part of "A Rich Person's Guide to Aquariums" by Philip Greenspun Site Home : Aquariums : One Article Plants in an aquarium serve several functions: There are two schools of thought on succeeding with a planted aquarium: The low-tech planted aquarium is based on the idea that plants grow inThe theory is that if you place garden or potting soil at the bottom of the tank, with a thin layer of gravel on top, this plus fish waste will supply the nutrients that the plants need. then won't need all of the plant nutrition supplements sold at aquarium stores because these are only required when the aquarium environment isA chief exponent of this point of view is Diana Walstad, author of , which is well worth reading even if you ultimately decide to go the high-tech route. My personal experience with a low-tech aquarium started off dismal. put a thick layer of supermarket potting soil underneath the gravel in a 90-gallon tank with 160 watts of light (4 48" fluorescent tubes) .

turned the water brown and yet supplied so little iron to the water that I could not get a reading from an iron test kit. The first batch of plants started to die within two days, with the leaves turning yellow from the tips downward. I consulted a couple of experts and they postulated that the plants were being overfertilized with phosphatesTheir theory was that the deaths were too rapid to beAnother worrisome factor was that the water in the tank is extremely soft. Boston tapwater contains no minerals. may lead to CO2 deficiency because of the lack of carbonate hardness. Also, the tanks was being over-agitated by a couple of low-quality Tetratec Pro filters (see the filtration section for a discussion of why these are so terrible). turbulence tends to allow CO2 to escape from the water. With little to lose, I changed 80 percent of the water in an attempt to get rid of excess phosphates. The tank become quite clear. dumped in double doses of plant mineral supplements.

to recover a bit. I left the tank on its own for two months. The water turned brownMany of the plants survived but none appeared to flourish. Maybe it was the algae but something botanic was using up the nitrate produced by the filter bacteria; were 0 despite the lack of a water change during those two months. did a 90-percent water change and replaced the noisy ineffective Tetratec filters with a Rainbow-Lifegard system including UV sterilizer.fish tank plants going yellow The high-tech planted aquarium was pioneered by Europeans and isfish tank heater melbourne sometimes referred to as a "Dutch Aquarium". fish tank gravel 20kgYou rely on nature forYou use a purpose-made substrate.

You inject CO2 into the tank. formula that works for Phyllis, the woman behind , for a planted Discus tank: Plants in a high-tech aquarium grow much faster than plants in even the most successful low-tech aquarium. What has never appealed to me about the high-tech approach is the CO2 injection. If it goes awry there is a danger of killing the fish. If you are using a bottle-based system, you have to obtain a new bottle from a gas supplier every 3-6 months. Whether you take the high-tech or low-tech route, remember that you'll want fairly strong lighting (1.5-2 watts per gallon is considered theThe easiest way to get to this level is by purchasing the aquarium manufacturer's glass hood for your tank. Then toss as many compact fluorescent strip lights on top as will fit. They work great for a year and then the ballast begins to make an annoying mechanical buzz. fluorescents have silent electronic ballasts. Note that placing the tank near a window where it can catch sunlight

If you want some inspiration, pick up the beautifully photographed booksDifferent plant species have different requirements when it comes to lighting, and researching the species you are interested in is therefore really important. Many aquarists claim that planted aquariums are really difficult to keep, since they purchase plants that look good without putting any effort into learning how these plants should be cared for. It is not hard to understand why these plants rapidly wilt and die in the aquarium, and why the aquarist believes that planted aquariums are “impossible” to keep. As a rule of thumb, planted aquariums should get 0.5-1.0 watt of fluorescent light per liter of water. Generally speaking, a 50 liter aquarium with standard dimensions will therefore require 0.5 watts x 50 = 25 watts. This rule has to be modified if you keep really high demanding or low demanding species, if your aquarium is very deep, or if your aquarium is really densely planted. Incadenscent lighting is still quite common, especially among beginners.

