Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Why Are Live Plants For A Freshwater Aquarium Needed?

One of the many attractions in owning a
freshwater aquarium is the fact that you can
approximate the looks and conditions of the
natural habitat of your freshwater fish. Aside
from the natural sand, rocks and other decorative
items, freshwater aquarium live plants complete
the natural atmosphere within the tank.

Aside from making your aquarium look great, the
live plants have other benefits for your fish.
Foremost of these is the fact that they produce
oxygen which your fish needs and in turn absorb
carbon dioxide and ammonia which are harmful to
them.

This miniature ecosystem in your aquarium is also
beneficial to the fish in other terms. It means
less stress because of the secure environment for
them to hide, explore and live on. (Some fish are
herbivores and sometimes use the plants as one of
their food supplements.)

Plants For Your Tank

There is some need to do research on what plants
you want and what plants is best in combination
with the fish species you had chosen. (Some
plants are outright harmful to certain fishes.)

Some plants are easier to take care of than
others. Some need more light than the others.
There are many of them that are hardy, though.
(java ferns, vallesneria, hygrophila, etc.)

The following are some of the more popular
aquarium plants. They are popular because of
their looks, their color, their sturdy nature and
their value in the total ecosystem within your
tank.

Cabomba

With its fan-shaped leaves, Cabomba (Carolina
Fanwort) is a fast-growing live aquarium plant
that provides the much-needed shade to your
fishes. It is also used as a good hiding place as
well as providing materials for spawning.

Cabomba plants also help in oxygenating and
clarifying the water to minimize growth of the
irksome algae. It is receptive to good lighting.
It is beautiful and hardy and can grow as much as
an inch a day. (You need to have a regular
schedule of trimming sessions with the plant.)

It can be propagated by cuttings from mature,
healthy plants. It will root if the shoots are
buried in the gravel.

Java Fern

Few will argue that Java ferns are one of the
best, if not the best, all-around aquarium
plants. It is hardy and does not need much of the
requirements like the other plants. It gets its
fertilizer from the fish wastes and the dissolved
carbon dioxide in the water.

The tough and unpleasant taste of its leaves
makes it ideal to keep with plant-eating species
of fish that tend to nip on the leaves of most
plants. It also grows even in low light
conditions.

To reproduce java ferns, get a new plantlet that
grows out of older leaves of parent plants.
Secure it to a rock or driftwood until the roots
form and it can be planted.

Hornwort

Used mainly by fish breeders, the free-floating
hornwort acts as a great cover for spawning. (The
small fries love hiding in its lush foliage.)
Planted or left floating, it is also a good
oxygenator.

New aquarium owners regard hornworts as a perfect
plant for their tanks. It can survive any type of
lights, it grows as much as an inch a day, and it
sucks out fish wastes (carbon dioxide, ammonia,
nitrites, phosphates, nitrates) fast.

Hornworts can be kept in either cold or tropical
type aquariums. It can be left floating around or
buried in the gravel and it can still grow as
usual.

Sagittaria

This is another easy-to-grow rosette plant that
can thrive in most aquariums. There are many
species of the plant, but all are perennials,
with arrowhead-shaped leaves. (Some are narrow
and look like grass leaves.)

Sagittaria thrives in low to high lighting and
grows quickly, propagated by runners which form
dense groupings by themselves. This one is a
favorite of many of the fish in an aquarium
because of the density which fish can use to hide
from predators and it goes from the bottom all
the way to the top of the tank to the surface.

Vallisneria

Vallisneria is among the most prized plants
around: they are counted as the hardiest, easily
grown, and with the least requirements. All it
needs is lots of light and some leftover
nutrients around.

They look great grown as backgrounds, on the
sides of the tank and in the central areas, too.
They are similar to the arrowhead Sagittaria,
though with pointier leaves and lighter green
shades.

Anubias

One of the most undemanding aquatic plants,
Anubias is also one of the best-looking around.
These are a very tough plant and hearty as well.

They can thrive on either low or high light, can
withstand very soft or hard water, any pH from
5.5 to 8.5, and any temperature between 20 and 30
degrees Celsius. some live plants are specially
included so that the fish won't try to eat them
or snack on them when they are hungry.

They do grow slow but they provide great coverage
for the fish. Aquarium owners mistakenly remove
them thinking they are not growing at all. With
this, their leaves are prone to algae growth. (It
is best to plant them in a shady area to avoid
algae propagation.)

Plant Choices

Just like all the work that you do in preparing
your aquarium, the choice of freshwater aquarium
live plants is crucial to the many things in your
tank - the health of your fish, the balance of
the aquarium's ecosystem and obviously, the
beauty of your aquarium.

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