Robert Plant
The 6 Basic Requirements for Your Freshwater Aquarium Plant
A freshwater aquarium plant is just like your fish; it needs care. Some people opt not to have any of them, but my advice would be that if you can, you should make it part of your water tank. This is for several reasons. The first is that sometimes, you may have nitrite buildups in you tank. A live plant will take care of any excess nitrites that have been converted into nitrates. The second is that the plant takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, which means that it is a source for continuous aeration of your tank. The third and final one is that a plant will make your tank look livelier and prettier – you can use it to build a tank that’s much more beautiful, and as it grows and changes, your tank will keep looking better and better.
When it comes to care, there are some basic things that you must do for your plant so that it can continue to thrive. Before we get into what you should do, it’s important to mention that the kind of freshwater aquarium plant you choose matters. If you choose a freshwater aquarium plant that grows too fast, it will soon overshadow everything in your tank. If you choose a plant that needs too much light, it will never grow and end up stunted. Also, if you choose a plant that may be preyed upon by the fish, you will soon have nothing left.
On to the care. You need to make sure that you do the following:
- Before you introduce any plant into your tank, inspect it carefully for snails. Snails are not a bad thing for your fish tank, but they multiply rapidly. You will soon have a pest problem, especially because they are feeding off the freshwater aquarium plant.
- You need to also make sure that you look at the habitat of each plant that you choose. This means that you need to know what kind of water pH they can survive in and if it matches that of the fish, the hardness levels and the amount of light they need to grow well. As much as possible, choose a mix that has similar habitats so that its easy for you to provide it – it’s hard to make many variations in a small tank.
- You need good substrate – it should provide the necessary nutrition, and if the plant needs to be rooted, it should provide a firm rooting. Some plants will do ok if they are placed directly on gravel, but as many plants need iron to grow, you will need to add an iron supplement once in a while. If you can get planters, they are a great help because the plants root and have an iron supply that you don’t have to supplement.
- Lighting is important. In a fish tank that does not have live plants, you can get away with dim lighting. A freshwater aquarium plant needs light to synthesize it’s food, so the kind of lighting that you choose will matter.
- If you have a heavily planted tank, you might want to consider getting a carbon dioxide injector to make sure that all the plants get the proper amount of CO2.
- When your freshwater aquarium plant grows long, trim it. If it expands too much, separate it and either plant it in other parts of the tank, or take it out completely.
If a freshwater aquarium plant is stressed it will die off just like fish, so make sure that you watch it. A dead plant in your tank will also produce gases as it decomposes which may poison the fish. Make sure to remove any dead plants and floating debris.
About the Author
Robert is an experienced aquarist, who owns and maintains his and other people’s aquariums. For loads of great tips on freshwater aquarium plant, visit http://www.freshwater-aquariumsecrets.com
Robert Plant – Big Log
