Placing plants in fish tanks is becoming ever popular these days so much to a point where there are people now who prefer to indulge in aqua-culture while not having any fish in their aquarium. The benefits of having plants in a tank is undeniable and with a little interior design, creates a gorgeous little inner world that allows your fish an ideal environment to live and play.
Beginners generally tend to shy away from planting in their aquariums but it really is not as difficult as one might think. What you need is some patience, a streak of creativity and a proper guide and you’re bound to create a nice little inner world.
The first thing to do before you even think of buying your plants is to work out a general design of what the end product should look like. Aquatic plants come in a variety of shapes and sizes as well as planted and floating types. Work out on paper what you want your tank to be and then head over to the nearest fish store. A good idea is to also seek the advice of the shop owner on what would be ideal plants for the set up you plan to create.fish tank with filter
The most important element in a planted aquarium is substrate. Your plants will never survive on a base that is made up of just gravel and sand. It is the nutrients in the substrate that will enable to plants to grow healthily. The substrate is generally placed beneath the gravel and will provide the nutrients once the roots of the plants bore down into them. Some of the most important nutrients that plants will be able to obtain from the substrate are carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorous and iron while there are also other lesser elements as well that increases their health.
Lighting is another thing to consider. Plants perform photosynthesis and this requires a light source. If your fish tank is placed near a window or door that has a natural light source, that is perfect but if it doesn’t than you will need to fix proper lighting to provide it with the light it needs.
The last thing to consider is the kind of filter you plan to use. Undergravel filters are not the right kind to use because the plant roots will eventually clog the gravel and prevent proper filtration. You should try to use a filter that does not move the water around too much.
When all these considerations have been taken into account, it’s now time to plant them. Firstly, inspect the plant leaves carefully for snails and rinse them off. While you do this, discard any leaves that are brown or decayed which might contaminate the aquarium later. When placing the plants, it is best to plant them all at once. This is where the complete design comes in handy. Placing the plants all at one go allows the aquarium water to achieve a balance which is something that happens each time you place in new plants.
It is easy to plant the aquatic plants. Just use your finger or a pencil and create a depression in the substrate. Then plant the roots into the hole you created and cover it back up again nice and tight. If you have purchased plants that stubbornly refuse to stay down, you can add small lead weight which you can also get from the same fish store.