Section 7: Plants for the Beginner

 (by  Jennifer Carroll January 1, 2001)

I love having live plants in my aquariums. It’s fun to watch them grow and multiply, they keep the fish happy, and they look, well, so much more real than plastic. I have read many books and articles on plant keeping and am often still overwhelmed by the complexities of it all. What I wish to do here is to make things a simple as possible for the many fish keepers who don’t have the desire or energy to become experts in underwater botany!

The first suggestion that I would make in adding live plants to your tank is to choose some of the hardiest specimens available. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with fairly soft water and a pH around 7 then I would guess that you could keep almost anything (with sufficient lighting of course). I have never been privileged to have such ideal conditions in my tanks. Water where I am from is very hard and has an extremely high pH of about 8 to 8.4, but I have been able to successfully keep a number of plants in spite of these less than ideal conditions. There are some that I have had good success with. I am sure there are many others that could be added to this list, but these are the ones that I have had the most experience with.

My favorites by far have been the cryptocornes. They are beautiful plants which have lived and reproduced in my tanks for several years now. Their light requirements are not as demanding as some and they don’t seem to mind the water conditions too much either.

Another easy to keep plant is the apon. The leaves grow from a bulb which should be placed partially below the gravel at about a 45-degree angle. These are usually quite inexpensive and will most often be available for purchase in their dormant state (leafless bulbs). They grow quickly and seem to tolerate less than perfect conditions fairly well. They do need to be removed from the tank for a time when their leaves start to die off and can be replanted after their dormant stage, though many people choose to replace them instead of following the steps to keep them.

Java fern is another excellent species. It does quite well in my water, multiplies fairly readily, and is slow growing and doesn’t require a lot of light. This plant will attach itself to decorations in your tank, instead of rooting in the gravel, so it is especially good for fish who like to dig or redecorate. It is also not very tasty so is not as likely as some others to be nibbled on.

Java moss is another fun one. Throw a clump in and let it roll around like tumbleweed or tie it to an object and it will attach itself to it. It is a great hiding place for babies and is a lovely, vibrant shade of green.

Vallisneria, specifically the Jungle Val, has been another that I have had some good success with. In fact, at one point I had five or six plants which spread to cover about 2 square feed of my tank.

Swords are another that I have enjoyed keeping. They get fairly large and bushy and have lived fairly well for me.

Cut plants, such as bacopa, anacharis, hornwort and the like usually do fairly well, though the tops of most tend to look the nicest with the bottom portions looking rather ragged after a while. To keep these guys looking nice, simply pinch the top off and plant it in the gravel where it will develop new roots—throw the ragged parts away (or plant them behind a big rock so they won’t be too visible).

I would avoid soft feathery looking plants (or at least, don’t expect as much from them) they tend to be more delicate. Also stay away from submerged houseplants. If your dealer doesn’t know the difference, buy your plants someplace else. These types will look nice for a couple of months, then they will be dead. Stick to true aquatic plants—they’re the only ones who enjoy being submerged!

The next item is lighting. Generally speaking, the more light the better. Fluorescent bulbs put out a lot more light usable than incandescent ones. Most aquariums, unfortunately, come with only single bulb light fixtures. A single bulb is probably only sufficient for very short tanks like 10 gallons and 20 longs. For 20 highs and 30s, two bulbs will work best and for tanks as tall as a standard 55 gallon, 3 bulbs are best. Multiple bulb light fixtures can be found in some aquarium stores or can be special ordered or purchased through mail-order companies. While this is definitely the easiest and most attractive route, it can be expensive, especially if you have a house full of tanks. The most economical solution that I have found for my larger tanks is to add a 4’ shop light fixture from a hardware store. They generally run under $10. This does require a glass canopy which, if you don’t already have that style, you can purchase or have the glass cut to fit your tank. Something else to keep in mind regarding lighting, fluorescent bulbs do lose intensity over time which can lead to conditions more favorable for algae than plant growth. They ought to be changed at least once a year.

Like fish, plants need to eat and breathe. In an established, well-maintained tank, there should be a good balance of nutrients and minerals needed to support plant life. The end result of ammonia breakdown is nitrate which is a common plant fertilizer. There are commercial fertilizers for aquarium plants. I use these mostly for new tanks. If you have red-leafed plants though, you will probably need to add some Iron, either using a fertilizer, or a substrate additive such as laterite. Do be aware though, that an excess of nutrients can lead to an excess of algae.

Most of us know that plants ‘breathe’ carbon dioxide, they do this even under water. (During daylight hours, at night they take in oxygen). CO2 tends to dissipate rather quickly so it can be somewhat difficult to maintain high enough levels of it in your water. There are professional CO2 units, but these can be quite expensive. I have read many recipes for do-it-yourself CO2 supplementation devices, but they are difficult to control and quite risky to use—your fish will suffocate if your CO2 levels are too high. My advice would be to simply control the surface turbulence to minimize CO2 loss in your tank. If you are using a power filter, make sure that the flow back into the tank is at or below the water surface. Bubbling ornaments also create a lot of turbulence so I would avoid using them in most circumstances.

The style of filter you choose will also affect your plants. I would avoid undergravel filters unless you plan to use plants, like Java fern, that don’t root in the substrate. The undergravel filter plate doesn’t provide a stable base for the plants to root into and your plants just won’t be as happy and they could be. Power and canister filters are a much better choice for plants. Canister filters allow for the greatest control over water return, but power filters work just fine. As mentioned above, just make sure that your water return is at or below the water surface.

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