Planted Aquariums

If your looking for Saltwater plants or macro algae check our Saltwater Aquariums section.

How to Grow Freshwater Aquarium Plants

Real plants do wonders for aquariums, providing fish with oxygen and even food. They keep the water chemistry more balanced, and provide scenery for you and hiding places for fish and other tank inhabitants. They're easy to care for, too.

Steps

1. Select the plants you want to grow. It pays to do a bit of reading at this point, so check out aquarium forums and elsewhere. Consider the tank size, the scene you wish to produce and the size you want your plant(s) to be. Remember, plants grow! Want something with lots of leaves, or more of a moss? How about something your fish will be able to eat?
• You can find tiny, dwarf aquarium plants that grow only an inch or two tall, or obtain much larger plants for larger tanks.
2. Get a start of the plant(s) you want to grow. Either get an inexpensive, small start and wait for it to grow larger or purchase a more costly, larger plant. Plants are obtained at local pet shops, or other aquarists can provide you with starts. Either way, be careful of what you introduce to your tank. Plants can carry physical inhabitants from snails and shrimp to bacteria and diseases. Always look for a source that seems to practice good tank hygiene.
3. Inspect the plant closely for snails and other visitors. Some of the tiniest water snails, no more than a couple of millimeters long, are rapid breeders. Unless you have loaches or other fish that will snack on them, they'll quickly take over your tank. You may quarantine a new plant outside your tank for a few days, to see if any snails appear.
4. Most aquarium plants prefer to live entirely submerged, so don't let them dry out. If your tank is not quite ready or if you want to grow more of your plants than will fit in a tank, use a bucket or bin of water.
5. Anchor the plants. Depending on the plant, this may be mostly an aesthetic matter, to keep them from bobbing around loose. For mosses, consider tying them loosely with string to a rock until they become established.
• In general, do not bury the rhizomes, which usually are thicker and greener than roots or stem, in gravel, as burying them can cause them to rot on many plants.
6. Provide light. Aquarium plants, like any others, require light for photosynthesis. Check the light requirements of the plants you are choosing, many require high amounts of added light. Low light plants will do well if your tank has plenty of light from windows. Otherwise, plan to light your tank with a fluorescent full spectrum tank light.• It's recommended that when you start out, stick to less than 2.5 fluorescent watts per gallon unless you put a carbon dioxide system in place. "Cool White" or "Daylight" fluorescent bulbs are cheap, efficient, and effective enough for most purposes.
7. Add fish. While not strictly required, fish waste will help to nourish the plants. The plants, in turn, will keep the water conditions better for the fish by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

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