There are many low demanding plant species that will do well with nothing but incandescent lights, but the problem is that incandescent lights tend to become really warm. This will affect the water temperature in your aquarium. Incandescent lights also consume a lot of energy and do not last very long. Investing in fluorescent lights can therefore save you money in the long run. When purchasing fluorescent lights from a well stocked lamp store, you may stumble over a wide range of different color temperatures. Different color temperatures are good for different purposes. If you are a novice plant keeper, stick to bluish (white) and yellow (warm) lamps. Try to mimic the natural day length in the environment from which your plants hail. Many popular aquarium plants are tropical species and are therefore used to 12 hours of light per day. If you keep temperate species, give them at least 14 hours of light each day during the summer and no more than 10 hours per day during the winter.

Keeping the lights on 24/7 will only aid algae growth and may also disturb your fish. Without carbon dioxide, plants cannot perform photosynthesis, the process where they turn light energy into energy that they can use (sugars). Most plants will do well with the carbon dioxide produced by breathing fish and other animals in the aquarium, but there are of course exceptions. Some aquarists use CO2 injections to promote plant growth. This can produce wonderful results when balanced with sufficient lighting and necessary nutrients. Even plants that would survive without any additional CO2 can start growing much more rapidly when they receive extra CO2. CO2 can come from fermentation or from a gas cylinder filled with liquid CO2. Producing CO2 through fermentation is actually quite straightforward and can be carried out even by aquarists on a limited budget. Just like terrestrial plants, you aquarium plants need nutrients to survive. Macro nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium

Other nutrients: Boron, Iron, Nickel, Zinc In addition to the elements mentioned above, plants need trace elements of many other elements as well. If you fail to provide your plants with all necessary nutrients, it can lead to stunted growth, yellow leaves or even prove fatal. So, how can nutrients enter the aquarium? Before you decide on using fertilizers, keep in mind that simply filling your aquarium with a lot of fertilizers will not aid plant growth. Fertilization must always be balanced with light and carbon dioxide. It is also very important to purchase a special aquarium fertilizer, since fertilizers for terrestrial plants contain too much nitrogen which will cause algae growth and injure the fish. Some aquarium plants must be planted in the substrate or in pots, while others grow attached to rocks, driftwood etcetera. There are also floating plants and plants that can grow in several different fashions. If you want to keep plant species that need a substrate to grow in, ideally chose a substrate where the particles are 1.5-3.0 mm.

There are naturally exceptions to this rule, but many plant species can not tolerate finer substrates since their roots cannot handle anaerobic conditions well. When the particles are 1.5 mm or bigger, it is easier for water to circulate which prevents clogging. When it comes to substrate depth, the requirements vary a lot from species to species. The popular Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri) will for instance grow quite big and need to be rooted in at least 8 cm of substrate. Didn't find the info you were looking for? Register for free and ask your question in our Aquarium forum ! Our knowledgeable staff usually responds to any question within 24 hours - Information about how to care for Acorus gramineus - An introduction to Algae. - Information about how to care for anubias species. - Information about how to care for A. crispus. - Information about plant nutrition and how to fertalize your aquarium plants. - An introduction on how to best care for your plants.

- Information about how to care for watersprite. - An article about Choosing plants for your aquarium - Information about how to keep and reproduce this species. - Information about how to care for E. amazonicus. - Information about how to care for E. bleheri - Information about how to care for fern species. - Information about how to keep aquarium plants successfully. - An article about the different factors that affect plant growth. - A short article on propagating Aponogeton crispus - An introduction to propagating plants. - This floating plant can be anchored to wood or rock to form a beautiful "lawn” and hide fry. - It can be a real showpiece with a little effort and care, if you can find it - Information about how to prepare and setup a planted aquarium. - A detailed article about the care of this plant. - A guide to help beginners choose the best plants for their aquarium. - keeping Vesicularia dubayana – Java moss