15 Best Plants for Aquarium in 2023 – User Guide and Reviews

Why Should I Buy Live Aquarium Plants?

While most people think that live aquarium plants are only for beautifying purposes, keeping these shrubs in an artificial pond has several benefits. These little greenery things improve the water quality and make it breathable for all of our sea pets living in it. Moreover, this flora is responsible for preventing the growth of any kind of fungi or algae. They live by clearing up fish waste and debris and much more.

Besides keeping a fish tank clean, the best aquarium plants are even responsible for producing enough oxygen for all creatures in it. Furthermore, live marine flora even provide a safe space for new fishes to grow and adapt to their surroundings, like hiding out or living in a shelter.

Aquarium Plants and Lighting

Like all other plants, aquarium plants also need lighting to survive. However, natural sunlight cannot reach them through the water. Hence, in order to keep them alive, one has to install lighting in their marine museum. Most important thing about the lighting system for this flora is the color spectrum. Colors are measured in Kelvin, and they determine a color’s warm level. Moreover, a color temperature determines a shrub’s growth level. Make sure that a color temperature is somewhere between 6500K to 8000K. This particular range is a perfect temperature for spectrum light, and these shrubs give good results in this range.

While installing the lighting system, individuals need to take care that a light’s intensity is good for a shrub. Different marine weeds need different types of lighting. While buying a shrub, ensure to know about its survival lighting range. However, one can always depend on LED or fluorescent lights to get great results. But make sure that these bulbs’ intensity is not too high; else, they can do some serious damage to flora. On the other hand, if this intensity is too low, it may not reach a plant properly.

Different Types of Aquarium Plants

When you enter an aquarium store to buy live plants, you will find several types of marine flora. You need to get the right fish tank flora as not all fishes can thrive in all kinds of weeds. While some of these shrubs might be perfect for your water pets, some might be poisonous for them or, worse, fatal. Thus, it is important to know about these shrubs’ types. There are 3 major categories of these: Foreground, Midground, and Background.

Foreground Plants

Foreground aquarium plants are also known as “carpeting plants.” These are mostly used for creating an aquatic lawn in a marine museum. They are small in height and do not grow much. Moreover, these types of weeds are perfect for any kind of water tank and will create an ocean type of surrounding.

Midground Plants

As the name states, midground plants grow up to a medium height. These are perfect for fishbowls having small fish. Furthermore, it would help all marine inhabitants in getting acquainted with their surroundings. Moreover, these serve as a good bridge between foreground and background shrubs.

Background Plants

Background plants are the tallest ones and are usually placed at the back of a tank. They serve as a good hiding spot for new fishes and for laying eggs. Moreover, these are even helpful in covering up a marine exhibit’s equipment and creating a more natural environment. Besides, these weeds have a fast growth rate and need to be taken care of, or else they can fill a whole fish tank.

How do you Take Care of Aquarium Plants?

1. Like garden plants, even common aquarium plants need proper care else they will die. Here are some tips that will help you in taking proper care of your marine shrubs.
2. While setting up a live aquarium plant, make sure that the water in a tank is clean and free from chemicals. If it consists of chemicals, then it would affect a shrub badly. Moreover, make it a point to clean the tank water once in 2-3 days.
3. Make sure the lighting of an artificial pond is perfect. Even these flora need light for their photosynthesis. Since they are devoid of sunlight, people need to provide them with an appropriate lighting spectrum.
4. A marine exhibit should have a good substrate. If it does not have a perfect substrate, a weed’s root growth will slow down. To prevent it from happening, you can add coarse gravel to your fishbowl as a substrate. There are other options too, like coarse sand, and you can even add a mix of both these materials.
5. Ensure to clean substrates before adding them to an artificial pond and make sure that the height of their base is at least 3 inches.
6. Proper nutrients can increase a flora’s growth. A person must add nutrients to their marine museums regularly. They can go for potassium, iron, phosphorus, and other minerals regarding that purpose.
7. It is important to consult professional aquarists before adding minerals, as not all minerals will suit aquarium plants. Moreover, an individual should only add minerals once or twice a week, as overdose can damage weeds.

How to Grow Aquarium Plants?

If you want to grow these marine shrubs, then there are some things that you should know about. These weeds need proper lighting and nutrients to grow in an artificial environment. Here are some steps that would help you in installing these shrubs easily.

1. Use gravel and coarse sand mixture as a base to sow these plants. Make sure that the base is at least 2-3″ high so that these can grow roots.
2. Use proper lighting for a fish tank. These weeds need around 8 to 12 hours of lighting per day. Spectrum temperature should be between 6500K to 8000K.
3. Add aquarium fertilizer before adding plants to a marine exhibit. You can consult your aquarist for fertilizers and make sure to follow the instructions on the packet.
4. After adding fertilizer, fill the fish tank halfway with water.
5. Now add plants. Make sure that these shrubs are buried till their stems are in a gravel-sand mixture. If you are going for bulbs or tubers, then you need to cover their bulbs till their growing-tips in gravel.
6. After done with this whole process, put your fish, rocks and other accessories in the tank.
7. Once you are done adding all these things, fill it up with water.

How to Keep Live Plants in an Aquarium?

Aquarium plants need constant care to thrive in an artificial environment. If you are about to keep them, then you should be aware of these things.

1. Aquarium plants need constant lighting to produce enough oxygen for your sea pets.
2. Substrates should not be too rich in minerals, as it can cause a rise in the pH levels.
3. If a shrub takes nutrients from roots, you can add fertilizer directly to its substrate or put it in tablets and insert it in the gravel.
4. It is better for those who do not have enough fish in tanks to go for additional CO2 suppliers. These shrubs do need CO2, not only for photosynthesis but also for growing properly and having good coloration.

Each of these flora are different. However, those above tips apply to all types of aquarium plants. While buying these shrubs, make sure not to buy tons of them, as a marine exhibit will become full, and it would be difficult to clean them. You can buy 2-3 of these weeds for a medium-sized marine bowl.

How to Plant Aquarium Plants in Gravel?

Before using gravel to grow aquarium plants, you should check for the gravel’s size. Make sure that gravel chips are around 01.-0.2″ in size. If you are going for coarse gravel, then their size should be no more than 2″. After checking the size, follow these steps.

1. Layer your aquarium floor with coarse gravel. Make sure that the gravel’s layer does not exceed 3″ of height.
2. Add fertilizer to this gravel after layering. One can either directly add fertilizer or put it in tablets and then insert it in the gravel. Adding a fertilizer depends on an aqua shrub that you select.
3. Fill your artificial pond halfway with water.
4. Now add shrubs. Make sure not to shift the gravel layer while putting them. If the gravel substrate shifts, then it can damage its roots. Moreover, roots can get pulled off while shifting this gravel layer.
5. After putting these weeds, add other items too.
6. Finally, fill your tank with enough water.

For cleaning the gravel substrate, you can use a siphon kitto vacuum. However, make sure not to take out the gravel while cleaning it.