Plants play a key role in your aquarium offering shelter to help any fish that may seem insecure and also providing food for herbivorous species.
Plants also help to improve the water conditions by absorbing nitrate and giving off oxygen.
They need nutrients for growth and while they obtain some from the water they may also need an aquarium fertiliser to stay healthy. The fertiliser can be via a liquid or in pellet form added to the base of the plant. Good filtration and lighting will greatly assist.
Tip – Don’t use garden compost as this will poison the fish.
You may find that new plant additions to the tank are either uprooted or eaten before they have time to establish themselves. In regards to the first point using an anchor weight will help the plants roots attach to the substrate. Goldfish in particular are very successful in uprooting new plants.
An alternative to a weight is to use a small pot which also allows the plant to be moved in the early stages of growth.
In regards to the second point of the plants being eaten you at least know your fish are enjoying the plants; however, this can be a bit frustrating when your plants are quickly demolished.
As a lot of fish are vegetarian in nature they will sample what is on offer.
One plant that they tend to leave alone is Java Fern. Another option is to offer your fish some alternative foods such as lettuce to distract them from eating your plants until they become established.
Regular Plants
We have a weekly delivery of new arrivals. Some of these include the following:
- Wisteria
- Sword Tail
- Java Fern
- Listeria
- Ludwigia
- Hygrophila
- Blue Stricta
- Ambulia
- Elodea
- Silver Waffle
- Lace Fern
- Dragons Flame
- Purple Temple
- Baby Tears
If you have a particular plant request we can check with our suppliers regarding availability.
