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Tropical fish

Planting Your Tank



Why Have Plants?

Apart from their aesthetic appeal, plants serve a

number of useful functions in the aquarium.

• They provide shelter and natural hiding places for

the fish.

• They produce oxygen and use up carbon dioxide.

• They help to remove ammonium from the tank.

• They help to remove nitrate and phosphate, which

would otherwise build up and encourage algal growth.

• They create a surface upon which beneficial micro-

organisms can attach.

• Some species produce substances that help to reduce

numbers of harmful bacteria in the tank.

• The root systems of aquatic plants release small

amounts of oxygen, thereby helping to avoid stagnation

of the substrate.

There is a huge range of plants available for the tropical and

coldwater aquarium, some of which are very easy to care for

and others that take more work.

Preparing Your Tank For PlantsThere are one or two things that you can do to make sure

that your tank is suitable for encouraging healthy plant

growth.The substrate should be slightly deeper than in a

non-planted tank, in order to accommodate the root systems

and any planting media.An ideal depth would be 5 – 7 cm

(2 – 3 inches) of well-washed gravel.Avoid using very fine

gravel or sand, as it

tends to compact

and create stagnant

areas, reducing

water circulation

around plant roots.

Slow release

fertilisers or special



planting substrates such as laterite can be included in the

gravel, in order to provide the plants with a constant source

of iron and other trace elements.

All plants require light as a source of energy and so it is

important to provide them with sufficient amounts. Most

people start with standard fluorescent tubes, which in most

instances are sufficient to encourage good plant growth.

Plants require light from the blue and red areas of the

spectrum and so it is important to select a bulb that is

specifically designed for encouraging plant growth.As a

general rule of thumb, for most standard tanks each litre of

water requires 0.5W of power. For example, a 60 litre

aquarium would require a 30W fluorescent tube. Installing a

light reflector into the lid of the tank can greatly increase the

amount of light hitting the water.

Light tubes should be replaced approximately every 6

months, as over time their efficiency drops.

What Do Plants Need?

In order to thrive, plants require a number of different

elements to be available. Just like fish and other animals, they

require oxygen in order to respire and release energy.Ahealthy tank with healthy fish should have sufficient oxygen

for good plant growth. However, vigorous aeration is not

necessarily a good thing in planted tanks as it drives off

carbon dioxide, which plants also need.Therefore, well-

planted tanks should not be over-stocked with fish, asotherwise additional aeration will be required.

Carbon Dioxide

Plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In most

tanks, there will be sufficient carbon dioxide for moderateplant growth, however, for the serious plant grower this

becomes a critical water quality parameter.The amount of

carbon dioxide in the water is influenced by temperature,

pH and carbonate hardness. The Tetratest Laborett

test kit contains the necessary test kits and charts for



determining carbon dioxide levels in your aquarium.These

levels should be measured during the day when the plants are

using up carbon dioxide, as at night they stop

photosynthesising and therefore do not require it. If

necessary, it is possible to add additional carbon dioxide to

the water in order to improve plant growth.

Nitrates and Phosphates

Plants require a variety of other essential nutrients in order

to thrive and grow well. Ammonium and nitrate are

natural products of fish excretion and biological filtration,

and are both utilised by plants. Ammonium tends to be

scarce in mature tanks as it is rapidly broken down into

nitrate. Nitrate is the end product of biological filtration

and is therefore present in quite high quantities in tanks that

are well stocked with fish. However, it also encourages the

growth of unsightly algae and therefore it ideally needs to

be presented in a form that makes it

accessible to plants but that does not

promote algal growth. Phosphate is

also very important for plant

growth and photosynthesis,

although again it is important that it

is in a form that does not

encourage algae. TetraPlant

FloraPride is a liquid plant food

that provides all the essential

nutrients, without encouraging the

growth of algae.

Micronutrients

There are a number of other elements that are important for

plants, without which they will display poor growth and

appearance. Iron is important for the synthesis of chlorophyll,

the pigment that plants use to trap the energy in light.A

deficiency of iron and other trace elements leads to a

condition called chlorosis, causing leaves to turn yellow and

brittle. Signs of deficiency will also occur if a number of other



elements are not present in sufficient quantities, for example

manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum etc.

It is therefore essential to use a quality plant fertiliser that

will supply the plants with everything that they need, without

encouraging the growth of algae. TetraPlant FloraPride

contains all of the elements essential for healthy plant growth

and it will not encourage the growth of algae. It is quickly

and efficiently absorbed through roots and leaves for

prolonged and healthy growth, and it encourages the

production of rich and colourful leaves. It should be added

after every partial water change or, alternatively,

at monthly intervals.

Alternatively, if you use Tetra EasyBalance then this

supplies all of the plants needs, encouraging good growth.

