Using Plants in a Freshwater Aquarium

Ensuring the Conditions are Right for Planting a Tank

Apr 27, 2009

Adding plants to an aquarium can be a mistake if it contains fish that destroy plants or if the lighting is inadequate. Know how and when to use plants.

There are many benefits in having plants in an aquarium. They provide hiding places for fish, which is good for handling aggression in the tank. Plants play an important role for the breeding of some species of fish. They add beauty to the aquarium and assist with filtration and aeration. Plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, which is beneficial for good fish health.

Not all aquariums are suitable for plants because of the fish that are living in them.

Plant Destruction in an Aquarium

Many larger species of fish may not necessarily eat plants but will uproot them by digging in the substrate or by pushing around potted plants. Oscars and Jack Dempseys are known for their destruction of plants. The problem of plants being moved around can be resolved by anchoring them. They can be weighed down by attaching them to a piece of driftwood or a rock with an elastic band. If the driftwood is movable, attach a small rock by using an elastic band or place the rock on top of it.

African Cichlids like to eat the roots and leaves of aquarium plants. There is nothing that can be done to prevent this from happening, except for using plastic plants or no plants at all. Cichlid tanks can be decorated with driftwood and caves made out of rock.

Aquarium Lighting for Plant Growth

In gardening, there are plants that require direct sun and others that tolerate indirect sun or shade. The same is applicable to aquarium plants. Because aquariums are not placed in a sunny location, the lighting system has to replicate the sun. There are a wide variety of lighting systems available, ranging from a cheap incandescent bulb to an expensive high-intensity lighting system.

Plants don’t usually grow very well under incandescent bulbs so a minimum requirement would be a fluorescent bulb. Within fluorescent bulbs, there are different intensities available, ranging from the standard one-strip light to the higher intensity power compact bulbs. The brightest aquarium lighting is metal halide or LED.

Once it is determined that the type of fish in the aquarium are compatible with plants, there are many types of plants that can be grown in various intensities of lighting.

Aquarium Plants Requiring Low Light

Aquarium Plants Requiring Medium Light

Aquarium Plants Requiring High Light

The most expensive lighting is not required to grow plants so beginners in the hobby should not spend hundreds of dollars on lighting systems until the art of growing aquarium plants is mastered.

The copyright of the article Using Plants in a Freshwater Aquarium in Aquariums is owned by Douglas DuHamel. Permission to republish Using Plants in a Freshwater Aquarium in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.