How Much Do You Know About Aquarium Plant?

The lush color of foliage plants adds a soft, refreshing touch to home or office environment, and it’s no different with the aquatic plants in an aquarium. Aquatic plants not only look good, but also provide protection or nutrition for aquarium inhabitants.

If you are clueless about introducing plants into your aquarium, read on to learn how you can give those that you intend to acquire a better chance of survival.

1. What Do Plants Need?

Plants need a combination of several components to grow such as light, carbon dioxide (CO2), nutrients, and trace elements.

What’s generally not known is that these components must be available in fixed proportions, and the proportions required vary with each type of plant.

One type of plant may need more of a particular element than another plant does. That’s why some plants thrive better than others when kept in the same aquarium.

On the other hand, an overabundance of certain elements may also cause problems. For instance, excess nutrients of light energy will be used by algae, lending to their overgrowth. This creates an unhealthy environment in the aquarium.

2. Are High-tech Gadgetry and Fertilizers Really Necessary?

Many hobbyists are able to achieve success with “easy” plants and no special equipment, either by chance or by patiently learning through trial and error.

However, by acquiring knowledge and using high-tech gadgetry like CO2 and lighting apparatus, much of the guesswork is removed and you have better control over the various elements needed by your plants.

3. What Kind of Plants is Suitable for my Fish?

Try to learn the habits of your fish and plants before you acquire them. This will help you match compatible species, and allow both plants and fish to thrive harmoniously in your aquarium.

For instance, big Cichlids that like to dig should not be kept with rooted plants—floating (or ephiphytic) plants would be more suitable. Herbivorous fish should not be kept in a tank with plants they like to eat, unless the plants can grow faster than they are being eliminated!

In general, most species of small fish like tetras, Danios, Gouramis, Discus, Bettas, Angelfish and dwarf Cichilds can be kept with virtually any type of plant.

4. Should I Leave my New Plants in the Pot?

Some aquatic plants are sold in potted rockwool. Those with delicate roots are usually best left in the rockwool wadding, especially if you have to move them around in the tank. Leaving them potted helps reduce “transplant shock”. You can bury the pots in the gravel to conceal them, or cut away the plastic pot and leave the plant in the wadding to grow out into the substrate.

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