Can I Have Live Aquarium Plants in my Aquarium?
Posted by Artur Wlazlo on 15 Sep 2019
The answer to this question is almost always a resounding YES. In fact, while there may be a very few cases where having aquatic plants would make little or no sense - e.g. aquariums housing plant eating fish - having plants in your aquarium not only will make your aquarium look better and more natural, plants are also enormously beneficial to your tank inhabitants.
Plants provide hiding places for your fish and they also consume ammonia and nitrates, essentially acting like additional filtration making your aquarium water “cleaner” for fish and all other tank inhabitants.
There are many varieties of aquarium plants, ranging from plants that are easy to grow that do not require a lot of special care, such high intensity lighting, to those that are difficult to maintain requiring intense lighting, fertilization and even CO2 injection. Which ones you choose depends entirely on you, your esthetics, your setup and how much time you plan on devoting to maintaining your aquarium and plants. There are no right or wrong answers.
For example, Anubias are beautiful aquarium plants suitable for most water conditions. They do not require - although will welcome it - special additives, fertilization or high intensity lighting. Anubias will thrive in low-light conditions and require a minimum level of care. They’re perfect for beginner aquarists but many experienced hobbyists use them in their ranks as well simply for their beauty. Without high intensity lighting or fertilization, they are slow growers which many aquarists actually welcome because their slower growth eliminates trimming and other labor intensive tasks.
Cryptocorynes, or crypts for short, are another species of aquarium plants that are very popular in the hobby. This is not surprising because crypts are beautiful, come in many varieties and are undemanding plants. They generally do not require high lighting and fertilization, while advisable, is not required. But you should be aware that if you’re interested in maintaining some of the red cryptocoryne variants like Cryptocoryne Wendtti, you will likely need to provide supplemental iron fertilization. Otherwise, while the plant will be healthy and will look beautiful, it will likely not retain its red hues and instead it will turn green.
Amazon swords (Echinodorus) are another type of aquarium plant that does well in different water conditions and under varying lighting conditions. Although they will do exceptionally well under good lighting and if planted in good, nutritiously rich, gravel. Some of these specimens can grow quite large and look spectacular even in the largest aquariums.
There are many other live aquarium plants, too many to list here, but one thing is for sure: you can have live aquarium plants in your aquarium. What’s more, it’s not difficult to keep them successfully. You shouldn’t be afraid to give it a try. Your tank will look better and your fish will thank you for it.