Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants serve many purposes in an aquarium, such as adding oxygen to the water and helping to keep the water chemicals balanced. Caring for aquarium plants isn’t hard as long as you choose suitable plant species. All aquarium plants need light, carbon dioxide and nutrients to live. If you have an aquarium with normal incandescent lighting or subdued fluorescent lights, stick to plants that have low light requirements, like JavaFern. If you don’t want to use carbon dioxide boosters, stick to plant species that will do fine with the amount of carbon dioxide that’s produced by your fish. If you don’t want to use fertilization, choose a plant species that will absorb the nutrients it needs from the water.

But why keep aquarium plants? Well, live aquarium plants help keep the water quality up by binding organic waste. (Note: please keep in mind that dead and decaying parts of plants must be pruned away – otherwise, the organic waste will be released back into the water.)

Live aquarium plants will convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and will prevent algae infestation by competing with algae for nutrients. Many aquarium fish species are from waters where aquatic plants are common. They feel more at home in a planted aquarium. Fish that like their environment are less prone to illness and tend to be more active, display vivid colors and spawn. 

Keeping aquarium plants can reduce your fishes’ stress levels. Why? Two reasons: one, they decrease the amount of fighting by forming many small territories in the aquarium instead of one big one; and two, they provide weaker fish with hiding spots where they can find sanctuary if they are being bullied by larger fish.

Photo courtesy of: www.freshwateraquariumplants.com

Planting aquarium flora can be done in a variety of ways that vary from species to species. Some plants should be planted in the substrate or in a pot. Other plants should be anchored to driftwood, rocks or similar. There are even some plants that just float around freely in the water!

Potted aquarium plants are quite common since they’re easy to move around without disturbing the tank’s layout. When the plant outgrows its pot, you simply repot it just like you would with a normal houseplant. Many species can be broken up and divided into several smaller plants.

Many different types of pots can be used in the aquarium as long as they don’t contain any substances capable of polluting the water. Plastic pots, bottle bottoms, yoghurt containers, and similar are inexpensive alternatives, while clay pots tend to be somewhat more expensive.

When potting your plant, use potting soil and plenty of water. Moisten the soil to drive out any pockets of air before you pot your plant. Fill 2/3 of the container with the wet soil and use your finger to make a small hole for the root system of your plant. Place the roots in the hole and carefully fill the rest of the container with the soil, then proceed to add a layer of aquarium gravel on top of it. Before placing the pot in your aquarium, submerse it in water for a few minutes to remove air that got in while you where planting. 

Different plant species also have different requirements when it comes to lighting. Some aquarium hobbyists claim that planted aquariums are really a pain to keep, but this is usually because they buy plants without learning how plants should be cared for than it actually being hard. It’s easy to understand why plants rapidly wilt and die in the aquarium of a newbie, and why an average hobbyist feels planted aquariums are impossible to keep.

fluorescent aquarium light 

As a rule, it is suggested that planted aquariums get 0.5-1.0 watts of fluorescent light per liter of water. Generally speaking, a 50 liter aquarium with standard dimensions will therefore require 0.5 watts x 50 = 25 watts. This rule will vary if you keep really high demanding or low demanding species, if your aquarium is very deep, or if your aquarium is really densely planted. 

Incandescent lighting is common with beginners. There are many low demanding plant species that'll do well with nothing but incandescent lights, but the problem is that incandescent lights tend to get too warm. This will affect the water temperature in your aquarium.  Investing in fluorescent lights can therefore save you money in the long run.

Incandescent lighting

Try to mimic the natural day length for your plants species. Many popular aquarium plants are tropical and are therefore used to 12 hours of light a day. If you keep temperate species, give them at least 14 hours of light each day during the summer and no more than 10 hours a day during the winter. Keeping the lights on 24/7 will aid algae growth and may also disturb your fish.

Still, keep in mind that the plants you choose may have different lighting requirements. Do the necessary research before you add anything to your tank.

Next time, I’ll talk about the science behind the carbon dioxide, nutrients, and substrate levels for your aquatic vegetation. Stay tuned!

Sources:

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/plantbas.htm

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/plants/grow.php

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/plants/aquarium.php
www.freshwateraquariumplants.com