Getting plants into your aquarium is not something you should do just for beauty reasons. The plants are extraordinary food for the vegetarian fish, they also provide shelter and prevent green water.
The tank plants draw carbon dioxide from the water and oxygenate it, they recycle some of the waste products, and promote the growth of algae, rotifers, tiny worms, and protozoa, a live food for the fish.
Before you bring a new plant into the fish tank, rinse them thoroughly in warm water. By doing this, you remove insects and other things that can invade the aquarium. When you buy a new aquarium plant, choose the one with a solid root and strong leaves. Avoid the plants that smell funny because this is a clear indication that the plant is damaged and you don’t want to bring it in your fish tank.
Among the things that plants need, the proper nutrients are very important. The plants need a good food to stay healthy and green. The good news is that growing tank plants is not a difficult thing to do because most of the food the plants need is provided by the actual fish.
In few cases, extra food needs to be added. And keep in mind that the fertilization process is easy because that happens naturally in a tank, using the fish waste as a fertilizer. Of course, you can use commercial fertilizer but it is better to just rely on the natural process because if you add too much fertilizer into the water, the algae can develop problems.
Another important aspect in growing tank plants is the light. The tank plants need a lot of light in order to develop, almost 12-14 hours of light each day, just like the plants in the nature.
You can artificially illuminate the tank and provide more hours of light or light in clouded days. Specialists recommend 3-5 watts per gallon. They also say that compact fluorescent bulbs and par 20, 50-watt halogen bulbs are great and it is better to experiment before you decide on a type of light bulb and the number of watts.
Another organism that helps the plant grow is the snail. The snails help the health of the aquatic environment. They clean the plants of food by crawling on them.
But some snails can cause problems in the tank. For example, Pond, Ramshorn, and other species also eat the leaves instead of clean them, and this causes damage.
The good thing is that you can catch the snails that do harm and extract them from the tank. You can do that using your hand or by placing lettuce leaves on top of the aquarium. The snails are attracted to the leaves and when all of them are there you can remove them with a net.
How does the water temperature have to be? Most of the species of aquatic plants enjoy a temperature that varies between 72 and 78F, with the pH being between 6.8 and 7.8.
If you want to transplant aquarium plants, you should know that they adjust well to that process. They could loose some leaves in the process but don’t worry about that. Remove the dead lives, when they appear and always handle them with care so that you don’t break the roots.
Use aquarium plants to make your tank beautiful and keel your fish happy and healthy.