Freshwater Planted Aquarium
Aquatic plants are a great addition to any aquarium, Not only do they provide that added natural look in your aquarium, but they also give that elegant and decorative look that you’re sure to make anyone tilt their heads towards the aquarium every time they happen pass by the fish tank. Starting your adventure in finally putting that plant in your fish tank presents some hazards and dangers that you can easily hop over, if you understand the basic rules about freshwater planted aquariums.
Substrates Fit for Aquatic Plant life
Yes, that’s right, just like ordinary plants, aquatic plants also need a good base for it to rest upon and grow. One common mistake that beginners do is to stick these plants into any substrate without considering the actual value of that substrate to the plant. These aquatic plants need a good substrate for them to start growing, and they particularly need an iron rich base.
Iron enriched substrates should be available at your local specialty store, but if you still want to be able to save money somehow, you can buy half of the substrate and use it as a layer in your aquarium. You can then fill the subsequent levels of the substrate by any other substrate material, for as long as the roots of the plant stays in firm contact with the iron enriched soil.
Proper Lighting for further Plant Growth
What do teachers in grade school teach you about the importance of sunlight to plants? That right, sunlight is crucial for the plants because they need it for the natural process called photosynthesis. This works the same way for plants, only of course they are in a limited artificial environment, so you would need to provide a proper source of lighting for them.
Choosing the proper amount of lighting is important, but it is also important to know that plants have their own biological clock, and synchronizing with this biological clock is necessary for them to grow naturally. Simulate the effects of actual night and day, turning on the lighting for about 12 hours and then turning them off for 12 hours before turning them on again.
Make sure that the nutrients are adequately provided
Nutrients as well, are needed by the plants to grow. Generally, an aquatic plant won’t need additionally nutrients for the first 4 weeks, can vary depending on the environmental conditions and depending on the plant itself. One common way to infuse nutrients into the tank for plant consumption is to use fertilizers, but don’t use too much though, as it can be very lethal to both the plants and the fishes in the water. Also, plants usually require more nutrients when they are exposed to more intense lighting, so you might have to balance the amount of lighting before determining the amount that you want to administer to the plant.
Starting your own freshwater planted aquarium is not that really hard nor is it any troublesome. It just depends upon your passion and interest as an aquarist to expand your knowledge and skills in creating and keeping an artificial underwater environment.
