Aquarium plant holder innovations are redefining what’s possible in home aquascaping. Contrary to popular belief, you can grow trees in your aquarium — just not the way most people expect. Instead of planting trees fully underwater, you can grow them above the tank with only their roots submerged. This method keeps the tree healthy and adds a stunning, natural look to your aquarium setup. With the right aquarium plant pots and custom 3D print plant holder designs, it’s easier than ever. In this post, I will showcase how I grow my aquarium trees as well as offer my 3d printable solution to all my subscribers for free, so let’s dig in!
Why Aquarium Trees are Worth your Tank
With the help of aquarium plant holders and creative design, growing trees in your tank setup has serious advantages:
- No soil = no fungus gnats
- Constant hydration from the tank
- No overwatering or underwatering
- More stable nutrient supply (via fish waste)
- Visually stunning aquascape
I’ve even cut out fertilizers completely — just added more fish and increased their feeding. The plants love the natural nutrients. Your case may vary depending on fish and tank setup, but it works beautifully in my own tanks.
How I Grew a Ginseng Ficus in My Aquarium
My journey started with a Ginseng Ficus (Ficus microcarpa). It’s a tropical tree, usually seen in bonsai form, known for its thick, root-like trunk. While not aquatic, it thrives in moist environments making it a perfect candidate for this semi-hydro setup.
At first, the ficus struggled. Slime appeared, leaves dropped and it looked like a lost battle. But after rinsing the roots and mounting the plant in one of my custom aquarium plant holders, everything changed. The roots now stay submerged while the rest of the tree grows happily above the tank. It’s been thriving for over 7 months — no soil, no problem.
Fun Fact: Ginseng Ficus is a popular bonsai species and tolerates pruning and root trimming well.
Experimenting with Mangrove Trees and Bamboo
Beyond ficus, I’ve successfully grown mangrove trees and bamboo using the same setup.
Mangroves are naturally found in coastal saltwater environments, where their roots are constantly wet. In my freshwater aquarium, they grow more slowly, but still healthy — if only their roots are submerged.
Fun Fact: Mangrove trees help prevent erosion and are natural nurseries for fish in the wild.
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is another great candidate. Though not true bamboo, it’s often used in feng shui and is well-suited for humid conditions. In the wild, it grows in the shady undergrowth of tropical rainforests, usually in wet soil, but not fully submerged. So I also place them fixed to my tree holders, mounted on the aquarium rim, roots in water with the leaves — above. They grow effortlessly.
Fun Fact: In feng shui, different stalk counts represent health, love or wealth.
The Role of 3D Print Plant Holders in my Setup and How to Use Them
To support the tree, I designed an adjustable 3D print plant holder that clips securely to the aquarium rim. This custom tool lets me adjust the depth of the roots in the water while keeping the trunk stable above. It’s ideal for growing various tree and plant species in this particular way.
These holders:
- Attach firmly to aquarium glass
- Support trees without soil
- Allow depth adjustment for root exposure
- Prevent rot by keeping trunks out of water
The modular design also lets you swap between different aquarium plant pots, so you can experiment without disrupting the tank ecosystem.
My 3D Print Plant Holder Setup
To make this work, I designed a adjustable 3D print plant holder that clips securely to the glass rim of the aquarium. The holder keeps the trunk stable above the water while letting the roots hang freely into the tank. I can raise or lower the holder depending on how much of the roots I want submerged. This way the tree never sits too deep and the roots get constant access to water without the risk of rotting.
The setup is made from 3 parts — the frame and two adjustable clipper legs. A couple of plastic zip ties will also be needed to fix the plant or tree to the holder firmly.
Everything is doable in just under two minutes — mount the two adjustable clipper legs to the tree holder frame and mount the tree itself to the frame with zip ties in a way for the roots to be beneath the frame base.
Adjust the frame height, based on the water level in your tank and clip it on to your tank glass wall.
Build Your Setup using my 3D Print Plant Holder Designs for Free
Using aquarium 3d print accessories like hangers, holders and adjustable planters makes this method easy and scalable — perfect for anyone eager to try something new and visually unique. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned aquascaping enthusiast, building a similar setup in your own tank is absolutely doable.
To help you get started, I offer free download of my adjustable tree holders — just sign up for my newsletters and they’re yours. They are easy to 3D print even for beginners, don’t require supports and have the slicer recommendations included with the download.
3D Print with PETG recommended. Find out — why.
If you’re more into growing plants in containers, I’ve also designed 8 different sizes of aquarium plant pots ready for 3D printing.
Get these in my stores:
Explore the designs, pick your plants and bring your aquarium’s surface to life!
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