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Basic Care

Freshwater aquarium plants serve a number of functions. Well planted they are a stunning sight and provide a refuge for fish. In addition they oxygenate the water and help to maintain balanced water chemistry. They also act as an extra place for colonisation by bacteria and possibly even help to seed new tanks with the beneficial bacteria required to break down waste products.


To successfully grow freshwater aquarium plants you need a balance between lighting and nutrient levels. Normal aquarium hoods often only have a single tube and this may not be enough for most plants. If the light is increased, however, you may need to use a fertilizer or nutrient supplement and possibly CO2 addition to keep plant growth vigorous and avoid excessive algae.


You should not leave lighting on for longer than 12 hours a day in the mistaken belief that it will promote plant growth. It is more likely to favour algal growth. Consider adding algae eating fish if appropriate, Otocinclus species are well suited to smaller planted tanks, as they will not eat leaves.


When you plant your new tank you should add all the plants at the same time. This way they become established before algae has a chance to use the excess light and nutrients which were available before the freshwater aquarium plants were established. Include some quick growing plants in the initial stages. Floating plants are useful if you wish to shade part of the aquarium which will be left unplanted (or contain low-light plants), catfish and some others will appreciate an area away from the glare of the main lights.

Basic Plant Care Tips

• Remove any decaying or yellowed leaves before planting. Decaying leaves are a drain on your freshwater aquarium plants nutrient supply.
• Remove any dying roots, as these will rot in the substrate. They will appear limp and brown. Healthy roots are normally pale and more rigid.
• Stem plants should have their bottom few leaves removed since they will receive little light and a new cutting will not have enough root system to support a full complement of leaves.
• Tubers should be planted at an angle in the substrate, with the growing tip exposed.
• Some plants need to be attached to rocks or bogwood to thrive, rather than planting in the substrate, these include Java Fern and Java Moss.
• Cuttings can be made from stem plants once they reach the surface. These can be replanted in the substrate and will soon grow a new root system.
• Many plants reproduce using runners. The new plants can be separated from the parent plant once they have established themselves, when they reach about one-third of the size of the original plant.

Light Requirements of Freshwater Aquarium Plants

Insufficient light is one of the main reasons why plants fail to do well in an aquarium. Different plants will require different amounts of light to thrive. The list below categorises some of the more commonly available plants in general groups based on their light requirements.

Low-moderate

These plants should grow ok with standard aquarium lighting, i.e. one fluorescent tube, although growth is improved in most case with more light.

• Anubias species
• Cryptocoryne species (most)
• Echinodorous species – Amazon swords (some)
• Microsorium pteropus (Java Fern)
• Vesicularia dubyana (Java Moss)

Bright

These plants will require additional lighting to thrive, i.e. at least one additional fluorescent tube, or T5 lighting.

• Aponogeton species
• Ceratopteris thalictroides (Indian fern)
• Crinum species
• Egeria densa (Waterweed)
• Hygrophila difformis (Water wisteria)
• Hygrophila polysperma (Giant/green/Indian Hygrophila)
• Lilaeopsis species
• Limnophila species
• Ludwigia species
• Myriophyllum species
• Nesaea species
• Nymphaea stellata (Water lily)
• Pogostemon species
• Rotala species
• Sagittaria species
• Vallisneria species

Very Bright

These plants will require strong lighting, i.e. at least 1-2 additional fluorescent tubes, preferably high light tubes with reflectors (particularly important for deeper tanks). The bright lighting required is much easier to achieve with high-intensity T5 tubes, rather than standard (T8) tubes.

• Bacopa species
• Cabomba species
• Rotala macrandra
• Many low-growing carpeting plants, such as Glossostigma and Hemianthus, also require very bright lighting to thrive.