Finally! A way to grow those pesky, running bamboos while keeping them well-fertilized and contained and as house plants! Not that this can’t be done with clumping bamboos, mind you. There are just certain things that plant lovers and plant collectors want for the landscape that are just…not the best idea, even for those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors maintaining our gardens or edible landscapes.

Anywho, let’s divide the tips up for clumping bamboos versus running bamboos as those differing root structures will certainly matter in how you plan to plant them into your fish tank and offer different ways you can work them into your riparium setup.

Look at the roots on that thing! Definitely not something you want to squeeze into a nano tank as the root system will grow as the bamboo plant continues to grow, quickly overtaking and outgrowing any small fish tank setup.

Of course, on the flip side, you could also choose a more dwarf species of clumping bamboo with a smaller root system, or… prune your bamboo roots to keep them in check.

Either way, clumping bamboos are also fast-growing, making them an excellent choice to add to your Walstad Method dirted tank if you need something with just a little more punch to properly balance out the aquatic ecosystem in your fish tank.

Running bamboos have a flexible rhizome that can add more…flexibility 😂😂😂… in how you add it to your riparium fish tank.

For example, you could bend the rhizome and attach it in a circular fashion to the inner rim of a large fish bowl and grow bamboo around and out of your fish bowl versus in a straight row.

When paired with leca clay substrate in your riparium, pruning the roots is simple and relatively mess-free as the rhizome either be snipped off as it attempts to run off the side of your aquarium and into the sunset, or, you can gently lift it at its ends and root prune without removing it from your riparium planter.