Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Advice on 2 Types of Freshwater Aquarium Plants to Use - Rooted and Cuttings

Freshwater aquarium plants are an important part
of the overall strategy in ensuring your aquarium
has a satisfactory environment in which to keep
and maintain your fish in a healthy state. This
report covers two types of plants you can use and
their requirements.

It is a mistake to regard plants as nothing to be
concerned about. Plants play an important role in
aquariums as they not only help to provide a safe
and attractive environment for the fish they also
help to maintain and improve water conditions in
the aquarium by reducing nitrate levels.

Do not treat the selection of plants as a trivial
task. It is not. By reducing levels of nitrate in
the aquarium, providing a haven for timid and shy
fish, helping reduce algae growth and during
breeding supplying areas for spawning, plants
have great beneficial effect on both the aquarium
environment and the fish themselves.

When buying plants make sure they are really
proper aquatic plants and check the leaves for
discoloration. There are generally 4 sorts of
freshwater aquarium plants you could put in your
tank cuttings, rooted plants, floating plants and
tubers. Here we cover the rooted plants and the
cuttings.

Rooted Plants

Rooted plants you purchase are often seen encased
in mesh baskets. You can plant them in your tank
as they are but in time the baskets may become
visible so you may wish to plant with the baskets
removed. In some cases plants are in a synthetic
media which may cause irritation to your fish so
it is best removed.

In other cases you may find more than one
specimen in your pot, so separate them all before
planting in the substrate. You can feed your
plants every quarter if necessary with aquarium
fertilizer and if you want to restrict their
growth you can cut some of the roots at the base.

Plants like the Dwarf Anubias (Anubias nana) and
Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus) are good for
giving height to your planting layout. They have
rhizomes (horizontal stems) sprouting small roots
that will attach themselves onto wood or rocks.
And of course, fish that dig around in the
substrate will not affect these plants.

The Dwarf Anubia can be fixed to wood or rocks by
nylon line initially until established but be
careful not to cut through the rhizome. Lighting
should be somewhat subdued. The Java Fern grows
slowly and is sturdy, requiring moderate lighting.

Cuttings

Cuttings are the tops of plants (no roots) and
are useful for both the foreground in your tank
or the background, though you will need to trim
the foreground plants regularly. You need to
place the cuttings so that light can get through
to the very bottom leaves, otherwise they will
die, rot and pollute the tank.

Locate the cuttings in such a way that when
viewed from in front of the tank all you see is a
wall of plants. Never plant in bunches as this
can cause stem rot due to bruising, especially
with vulnerable species. A lot of plants can grow
both in and out of water and are easier to
cultivate.

The Green Cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana) has fine
feathery leaves and it is better to have soft
water and bright light. But it may be a bit
difficult to grow. The Giant Hygrophila
(Nomaphila stricta) has large broad leaves, is
useful as sites for spawning and for providing a
safe haven. They do better with water that is
slightly hard and with a good strong light.

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Paul Curran is webmaster at
Fresh-Water-Aquariums-Guide.com and provides a
care information system for fresh water
aquariums. Get your FREE E-Course on how to set
up and maintain a beautiful aquarium, have the
healthiest, happiest fish around AND learn about
more freshwater aquarium plants at
http://www.fresh-water-aquariums-guide.com/freshwa
ter-aquarium-plants/

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