Plants and You- the not-so-scary-as-it-seems guide!
Oh, plants. Next to cycling and diseases, live plants are a large anxiety and mystery to new aquarists. Sometimes, aquarium plants can be very tough to take care of and very expensive. Alas, never fear! There are plants out there that are easy to care for. Yes, I said it. Easy!
The best thing you can do when considering live plants is acknowledging your tank’s level of maintenance. No, not water changes, though these are important, Im talking about how much care can be given to them. For instance, do you have a cO2 system? Fertilizer? Proper lighting? Proper substrate?
“Low” maintenance tanks include:
-Tanks without fluorescent lighting
-Tanks with no or little substrate, or substrate like gems, rocks, and marbles.
-Tanks that require frequent 100% water changes (which would require them to be taken out)
-Tanks without cO2 or heavy fertilization/any fertilization
-Tanks without supplemental minerals
Medium maintenance tanks include:
-Tanks with proper lighting and/or access to direct sunlight
-Tanks with gravel or sand
- Tanks that are cycled or filtered/ do not need constant uprooting, etc.
- Tanks that get some/moderate fertilization, maybe cO2.
-Tanks with some supplements, probably from fertilizers.
Both of these types are easily achieved. The biggest difference between them is expense.
While not too pricey, buying correct lighting and fertilizers/ supplements can become a bit costly. Sometimes, these products can be hard to come by, especially for those with stores that carry very limited supplies. Both tanks are rewarding and an endeavor you should seriously consider!
Keep these things in mind when researching plants, knowing your kind of tank is helpful!
I myself had a LM tank, because I had no access to any kind of fertilizers or proper lighting. In fact, my tank got very little natural light from the sun. Now I have a MM tank and enjoy it quite a bit!
Plants that thrive in LM tanks are generally low-light plants and plants that require no additional fertilization. MM tanks are low-medium light lovers that enjoy or do best with fertilization or require specific/ special care.
Here are some of the easiest to care for and most common plants new aquariests like to use with great results. There are, of course, many more plants that fit into the LM and MM tank parameters, but these are usually some of the easiest and least expensive!
Oh, plants. Next to cycling and diseases, live plants are a large anxiety and mystery to new aquarists. Sometimes, aquarium plants can be very tough to take care of and very expensive. Alas, never fear! There are plants out there that are easy to care for. Yes, I said it. Easy!
The best thing you can do when considering live plants is acknowledging your tank’s level of maintenance. No, not water changes, though these are important, Im talking about how much care can be given to them. For instance, do you have a cO2 system? Fertilizer? Proper lighting? Proper substrate?
“Low” maintenance tanks include:
-Tanks without fluorescent lighting
-Tanks with no or little substrate, or substrate like gems, rocks, and marbles.
-Tanks that require frequent 100% water changes (which would require them to be taken out)
-Tanks without cO2 or heavy fertilization/any fertilization
-Tanks without supplemental minerals
Medium maintenance tanks include:
-Tanks with proper lighting and/or access to direct sunlight
-Tanks with gravel or sand
- Tanks that are cycled or filtered/ do not need constant uprooting, etc.
- Tanks that get some/moderate fertilization, maybe cO2.
-Tanks with some supplements, probably from fertilizers.
Both of these types are easily achieved. The biggest difference between them is expense.
While not too pricey, buying correct lighting and fertilizers/ supplements can become a bit costly. Sometimes, these products can be hard to come by, especially for those with stores that carry very limited supplies. Both tanks are rewarding and an endeavor you should seriously consider!
Keep these things in mind when researching plants, knowing your kind of tank is helpful!
I myself had a LM tank, because I had no access to any kind of fertilizers or proper lighting. In fact, my tank got very little natural light from the sun. Now I have a MM tank and enjoy it quite a bit!
Plants that thrive in LM tanks are generally low-light plants and plants that require no additional fertilization. MM tanks are low-medium light lovers that enjoy or do best with fertilization or require specific/ special care.
Here are some of the easiest to care for and most common plants new aquariests like to use with great results. There are, of course, many more plants that fit into the LM and MM tank parameters, but these are usually some of the easiest and least expensive!