For this arrangement, I decided to use a small clay pot.

First, I used a rock to cover the bottom hole.

Then I added an inch or so of bagged topsoil from a home improvement store.

I chose some wysteria (Hygrophila difformis) that has been rubber banded to a rock in the goldfish tank for a while, but wasn't growing well. It has a decent root system and it didn't look like it was going to come apart easily, so I just set it down into the pot. Note, wysteria will send out roots at each joint, so burying the stems is a good thing because it will develop more of a root system that way.

The next step is to cover the soil with a layer of gravel, making sure to cover the soil well. I prefer pool filter sand--it's not sand, but is very fine gravel. Use your fingers or the spoon to tamp the gravel down firmly.

I like to cover the surface with gravel around an inch deep, however in this case the gravel is more like two inches deep.

Since I have goldfish and want the gravel to stay in the pot, I added a layer of river rocks on top of the gravel. This step is optional for fish who don't move a lot of gravel.

The finished product turned out well and I think when the wysteria gets established in the topsoil, it will be much happier.

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