How to care for aquatic plants

Maintaining and care for aquatic plant in aquarium will create a natural landscape, in addition, an Aquatic plant supports a healthy and balanced ecosystem, and provides a healthy life for your fish. Includes: 

Aquatic plants consume Carbon dioxide and produce Oxygen, helping to stabilize PH and filter water. 

Cleaning nitrates and phosphates from water, also prevents algae from growing in the tank. 

Aquatic Plants in aquarium also maintains the health of your fish, provides protection and a natural habitat for fish, can prevent stress on fish, because fish feel protected by the surrounding aquatic plants. 

Aquatic plants also provide natural food sources for fish, namely microbes and microbentos that live around aquatic plants or at the bottom of the aquarium. 

Aquatic plants also provide spawning grounds for fish species and provide shelter for newly hatched seeds. 

If you like and want to maintain and care for Aquatic plants in your aquarium, you must understand the basic needs of aquatic plants. In order to thrive an Aquatic plant requires the following things,

How to care for Aquatic plants in aquarium

1. Clean water

In order to grow healthily an Aquatic plant requires water at a pH between 6.5 and 7.8, a general hardness of 50 ppm to 100 ppm and an alkalinity between 3 ° and 8 ° dKH or 54ppm - 140 ppm, Water temperature ranges from 74 ° and 80 ° F.

You have to change the water in the aquarium 25% every week, to remove organic pollutants in the water, you can use organic adsorption in the water filter. Proper circulation is important for aquatic plants, always clean the filter regularly from accumulated organic waste.

If your water is not suitable, try settling the water for 24 hours before filling the tank, you can also use deionized water by adding Freshwater Renewal.

2. Aquatic Plants Media

Aquatic plants require a growing medium in the form of a nutrient substrate suitable for aquatic plant roots, besides that the right planting medium ensures healthy root development as well as a plant root barrier.

You can use a mixture of fine and coarse gravel with a graded texture according to your desired aesthetic, such as terraces, hills and valleys to create depth and dimension.

Avoid using fine sand because it can solidify and make it difficult for the roots of aquatic plants to breathe, also avoid using dolomite, crushed coral or shells, as well as substrates containing calcium carbonate, because they can increase the pH of the water. 

3. Lighting for Aquatic plants 

One of the requirements for aquatic plants to thrive and be healthy is the right light. Each species of aquatic plants requires a different light intensity. 

The light spectrum needed by aquatic plants to be healthy and fertile is between 6,500 - 8,000 Kelvin. The use of fluorescent lights and High Output T5 LEDs will provide the best lighting for aquarium aquatic plants, but keep in mind the depth and size of the aquarium to determine light usage. 

The important thing in lighting for aquatic plants is to cycle day and night, aquatic plants need 10 to 12 lighting per day.

If space is possible, you can position the aquarium with the aquatic plants at an angle to the sunlight. 

4. Nutrition For Aquatic Plants

In order to thrive aquatic plants need nitrogen and phosphorus as well as potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese and other minerals, these nutrients are obtained from waste produced by fish, aquatic plant species absorb nutrients from leaves, roots or both. 

In addition, provide organic fertilizers for aquatic plants, there are several types of fertilizers for Aquatic plants that can be applied to growing media, in liquid or tablet form, which can be given in weekly doses. 

When setting up the aquarium, you can also add iron rich clay to the growing medium.

5. CO2 for Aquatic plants 

Dissolved carbon in water is needed by aquatic plants to grow healthily. Aquatic plants produce CO2 at night, while during the day they produce oxygen. 

Aquatic plants need CO2 to carry out photosynthesis, most types of aquatic plants do not need CO2 to survive, but if you add CO2, their size, color and growth will be better. 

The use of liquid supplements or tablets can supply carbon needs, but the use of a pressure injection system synchronized with the aquarium light to supply CO2, will be more convenient and reliable. 

Correct selection of aquatic plant types, selection of fish types, lighting, filtration systems, nutrition, aquarium height, CO2 and aquarium arrangement, are ways to care for Aquatic plants in aquarium, this will make your aquascape perfect, because aquatic plants and fish can live healthy naturally in your aquarium.

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