Wabi-Kusa

Wabi-kusa is a ball of aquatic plants grown emersed — above the waterline — in an open vessel. It sits somewhere between an aquascape and a houseplant, and it is the easiest way into planted-tank aesthetics without committing to a tank, a filter and a heater.

What a wabi-kusa actually is

A substrate core wrapped in aquatic plants, kept damp rather than submerged. The plants grow in their emersed form, which for many species looks completely different from the submerged form you see in aquariums — thicker leaves, different color, and many will flower, which they almost never do underwater.

Emersed or submerged?

You can run one either way. Emersed in a shallow bowl with an inch of water is the traditional approach and the easier one: no filtration, no CO2, no algae to speak of. Dropped into a tank it converts to submerged growth over a few weeks, melting back the emersed leaves first — expect it to look worse before it looks better. Decide which you want before you buy, because the transition costs you a month.

Keeping one alive

Three things: humidity, light and patience. Emersed plants need the air around them damp, so a cover or a regular misting matters more than anything else you will do. Give it bright indirect light or a small plant light. And top the water up rather than letting it dry out and refilling — the swing is what kills them.

We build these at the Convoy store. If you want to make your own, everything you need is in aquascaping supplies and aquarium plants.