Need help with planting lotus. Zone 7

[big ron]

I bought 3 lotus plants at the end of last year and saw they were 3' high and very pretty. The pots they were in were 16" across x 7" deep. I decided to remove them from the pots and bring the tubers in my garage for the winter. I would love to have them bloom this coming year but have heard all kinds of advice for planting them etc. Can someone please answer a few questions from your experience with them.

The containers mentioned above are floating as I have large koi that would eat them. Is this container too small ?
Is a clay sand mix good for the soil to plant them in?
Can I start them inside April 1 and then put them out in May after any chance of frost? Have heard they will rot if started inside now.
What is the best fertilizer to use. Osmocote , Jobe's plant tabs , Miracle Gro. Little confused. Thanks for your help

 

[addy1]

The containers mentioned above are floating

The problem with floating containers for Lotus, is they get real tall, unless you have dwarfs, they will not be stable in a pot like that and handle winds.

i had a dwarf lotus in a pot like you mention above and it jumped the pot the first year it was planted.

Before I turned mine loose in the 300 gallon stock tank I had each one in those blue tubs from Walmart with rope handles. I put in about a foot of kitty litter, would stick in osmocote off and on.

Robot or human?