Guide: on how to take care of water plants

Your freshwater aquarium would benefit greatly from aquarium plants. They contribute to the beauty of nature and help build a healthy habitat for your fish and other aquatic wildlife.

Actually, fish waste is broken down by aquarium plants, and they even stop algae from growing.

However, they require close attention to survive much like fish do.

Because drooping plants are never a good indication, aquarium plants have specific requirements that must be met, including nourishment, flourishing conditions, and more.

They hurt your fish and create an uncomfortable living environment in addition to lowering the quality of the water.

What causes aquarium plants to die then? Why does a healthy plant start to look less attractive? And how might you stop this?

Causes of Aquarium Plant Death.

The likelihood of your aquarium plants surviving will be much boosted if you take care of a few basic things, despite the fact that there are many potential reasons for them to die.

The elements listed below are the main causes of the plants in your lovely aquarium dying.

The Lighting Is Important!

Your aquarium plants require light in order to photosynthesize and produce nutrients for themselves, just like land plants do.

Lack of lighting is one of the main causes of aquarium plants dying.

Consider adding a fluorescent lamp that delivers the full spectrum of light necessary to keep aquarium plants alive if you intend to add them.

Lack of lighting is one of the main causes of aquarium plants dying.

Consider adding a fluorescent lamp that delivers the full spectrum of light necessary to keep aquarium plants alive if you intend to add them.

Any other bulb, tube lights, or even other light bulbs won’t work because they lack the qualities that your aquatic plants require to survive and don’t have the complete brightness.

You must change the light’s wattage based on how big your tank is, as well.

If your plants are minimal care, one watt per gallon of water should usually be sufficient, but two to three watts per gallon are ideal to guarantee that your plants receive the proper amount of light.

Your light’s colour temperature is also important. If you haven’t already noticed, aquarium lights have a blue or purple tint since blue is the best colour temperature for aquarium plants.

It is intense enough to be submerged and penetrates directly through the water to the tank’s bottom, where the plants are rooted, providing your aquarium plants with the much-needed light they require.

Animal and Food Waste Are Negative

Whatever you give your fish will have a direct impact on the vegetation in the tank.

The unfinished meal is broken down and absorbed by the plants after fish and other water creatures have finished eating.

Aquarium plants even eat animal waste to maintain the equilibrium of the tank’s environment.

However, occasionally the garbage and feed may contain certain chemical substances that could hurt your plants.

When food and waste particles decompose, the water’s chemistry is impacted, and the plants sometimes suffer the negative consequences of this chemical interaction.

For instance, aquarium plants need the water’s carbon dioxide to survive.

However, if fish waste and decaying feed are allowed to sit for an extended period of time, they may produce substances like sulphur and other pollutants that can harm aquarium plants’ ability to grow and survive as well as your fish’s health.

In fact, if trash and leftover food are not cleaned up right away, it can result in root decay, which kills plants, and it can impair the water’s quality to the point that some fish species get the bloating sickness and become unable of swimming.

Filtration in excess is harmful to plants

Filtration systems are present in every indoor aquarium and fish tank.

To keep a healthy equilibrium inside the tank, it is crucial that the water is cycled and cleaned.

Even though filters are helpful, they can also remove a lot of carbon dioxide, which is bad for plants.

The vegetation in the tank need carbon dioxide much like non-aquatic plants do.

The majority of it is removed by filters, and its absence can harm plant health and cause your aquarium plants to wither.

After all, the filter’s purpose is to remove contaminants from the water so that fish can survive.

In aquariums, carbon dioxide diffusers can typically be fitted to address such problems.

These compensate for carbon dioxide loss and aid in supplying plants with their daily requirement of CO2 for survival.

A tiny amount of CO2 is sprayed into the tank via CO2 diffusers—just enough for the plants to use and the fish to remain unaffected.

You don’t apply fertiliser (Or The Right One)

Yes! Even aquarium plants require fertiliser to develop robustly and healthily and add their unique qualities to your fish tank.

If you want your tank to be a vibrant ecosystem of aquatic life, enriching your plants from the roots up is the way to go.

One of the best things you can do to provide your plants with the nutrients they require is to use fertiliser that contains iron.

It promotes plant growth and develops a nutritious substrate for your plants to grow on.

Additionally, fertiliser contains macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and even potassium that plants won’t find in water.

Your aquatic plant may wilt, become brown or yellow, and eventually die out over a protracted period of looking extremely ill if you don’t fertilise it or use the wrong kind.

For instance, a lack of potassium can result in pinholes, a lack of nitrogen can cause the leaves to become yellow, a lack of phosphate can result in leaves falling off, and a lack of other nutrients can result in growth that is twisted or stunted.

The Substrate’s Stability Is Important

The substrate is the gravel, pebbles, and other stones that make up the tank’s bottom.

Your aquarium plants’ roots will grow here, and for them to develop well and healthily, the substrate needs to be robust.

The substrate serves as a means for the plants to eat, survive, and thrive, to put it simply.

A terrible idea is to use too much gravel.

The roots won’t have anything to grip onto because there are too many spaces between the plants, and there is always a chance that they will de-root and float in the water instead.

On the other hand, a very thin covering, such as peat or laterite, is excellent for the substrate since it can keep the roots in place without putting too much strain on them.

Additionally, it facilitates the passage of nutrients so that they can be absorbed rather than sink to the bottom as heavy particles.

One of the most crucial factors in ensuring that your aquarium plants are firmly rooted, are growing healthily, and are in good shape is the substrate.

Additionally, the better your plant is, the less likely it is to be harmed by fish with aggressive behaviour.

The Tank Companions May Also Be Vulnerable

Aquatic life is quite fascinating. It’s fairly amazing how fish and other aquatic creatures move through the water, eat, feed, and reproduce.

Your fish and other aquarium inhabitants might, however, also be to blame for your aquarium plants’ possible early demise.

Some fish enjoy sometimes nibbling on plants, while others view it as a challenge and attempt to rip the plants straight out of the ground as a form of play, leaving them floating on the surface.

Other species, such as snails and bottom feeders, can actually nibble away at the roots, destroying the plant entirely.

In actuality, some fish make poor tankmates for aquatic plants.

Your plants won’t last very long in a tank with Tetras, Silver Dollars, and Monos, for instance, as they are aggressive plant-eaters.

The Water Chemistry and pH Levels.

Of course, poor water chemistry is the main reason aquarium plants die.

Depending on the type of plant you have, the recommended pH range for aquatic plants to live is between 6.5 and 7.8.

Additionally, it’s critical to exercise caution around elevated levels of ammonia and nitrates, which can result from fish waste and ultimately endanger the health of plants and fish.

In reality, the chemistry of the water affects whether rot, algae, or other hazardous elements will hurt your aquatic plants.

These elements can develop into silent killers in your tank, degrading plant life and impacting fish life as well, if water chemistry is not maintained.

How to Prevent the Death of Aquarium Plants

If you give it some thought, keeping your aquarium plants from dying is actually rather easy.

Aquarium plants require nutrients, light, and a balanced water chemistry to survive, just like regular plants do. Additionally, you must take care of the plants and occasionally prune them.

You can even guarantee that your aquarium plants will thrive by adding the right tank mates.

The fundamental method for preserving the health of plants is water.

The water in a tank functions as the entire ecosystem that supports life and undergoes several changes as a result of the gases, waste, and processes that take place inside.

Plant life can be supported by exogenous substances added to water to improve its quality.

Therefore, keep these tips in mind if you want to add more aquarium plants or enhance the health of your current ones. You’ll be astonished to learn how crucial they are!