Aquarium Plants: Why Are They Floating To The Surface

Q: The plants in my tank, event the moss, are not thriving, even though they get plenty of light. Their leaves rot and float to the surface. What is wrong?

You have not described your tank setup, which makes it very difficult to pinpoint the possible deficiency that’s affecting your plants.

For plants to flourish, light, and the right amount of nutrients are crucial. Carbon is a basic building block in photosynthesis, and this is provided best by the dissolved carbon dioxide in the water column. Many hobbyist enhance the CO₂ concentration by diffusing the gas into the water through a CO₂ gas cylinder and diffuser.

Besides light and CO₂, other nutrients such as potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium must be present as well, mostly through regularly does of fertilizer. Your fish will also contribute other essential macronutrients such as nitrogen (in the form of ammonia and nitrate) and phosphate.

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