Planting your Aquarium Plants Correctly
Do you want to have a beautiful planted aquarium that will be a lovely
addition to your home?
Follow the guidelines below. Almost all Tropica aquarium plants are
sold in plastic pots with 'Grodan' (an artificial growing medium made of
stonewool). The stonewool and the pot provide excellent growing conditions
for the plants in our aquarium-plant nursery. They also provide a secure
way to transport the plants to your aquarium. When you get your Tropica
aquarium plants home, remove the pot and then carefully remove as much
stonewool from the plant roots as you can without damaging the roots. With
the stonewool removed, spread the roots out and gently push them into the
substrate.
If the roots are too long and it is difficult to spread them out,
shorten them with a sharp knife or scissors. Small, dense, plants such as
Lilaeopsis can be very difficult to plant if you remove them from the
stonewool. Instead, remove just the lower part of the stonewool and place
the remaining stonewool with the roots still in it, in the substrate. Old,
yellowing leaves may be cut off before planting. To get the best visual
effect from your plants, keep them grouped. Position identical plants in
patches and they will have the greatest visual impact in your aquarium. If
your stem plants are too tall, cut the tops off and re-plant the cuttings
in the substrate. New roots will soon develop.
The following advice will help you to grow bigger and healthier plants
in your aquarium: Adequate light is very important. You can provide your
plants with sufficient light economically by using fluorescent tubes.
Good-quality fluorescent lighting will also help to inhibit the growth of
certain algae: if you put a reflector behind the tubes you will increase
the amount of light that reaches the plants.. The lights on your planted
tank should be turned on ten to fourteen hours each day.
When you first set up your tank, plant fast-growing plants such as
Swords, Hygrophila difformis "Synema", Hygrophila
polysperma "Green Hygrophila", Ceratophyllum
"Horn Worth", Sagittaria, Ceratopteris and Vallisneria.
Fast-growing plants will help to maintain a good biological balance in the
aquarium and this will help to prevent the growth of algae. It is also
important to balance the number of plants with the number of fish. All too
often there are too many fish and too few plants. Excessive amounts of
food and too many fish are the most common cause of algae growth. The use
of aeration is not necessary in a planted aquarium. It should be used only
as an emergency treatment when there is not enough oxygen in the water.
The time to use an aerator is when the fish are "gulping" air at
the surface of the aquarium. The first fish to add to your planted tank
should be good algae eaters. Examples include: Otocinclus affinis,
Crossocheilus siamensis (Epalzeorhynchus), Ancistrus (Xenocara) and
live bearers.. Water changes are essential in preventing algae.
After your tank is established, use a high-quality aquarium-plant
fertiliser. sera Florena and Florenette A are excellent aquarium plant
fertilisers. Read the instructions on your fertiliser and follow them
carefully to obtain good results. The addition of CO2 is not
necessary, but it will enhance plant growth. Remember that if you ignore
any one of the above rules, you will greatly increase the risk of problems
with algae. And finally - Tropica produces more than 150 different
aquarium plants. Try something new, just ask your local dealer.
