Planted Aquarium

If you've decided that you want a planted aquarium, then you've come to the right place. If you have an aquarium with plants, you'll notice that your tank looks more natural and help your fish behave in a more natural manner, as well. Since we've already talked about fish so much, my goal here today is to go over some basics for the plant life of your aquarium.

You need to get a good-quality substrate to put your plants in. If you get cheap gravel, it will cause the plants to not grow as well. Put in a little extra money at the beginning will pay off in the end. All plants need a supply of iron to grow, so substrates like Flourite and Eco-Complete provide iron to the plants through the roots. Plants will grow somewhat in average gravel, but the size of the gravel is what's important. It needs to be a finer grain in size and fertilized to provide the nutrients your plants will need. The depth, no matter what kind of substrate or gravel you use, should be about 3 inches.

Lighting is important, as well. Lighting can make or break your plants. The lighting that is usually supplied when you initially purchase your tank is intended for viewing so it is under-powered to successfully grow the majority of plants you put inside. You need to figure the watts per gallon. It is 2 1/2-3 watts per gallon will grow most plants that require moderate light.

Just like the fish, plants have nutritional needs too. The stronger the lighting you have, the hungrier your plants will be. If they lack nutrients, they may start to get yellow leaves, stunted growth, or spindly stems. You want to allow your plants about 4 weeks or so to adapt to the tank before any fertilizing. They need micronutrients, which are available through tap water, as well as macro nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium), and substrate fertilizers.

Keeping up with your plants is just as tricky as the fish. You want to give them nutrients, but not too much. You want to give them lighting, but not too much. The key to keeping healthy, vibrant plants is balance. You need to give them just the right amount of everything to have them flourish. Just keep an eye on them, though. It's not difficult. If their health seems to be deteriorating, figure out what it is that you need to adjust and work from there.