An optimal aquarium is clear, clean water without algae, active and multi-colored fish, and beautiful plants. But shouldn’t plants come first? For they largely determine whether the water in our tank is clear and algae-free and whether the fish are healthy and in good condition. This is because plants take carbon dioxide from the water and neutralize harmful substances of organic origin, such as nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, and they enrich the water with oxygen. It is therefore worthwhile to have at least a few plants in our aquarium, especially since some of them are easy to care for. Here are our suggestions for aquarium beginners.
Wendt’s Spurge is an attractive, green marsh plant with brown shades originating from Asian regions. It is undemanding as far as lighting (it can grow even in less lit places) and fertilizing are concerned, so it is recommended even for beginners. It grows by rhizomes creating dense clumps about 15-20 cm high. It looks very effective just planted in clumps, together with other varieties of compacts, as a background plant.
Echinodorus Amazonicus is a light green plant with large and long lanceolate leaves, native to South America. It grows up to 35 cm high and 40 cm wide. It needs relatively good light and should be placed in the center of the aquarium (it grows poorly in the shade). It should be planted singly, as a tertiary plant. It lives mainly in wetlands and marshes so it requires fertile ground.
A common species that occurs in nature almost all over the world. Therefore it is one of the most well-known and widespread aquarium plants. It has long, narrow, ribbon-like leaves of light green color and is very easy to cultivate. It has no special light requirements so it can occupy side zones of the tank. It grows up to half a meter long.
Sagittaria subulata is a marsh plant from the frog family that is commonly found throughout the Americas. It is characterized by narrow, light green leaves that span from 5 to even 45 cm. The length of the leaves depends on lighting – the better the lighting, the longer the leaves. Sagittaria subulata spreads quickly by spreading, forming a dense lawn. It can therefore be successfully used as a foreground plant.
With the proposed easy-to-grow plants you can create an interesting and impressive composition. You can place Winged Arrowwort in the foreground, Wendt’s Spurge in the background, Amazon Frogweed in the middle, and screwweed in the side or back zones of the aquarium. They are mud plants, so they require a suitable substrate consisting of fine gravel with clay (clay balls), peat or garden soil.
For this type of plants it is recommended to use lighting based on T5, about 0.4 W per liter of water with a color temperature of 6500 K, supplemented with fluorescent lamps with a high color rendering index Ra > 90 and red spectrum. You can also use ready-made GROW LED panels with a wattage suitable for the size of the tank. Water can come from the tap, after all, the mentioned plants tolerate quite a large range of its parameters (hardness 2-15°dGH, pH 6,0-8,0, temperature 23-28°C).
Featured photo: Pixabay
