How to Grow a Healthy Planted Aquarium
- Aug 14, 2020
- Anshika Mishra
- 780 0 0
So, you want to grow some plants in your freshwater aquarium? Here are some tips that will help you succeed in your planted aquarium hobby.
Freshwater Aquarium Fertilizers
The first thing to know is to use fertilizers, use good ones. There are a ton of fertilizers in the market. Do remember that plants need more than just nitrogen. They need iron, phosphate, potassium, and a lot of micronutrients.
They need them in the right amount, and when you look at some of the products, they would be very specific, like just dosing potassium or only dose nitrogen. It's better to get an all-in-one kind of fertilizer if you want natural green. But you can choose what you want.
Apart from this, you also need to know which of your plants need fertilizer. It might sound crazy, but some plants want their fertilizer on the top of the water so that the leave can pull it in. At the same time, some plants prefer to get their fertilizer from the gravel or the substrate, just like outside.
Liquid fertilizer tends to do most of them, whereas root-tabs get the other one. So, if you combine those two, usually you are going to be successful or the substrate that has a lot of minerals in them, the one specifically for plants.
Freshwater Plant Lights
You have to have some lights. You do not want to rely on sunlight. If you do, you will be battling algae, so you have to invest in a good plant light. Know your plant's light needs, some plants are low light plants, and some are high light?
If you want to start, you can go for low light plants and then gradually to a very high light planted tank with CO2 injection. You will need a light dedicated to the plants. Do a bit of research, don't just buy light because it had a plant on it.
Some plants will grow no matter what light you have, but if you are looking and you have basic light, look for low light plants.
Planted Tank Fish Selection
You can not be successful with your plant because you have got the wrong fish. Maybe you got a big Pleco that is knocking over your plants or eating them. Plecos, in general, eat sword plants. If you have something to eat algae, you have got some that are omnivores and will eat everything you ever do.
So, make sure you don't have a plant that is going to eat plants. You might go; How am I going to know? Unfortunately, you would have to google it. By this, you will know more and more, and you will make the right decisions.
Start Easy
The last tip is to start easy—something with low light, easy to grow plants. You can choose low light plants and then buy one of everything. This is one of those times where it's better to buy five different plants than five of the same plants.
Maybe you would love the way the plant looks. But you buy five of them, and you kill them all. Usually, you are going to succeed or not, and when you are successful, you would know a ton of these plants. You are not even going to have to do. You are going to have to learn: how to propagate and how you will do well with the plant kind of stuff.
On the other hand, if you get five different one, three of them live, and two die, you are now mostly successful. Then you can go and figure out why did those two not do well. If you have some success, you know you are not a total failure. You are getting started with actual aquatic plants.
Don't Give Up
A bonus tip is a dying plant is still a plant. Don't give up on it. Don't go, Oh! It looks better when I throw it out. A lot of people throw it out. A lot of times, it will come right back in your water parameter and do well. The reason might be it was just growing in different water before you got it.
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