,

1/4 inch of gravel,how do I plant live plants?
I grew the most gorgeous planted aquarium and kept it for years! Unfortunatly I had to move a lot and I ended up selling mine but I'll tell you my tricks that will make your plants the most vibrant green and pinkish purple.





1.) Make sure your aquarium faces south so it also gets a lot of natural sunlight. Keep lights off at night.


2.) Remove plants from their containers, and make sure you have a few inches of gravel. Bury the roots only.


3.) Use plant fertilizer tabs with Iron, break them in half and place them near plant roots into the gravel. (DO NOT use the fertilizer drops you add to water, this will cause green water and algae overgrowth.)


4.) Make your own CO2 bottle and add bubbles to water. (Here's how. Take a empty 2 liter pop bottle, cut a hole in the top and place some aquarium tubing though the hole. Make sure it fits tight, you can also use silicone to make sure it wont leak. Make sure the tube is in the bottle about 2 inches only. Take a tablespoon of yeast and 1/2 cup sugar and fill bottle 3/4 way with warm water and shake. After about 15 minutes it will start producing CO2. Add the bubbles to your tank but you'll want to watch the PH so it doesnt drop too suddenly which is hard on the fish) It helps the plants utilize the fertilizer.





5.)Make sure they get plenty of light. Aquarium plant lights work best, but also make sure they get some natural sunlight.





I promise you will have the most beautiful aquarium!
Reply:If your gravel is not too thick to hold back the plants or to root them inside, tie the base of the plants with thin thread %26amp; little bigger rocks and set them in the gravel. This way, they will not only look realistic, but also the roots would slowly spread into the gravel and take hold. Take care that you do not tie the roots to the rock, but the base of the plant with the rock.





You can also fill up and make a hill with more gravels around the base of the plant so that it holds and supports.
Reply:Add more gravel so that you can plant them, but wash the gravel first and add it with the plants, but you can plant them in plant pots and then plant them in the tank