Aquarium Plants

Once you have installed the solid decorations, leave the aquarium undisturbed for a few days with the under gravel filtration system running. This period will allow the useful aerobic bacteria to develop in the gravel and the water to become clear. Keep an eye on the temperature and see that it does not fluctuate by more than a degree or two. Check that the light and pump are working well and that bubbles are flowing out of the uplift tube and from the air stone. After this period, you can start to introduce aquatic plants.



Plants can form a very attractive part of an aquarium but they are not essential for the fishes' health. The main reasons for having plant sin the aquarium are that they will give the fish somewhere to hide and also supply the tank with oxygen. They will also compete for dissolved nutrients and hopefully get more than their fair share, thus leaving nonfood for unwelcome excess algae to live on. Reasons for not having plants in the tank are when the particular fishes you aim to keep replant-eaters or gravel-diggers, or when your lighting levels are insufficient to support plant life.

Plants within the aquarium work in much the same way as those inkpots around the house. Part of their daily process is to take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in return. As oxygen is used by the fish when they breathe and carbon dioxide is given off in return, it is easy to see that a sort of exchange process can be set up. There will never be an aquarium where the plants and fish give off enough gases for each other, but it is nice to think they are living in a harmonious relationship.The fish will also feed partly on the plant life, and their droppings will become a fertilizer for the plants, the plants returning the favor by breaking it down. Again, neither of these actions will he sufficient for the others' requirements but they are better than not being done at all.If plants are not present, the fish will not suffer; they will find other cover among the rocks and they will get oxygen from the work of headstone and surface movement. So it's your choice, plants or no plants?If you choose to have plants in the aquarium, there are other things to bear in mind. Firstly, plants will need fertilizers to keep them growing well, just as garden plants do. They will also need strong lighting if the:are to flourish. You will need to remove any dying leaves trimmed in order to keep the tank looking at its best and prune any plants that outgrow their welcome.

CHOOSING AND USING REAL AQUARIUM PLANTS

The choice of real plants is enormous. Not only green, but asocial plants and flowering ones are available. Some only grow2.5cm(1in) high, others to 60cm(24in). Some float on the surface, some nestle into little crevices. When you buy aquarium plants at your dealers, take a good look at them to see it they look healthy, and avoid plants that have brown or yellowed leaves. The plants should be supplied to you in a plastic bag or polystyrene freezer-type pack. Try to keep them warm on their journey home, and when you remove the plants from their package try to avoid touching them as much as possible. If you do have to handle the plants, be as gentle as you can .Remove any dead or damaged leaves with a pair of scissors and then,holding the plant just above the roots, insert it into the gravel so that it just covers the lighter base of the plant, or crown. Do not push the plant in too far.



It is a good idea to add an aquarium fertilizer to the tank at this stage. Add this weekly or as the instructions recommend. You can also place fertilizer pellets in the gravel around the plants and these are excellent aids to their growth. Some plants are supplied in little perforated flowerpots. If this is the case, plant the whole pot under the gravel and cover the top of the pot with just a little gravel.

WHY PLANTS MAY NOT SUCCEED

If you have trouble getting your plants to grow, there may be several reasons for this. Firstly, under gravel filters tend to play havoc with certain plants, causing them to die or grow in a strange manner. If you have used the under gravel method of filtration and experience problems with plants dying within days of buying them, it is likely to he the filter.You then have three choices: go for different plants, use a power filter with gravel in it for your biological filter, or revert to plastic plants .Another reason for plants dying is insufficient light. If you find your plants are dying gradually over the course of a few weeks, then this is probably the cause. Insufficient light is often associated with the growth of brown algae, which confirms that light is the problem. You can try fitting another fluorescent tube in the hood or use a bulb especially designed to boost plant growth.

Water conditions can be a further reason for plant failure. Some plants prefer soft water, whereas others like hard water. Most plants prefer alkaline rather than acid conditions, and if the temperature rises above 27°C(80°F), certain plants will start to die. Snails can also be harmful to plants. They will feed on decaying plants, but also on healthy plant material, just as snails do in the garden. And, of course,the fish themselves may attack your plants.

OTHER AQUATIC PLANTS

Fairy moss (Laotian carolinian)A hardy floating plant with small rough leaves. There are several types. Many vary in co lour; some change from green to red or purple.

Duckweed (Lemon gibber)

Very small floating leaf with a couple of roots. Provides shade and shelter for surface-dwelling fish. May block light to other plants.

Water lettuce (Pistil steatites)Like a floating lettuce up to I 5cm(6in) across. Roots hang down for fish to hide in.

Hornwort

(Cerate dreamers)Similar to cabwoman, but with little rubbery leaves. Grows quickly and not bothered by undergrad. Best planted in bunches fatback of tank. Cuttings root easily.

Hair grass (Electrics acicular is)A hairlike grass that grows to about13cm(Sin) high. Looks best planted around rocks or pieces of bog wood.

Elodea

There are several types of this`oxygenating weed'. It will grow rapidly in tropical aquariums as well as in cold water tanks. Can float but best planted in gravel.

The plants behind this clown loath (Bootie maraca) are made of plastic. The tank has been net up for only a short time, no the plants still have that new look, but ate a few months the plastic fronds will become coated and look surprisingly lifelike. There are plastic equivalents of aide range of plants, from small foreground plants totally ones with long fronds that are ideal for 'planting 'along the back of the tank.

THE BENEFITS OF PLASTIC PLANTS

If you are undecided, there is a genuine third choice between plants and no plants, and this choice is plastic plants. In the aquarium, they are often indistinguishable from the real thing and some even move in realistic fashion. Plastic plants have the advantage that they do not die,do not overgrow the tank and last forever, literally. It really is worth considering plastic plants, especially if the only reason you cannot have plants is because your fish are plant-eaters.