Our Specimens
At Modern Aquarium, we make it easy to browse all our fish aquarium plants, including plants that are hard to find, as well as more commonly available freshwater aquarium plants. Since our collection of freshwater aquarium plants is so large, we’ve broken up our plant inventory into a number of categories for your convenience. Whether you know the exact plant name you’re looking for or you’re a novice browsing for your first live plants, narrow your search by exploring the unique types of aquatic plants in our collection.
Plant Sub-Categories
The simplest way to break down the aquarium plant types in our collection is by placement. We’ve organized our plants by species, as well as where you may want to put them in your aquarium. We feature background plants, which are taller, leafy varieties that go in the back of the tank. Next up are midground plants: medium-height options with unique colors that serve as accents around the middle of your fish tank. Finally, check out our foreground plants. These are carpeting types of fish tank plants for the front of your aquarium.
Plant Types
Background
Tall and aesthetic, background plants serve as both a secondary focal point and backdrop for your entire aquarium. These types of aquarium plants include stem plants, Vallisneria, Ferns, and Swords for their height and stunning leaf designs.
- Lighting: Moderate, but will grow faster with stronger light
- Temperature Range: 68–82°F
- Substrate: Loosely packed, nutrient-rich substrate
- Nutrient Needs: Occasional root tabs
- Growth Rate: Fast under good conditions
- Pruning: Occasional
- Care Level: Easy
Midground
This is the main focal point of your aquascape, and the most common aquarium plants for the midground area include Cryptocoryne, Sagittaria, Lily-Like, and Anubias. These plants are ideal for midground placement because of their distinctive coloring and shapes. Choose these types of aquarium plants because they’re eye-catching and interesting!
- Lighting: Low to moderate
- Temperature Range: 71–86°F
- Substrate: Most require nutrient-rich substrate, but floating plants aren’t grounded
- Nutrient Needs: Root tabs or liquid fertilizer (for floating plants)
- Growth Rate: Low to moderate, depending on lighting
- Pruning: Moderate
- Care Level: Easy
Foreground
Fish aquarium plants in the foreground can fill in the front of your tank while ensuring there are layers to your aquascape design. To ensure variety in size and height, these are typically carpeting plants that grow low and spread wide, like micro swords, hair grass, smaller Anubias, Mosses, and Mats.
- Lighting: Low to moderate
- Temperature Range: 59–86°F
- Substrate: Varies by plant type
- Nutrient Needs: Liquid fertilizer is best
- Growth Rate: Slow for most
- Pruning: Minimal
- Care Level: Easy
What’s the Best Plant for You
You’ll need several types of aquatic plants from each of these categories for a complex and comprehensive design. But which options are best for you? Take a look at some of the best plants for different setups to make your choice.
Best Beginner Plants
If you want the easiest types of aquarium plants to work with, you’re in luck! We have a specialized selection of plants that require the least amount of care and maintenance. Beginner plants include:
- Foreground: Red Root Floater (Phyllanthus Fluitans) or Duckweed (Lemna Minor)
- Midground: Hornwort (Ceratophyllum Demersum) or Cardinal Plant
- Background: Amazon Sword (Echinodorus sp) or Bacopa (Bacopa Caroliniana)
Best Low-Light Plants
When you don’t want to deal with CO2 or specialized lighting, you want low-light plants that can grow anywhere. These types of aquarium plants include:
- Foreground: Java Moss or Bucephalandra
- Midground: Any of the Cryptocorynes
- Background: Java Ferns or Anubias
Best Plants For Small Tanks
Common aquarium plants for more compact aquariums must have slow growth rates to mitigate the need for constant pruning. You can expose your plants to less light to slow growth, or consider these easy-care fish aquarium plants:
- Foreground: Anubias Nana Petite or Anubias on Lava Rock
- Midground: Cryptocoryne Parva or Cryptocoryne Lucens
- Background: Anubias plants with minimal exposure to light
Best Types of Aquatic Plants for Fish
If you have fish, snails, or shrimp in your tank, you need plants that blend seamlessly with their needs. The best types of aquarium plants for your fish include:
- Anubias
- Java Fern
- Water Wisteria
- Hornwort
These are ideal types of aquarium plants for fish because they provide cover while removing excess nutrients from the water from fish waste.
Shop Our Collection
We are working hard to make your shopping experience enjoyable and hassle-free. For example, you can shop and narrow your search parameters by types of aquarium plants or by plant placement. Whether you’re interested in background plants, foreground plants, or midground plants, Modern Aquarium is here to help. Shop our inventory now or reach out to our team for additional assistance.
Many of our plants are also available as potted or growing on rocks and driftwood.