The Importance of Plants in your Aquarium

Hey Everyone,

Just thought I'd share another one of my observations in the relatively brief time that I have been in this hobby, a mere 2 years. The fact that I have been able to observe this and appreciate the difference that plants make in an aquarium is evidence enough of how important they are.

I have a 50 gallon South American aquarium with a variety of tetras, catfish and 2 angelfish. In the time that I have had this tank, I have kept fish in it with plants and without plants. I have also varied the plants from time to time although for the first few months in the hobby it was mostly because I was terrible at keeping my plants alive heheh...Well anyway to the point: PLANTS BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOUR FISH!!!! And by plants I mean LIVE PLANTS not those plastic ones that you find at the pet store. I shall explain why later but for now I shall list my observations.

When I had none or a small amount of plants in my aquarium, my tetras used to school very tightly and hide in the corners. During feeding time, it was very hard to ensure they had enough food to eat as they were not willing to come out of their 'safe spots' and catch the pellets as they sank. At that point in time, I was very new to the hobby and was puzzled by their behaviour. The tetras also used to have fights regularly and chase each other around the tank. One day, I visited a local fish shop and found some plants I thought would look nice in my tank, anubias and elodea anacharis. Woe and behold, as soon as I added them to my tank and they started to grow, the fish spread out a lot more and starting eating much more, literally a few days after.

I also observe that they fight less when there are plants for them to hide, most experienced aquarists will know this. I also find that the tank looks a lot more alive and crowded when there are plants in the aquarium. I believe they make the fish more confident and also enable them to behave as they do in nature as plants are in abundance in most rivers and freshwater streams. Another benefit to plants is that they are a factor in inducing spawning and some fish cant spawn without them. I cant count the number of times my angelfish have spawned after the addition of some anubias to my tank.

Finally, before people start complaining about how live plants require maintenance and that they dont have the time, THINK AGAIN. It has almost nothing to do with time, more likely it has to do with choice. Some people also claim that plants dont work wonders with their fish, well back again to choice. Choose plants that will make your tank look full (preferrably tall and wide) and pick hardy species that require little maintenance other than light and weekly fertilisers (which is not too much to ask imo). I personally recommend java fern and anubias highly. Fish dont eat them and they are extremely hardy. They are the main plants I have in my 50 gallon. Plastic plants cannot compare to live plants because they dont grow and take the shape of live plants, which provide more shelter and an interactive element to your tank. However, I cant be sure of that because I have not used plastic plants, its just from what I have observed from other people and my opinion. Anyway, live plants beats plastic plants also because they are rewarding to see your plants grow and gives your fish a change in perspective and more choices once in a while. Lastly, you dont even have to plant the plants in the soil (especially with anubias and java fern), if you are worried about fish uprooting them. Just tie them to a piece of driftwood or rock (thats how i do it!). It looks good especially if you have rocks in your tank too and is very easy to maintain. If you wanna clean or trim the plants, just lift it out and clean it.

Thats all i have to say in this lengthy post. Sorry if i bored you but I just had to share this exciting experience with all of you. Thank you for indulging me and I hope you learnt something!

Elliott

2 members like this

Comment by Robert Jango on January 9, 2014 at 8:20am: I'm going to nit-pick a few things Eliot but this is an excellent post.

With very few exceptions, tropical fish and plants in South America do not occupy the same bodies of water. Vegetarians like Silver Dollars strip the riverbank bushes bare when the waters rise. And certain Pacu feed exclusively on one kind of nut that falls into the water. The rest of the year they eat little or nothing. But fish DO love the shelter plants provide as you so keenly observed. In nature, this shelter comes in the form of low hanging branches and trees that have fallen into the water - not plants.

If the water is right Angelfish, and most other fish, will lay eggs no matter what - on the glass, a filter tube - anywhere! But Angelfish certainly prefer slate or stiff leaves like Anubias as you pointed out. Plants are critical only if you want to save the babies/eggs from being eaten.

You say, "Choose plants that will make your tank look full (preferrably tall and wide) and pick hardy species that require little maintenance other than light and weekly fertilisers." I just wanna say that I totally agree with this statement. In fact some plants like Water Sprite will survive solely on your fishes waste.

Good point about the ferns and Anubias not needing soil. Obviously floating plants also fall into this category too. Plants like Amazon Swords can also go without soil but Dustin is absolutely right in pointing out that rooted plants doing much better in soil.

Good observations, Enjoyed the post.

Comment by OceanLife69 on January 14, 2014 at 7:59pm: Enjoyed the information man, great point! I am a planted newb with just a few months under my belt, so all of your information and Robert's came pretty handy. Thank you!

Albert.

Comment by Kevin Chinn on January 15, 2014 at 1:23am: I am just starting to try my hand at a planted tank. One thing I am unsure of is whether I should use the activated carbon pack in my filter or not. Researching it now, but I will take suggestions. Thx for any help.

Comment by Elliott Ong on January 15, 2014 at 7:02am: From what I have heard, activated carbon has not been proven to have a harmful effect on plants. I personally dont use activated carbon in my planted tank so I cant provide any first hand knowledge on the issue. Research always helps though and I suggest you do some of that before using your activated carbon. Have fun with your tank :)

Comment by Kevin Chinn on January 15, 2014 at 12:37pm: Thx Elliott. Still researching for as much info as possible. My new light fixture comes in today and I will get it up and running and see if that makes a difference.

Comment by Robert Jango on January 15, 2014 at 5:52pm: Activated carbon is great if you're raising soft water fish like Discus because it sucks up all the minerals in the water. Its basically the opposite of plant fertilizer. When combined with zeolite (ammonia removing crystals) it will even kill duckweed.

If your plants were potted in a rich soil it might keep your water clean. But, as a general rule, I would steer clear of it .

Comment by Kevin Chinn on January 16, 2014 at 5:39am: TY, Robert. I took out the carbon "packet" from my filter. I also did a complete testing of where all my levels were at when I took it out. I figured if I keep an eye on my set-up with regular testing to make sure everything will stay stable, I should get a reasonable idea of how I will fair from there.

Comment by Robert Jango on January 16, 2014 at 5:45pm: Test your tap water because that's going to be your aquarium water. Keep your aquarium water clean by removing organics. "Organics" is stuff like food, poop, dead plants and dead fish - anything that comes directly from a living organism.

Change the water at least once every two weeks. I recommend sponge filters but the real filter will be your faucet. If you have chloramines in your tap water make sure you get rid of them using any commercially available product. Google or call your water supplier to find out what's in it. It should be fine. American water is the best and safest in the world.

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