Using Live Plants in Your Home Aquarium

A tank without any plants can still look attractive, but a well planted one almost always looks better, and does genuine work behind the scenes that plastic decor cannot match. For anyone still deciding whether to bother with live plants, it helps to understand exactly what they add and what they ask for in return.

What live plants actually do for a tank

Growing plants absorb ammonia, nitrite and nitrate directly as nutrients, which means a well planted tank often runs cleaner between water changes than an unplanted one carrying the same fish load. They also produce oxygen during daylight hours, offer fish genuine cover from stress and from each other, and compete with algae for the same light and nutrients, which tends to keep algae growth in check over time.

Starting with genuinely easy species

A first planted tank goes far more smoothly with a handful of forgiving plants rather than an ambitious aquascape from day one:

• Java fern and Anubias, both slow growing plants that attach to driftwood or rock rather than needing to be planted in substrate, and tolerate low light and irregular care
• Java moss, useful for covering wood or mesh and providing cover for fry and shrimp, equally undemanding
• Amazon sword, a larger background plant that roots in the substrate and benefits from occasional root tabs
• Cryptocoryne wendtii, a hardy, low light rosette plant that spreads readily once settled

What these plants need to thrive

None of the species above demand injected carbon dioxide or specialist lighting, which makes them well suited to a first attempt. A standard aquarium LED running 8 to 10 hours a day is enough, and a light dose of liquid fertiliser weekly gives stem and rosette plants what they need, while Java fern and Anubias get by on very little beyond what fish waste already provides.

A note on rhizome plants

Java fern and Anubias grow from a rhizome, a thick horizontal stem, and this should never be buried in the substrate, since it will rot if it is. Tie or glue the rhizome to a piece of driftwood or a rock instead, and let the roots find their own way into any gaps, which also makes these two plants a good match for a tank with a plain gravel substrate rather than a planted-specific one.

Sourcing plants in India

Local aquarium shops in most Indian cities stock at least Java fern, Anubias, Amazon sword and a few Cryptocoryne varieties, often more affordably than ordering online, though the quality and health of stock varies a good deal between shops. Whatever the source, quarantine new plants in a bucket of clean water for a few minutes and inspect leaves and stems closely for snails or snail eggs, small jelly-like clusters usually on the underside of leaves, before adding anything to an established tank.

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