Planting

Once you have obtained all of the necessary equipment andprepared the tank you can then set about buying your plants.

It is important that you select plants that will not out-grow

your tank and that will be happy in your water conditions.

Often, they will be labelled with their potential size and

temperature requirements.Traditionally, tall plants are usedto create a backdrop to the tank whilst smaller ones are

positioned in the foreground.You may wish to stick to

this format or, alternatively, come up with your own

planting arrangement.

New plants are usually transported in plastic carrier bags,which is fine provided that they do not dry out. If you have

bought plants that are already in small baskets then these

should be removed and the rock wool around the roots

washed off. If necessary, you should cut the basket away in

order to avoid damaging the roots.They are best washed ina bowl of water taken from your tank and at the same time

they need to be checked for snail eggs.These look like small

masses of jelly and need to be removed, as snails will eat

some species of plant and add an extra biological load to

the tank.



Any broken or damaged parts of the plant should be cut off,

as should any brown and limp roots or dying leaves. Healthy

roots should also be cut back by about a half, in order to

stimulate new growth.A hole should be made in the gravel

and the plant inserted, then this should be back-filled to

cover it and hold it in place.The plant should be gently pulled

up until its growing tip, or “crown”, is just visible.

Caring For Your Plants

Occasionally you will have to tidy up your plants and give

them a feed.The frequency of this will depend on the type

and number of plants that you have.“Stem” plants, so-called

because they have very obvious stems that can be seen

between the leaves, can sometimes grow to the surface of

the tank and prevent light from reaching plants that are

lower down. If this happens, they need to be cut back. Species

that branch heavily will re-grow to their former glory after

being cut back, but those that only exhibit sparse branching

will not.The latter should be removed completely, and



replaced with 20cm (8in) cuttings taken from the top of the

plant.When re-planting these cuttings, remove the lower few

leaves so as they do not become covered and decay.

“Rosette” plants do not have obvious stems and tend to

exhibit quite dense growth.They should have any dying

leaves removed and be thinned out from time to time.

This can be done by cutting away the largest outer leaves,

and if necessary cutting the roots back to around 15cm (6in).

This will halt growth for a period of time but eventually new

roots will develop.

In addition to tidying up the plants, a fertiliser such as

TetraPlant FloraPride should be added on a regular basis.



Key Words

Oxygen – element that is essential to fish,plants and other animals.

Carbon dioxide – used by plants in photosynthesis

and produced by plants and

animals during respiration.Toxic to

fish at high levels.

Ammonium – non-toxic form of ammonia

produced by fish and conversion

from ammonia.

Nitrate – produced from nitrite during

biological filtration. Used by plants

but also encourages algae growth.

Phosphate – essential constituent of fish food

that is important for plants but

also encourages algae.

Laterite – iron rich substrate sometimes

mixed in with gravel to provide

plants with extra fertilisation.

Spectrum – referring to the range of light

wavelengths produced by a light

source. Plants primarily use light

from the blue and red parts of the

spectrum.Therefore bulbs for

plant growth should produce more

light from these areas of the

spectrum.

Photosynthesis – process by which light energy is

harnessed for the production of food from carbon dioxide and

water.



pH – measure of how acid or alkaline

the water is.The pH scale ranges

from 0 – 14, with most fish and

plants preferring a level of 6.5 – 8.0

Carbonate hardness – a measure of the amount of

carbonate and bicarbonate salts in

the water.These determine the

buffering capacity of the water, i.e.

how well it can resist changes in

pH.

Biological filtration – process by which beneficial filter

bacteria convert toxic ammoniainto nitrite and then into nitrate.

Algae – primitive form of plants that cause

green water and unsightly

brown/green growths on the tank

glass.

Shopping List

• TetraPlant FloraPride / Tetra EasyBalance

• Well Washed Pea Gravel

• Lighting System

• Light Reflector



TR003

For further information visit our website, write or email:

Tetra Information Centre, PO Box 373, Eastleigh SO53 3UX

Email: [email protected]

www.tetra-fish.co.uk

Tetra Speciality & Treat FoodsThe widest range of speciality foods to suit

you aquariums individual needs and a range

of treat foods that your fish will love.

Tetratec EquipmentThere's a whole range of air pumps,

filter and heaters to help maintain ideal

aquarium conditions for your tropical fish.

Tetra Water CareThere is no easier way to keep your

aquarium water in peak condition than with

Tetra's water care range of products.

Tetra Test KitsIdeal water conditions are simple

to monitor using the

TetraTest range of test kits.

TetraMin & TetraMin ProNutritionally balanced tropical fish food in

flake or crisp format, that are fully digestible

for less waste and clearer aquarium water.

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