Aquarium Plants

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Adding gravel and fish to an aquarium makes it look quite bare and boring. You may consider adding some aquarium plants or decorations to spice things up. I believe that live plants are one of the most important decorations you can add because they provide oxygen and places for your fish to hide and live in. They help take some of the stress away from being in an open space which usually leads to sickness. Of course you have two choices of aquarium plants to buy, either fake or live.

Live aquarium plants require special care just like regular house plants. It is not as simply as putting them in and watch them grow. Just as you would choose specific fish, you would also choose specific plants based on their requirements. Some of live plants require special lighting and heating, while others require certain types nutrients you must add to the water on a regular basis. If you have never kept an aquarium before then buying live plants may be something you want to hold off on. If the plants die in the water they will release a lot of toxins which will reduce the quality of the overall aquarium. In many cases a single plants death can kill all the fish in less than 24 hours. There are some simple types of plants that are more for beginners like silver grass, skunk weed, and java moss. Do your research and have the proper equipment and you shouldn’t have any problems.

Fake or plastic aquarium plants are an excellent choice for most hobbyists. They come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors that there is something to please everyone’s tastes. You should consider your fish though. The bright pink neon plants might be beautiful for humans but for some fish this is very unnatural and will cause unneeded stress. If you can have a more realistic habitat for your fish they will be less likely to succumb to sickness and other ailments.

There are many benefits to having live plants such as oxygen production and water purification but there are some downsides that require special attention. A planted aquarium is more susceptible to algae outbreaks, they require special food, cleaning the aquarium gravel is much more difficult as you don’t want to un-root a rooted plant, and many plants require special water temperatures and PH levels. Live aquarium plants do decay over time and that will require good filtration to deal with it.

When deciding to go with fake or live aquarium plants, think about how much time you are willing to spend on keeping things clean and thriving. If you find yourself always strapped for time then you should probably use fake plants and focus on the fish themselves. I recommend that you consider live plants after you have had your aquarium up and running for at least 6 months with no problems. This will ensure there are enough nutrients in the water for the plants, the water conditions are stable, and that you’re ready to commit to them.