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Oscar Hammer

Plants It is a good idea to add live plants to all of your aquarium tanks, for a few reasons: They aid in keeping the water clear, slow the growth of algae, add oxygen to the water and most importantly create a natural surrounding for your fish. GROWING AQUARIUM PLANTS Easy species to grow Just like garden plants some aquatic plants are easy to grow requiring no special conditions, while others need specific requirements. Below is a list of plants that should do well in a wide variety of situations. Microsorium pteropus (Java Fern) Anubias sp. Hygrophila stricta & H.polysperma Limnophila sessiflora (Ambulia) Egeria densa Cryptocoryne sp. Care and Maintenance of Aquarium Plants All plants require care and attention. You will have to play the role of Mother Nature to the plants in your aquarium. You will have to make sure that they are planted well and in the proper place. You will also have to provide them with the adequate exposure to light, the necessary nutrients, and most all, the constant care and maintenance that they need to thrive. This may all seem a bit overwhelming, but once the plants are established, they do not really require much fuss. How to Grow Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget The method outlined below has grown beautiful aquatic plants for me with a minimum of cost and maintainance, and I believe it is repeatable. I originally tried it on a 10 gallon which had done poorly for 1.5 years which had gravel-over-peat substrate, CO2 and mirconutrient fertilizers, and no substrate aeration (actually Crypt. affinis and Ludwigia repens had done ok, and all others poorly). This time I used vermiculite mixed with Yolo loam (a local silty loam) on the bottom, covered by #3 sand. I pushed pieces of the pond lily tablets into the substrate (both the loam and the lily tabs were suggested by Tuan Nguyen, a former UC Davis student). This tank was exceptional right from the start. A pitiful group of E. tenellus literally exploded into a grassy field, with runners shooting out all over the place. It looks like a small patch of the E. tenellus field in Amano's book. This was encouraging. A pitiful Nymphoides aquatica which I moved from the dying 55 gal. immediately put out giant underwater leaves like those pictured in Schuermann's book (2.5" in diameter is the biggest). L. repens shot up with HUGE leaves, requiring frequent pruning. Except for the 1st month after setup, there has been no visible algae. This was my best tank yet. (I should mention also that the nitrates measure zero no matter how much of the pond lily tablets I have pushed into the loam). I attribute this success to: the fine soil fraction at the bottom which provides high cation exchange capacity, intimate root contact, and holds the fertilizer nutrients in the soil; the pond lily fertilizer tablets which contain nitrogen (both soluble and insoluble), phosphates, potash, iron, and other stuff listed below; and the soft vermiculite layer which makes root penetration easy (and may even help curtail metal ion toxicity problems often present in freshly submerged soils). How to Grow Beautiful Aquarium Plants (cheap)! or How to Build a Soil Substrate Aquatic plants receive carbon dioxide (CO2), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) primarily from the water. They can also receive nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulpher (S) and several other trace nutrients (Fe, Bo, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mo) from water however these can also be absorbed by roots in the substrate. Retaining phosphate and iron sources in the substrate helps to limit availability of these nutrients to algae. This is the secret to growing beautiful plants without serious algae problems! In fact, most aquatic plants grow much, much better when they get nutrients from the substrate. In order for iron to be available from a substrate, you need to use a clay, soil or iron containing substrate additive together with a small amount of organic material such as peat. The organic material provides nutrients for anaerobic bacteria to reduce insoluble iron (ferric) to soluble iron (ferrous). It also releases humic acids which are natural chelator chemicals which lock onto positively charged chemical ions like Fe++ and make it available in the water. These humic acids also help to buffer the pH in your aquarium to a good value. The downside is that humic acids interfere with many test kits which measure CO2 and carbonate hardness. This method shows you how to achieve adequate CO2 and carbonate hardness without relying on test kits. Click Here to   Aquarium Supplies and Equipment THE FISH SHOP Recommended Products

Growing Beautiful Aquarium Plants Courtesy of Stan Makowski, JERMACK Even the best of plants growing in the most favorable circumstances require some basic care. Here are a few practical suggestions that should help to maintain your plants in fine condition, and in turn make your hobby more active and rewarding. An Introduction To Aquarium Plants by Richard T. Pon, CAS SELECTING PLANTS Good results start with the purchase of healthy plants. These are ones that have green leaves and white roots. Some damaged or broken leaves are inevitable and these minor defects should be removed before planting. Plants with excessive damage, sponginess, no roots, smelly black roots, or evidence of snail or algae infestation should be avoided. Removal of damaged parts is required because the leaf damage never repairs itself. Under good conditions, plants can rapidly replace damaged leaves, but there is no point in starting off with poor quality stock. If there is a choice, always try to purchase taller specimens rather than shorter ones. The taller plants have a better chance of doing well because their leaves are closer to the light. There are a wide variety of plants for sale in aquarium stores and it is important to learn a little bit about the different types available. Occasionally non-aquatic plants are sold for aquarium use and these species should be avoided. Also to be avoided are any red or purple colored plants These species require very bright light and will often die or revert to green coloration inside the average aquarium. It is also important to realize that many aquarium plants (bog plants) only spend part of their life underwater. They will try to grow above the water (emersed growth) and can get quite big outside the tank. Fortunately, many of these plants only require occasional trimming to keep them under water. Plant ideas.com Aquatic Plant Societies Cultivation Help Personal Pages Plants and Tanks Liverworts and Mosses — Our Most Primitive Aquarium Plants I thought we’d start taking a look at some specific plants that we use in our aquariums and how they fit into the evolutionary scheme of things. As with all forms of life, primitive plant life began in the waters of the young planet earth. Although it is hard to differentiate between plants and animals in the most primitive stages of life, generally, plants are considered to be those organisms that can manufacture their own food from inorganic substances, while animals must feed on organic materials. Aquarium Plants Aquatic plants perform a number of functions in the aquarium. They oxygenate the water and contribute to maintaining a balanced water chemistry. They serve as an additional site for colonisation by bacteria and may even help to seed new tanks with the beneficial bacteria required to break down waste products. However, plants are probably more often added because they enhance the look of the tank, while providing a refuge for fish. Well planted aquariums are a stunning site. To grow plants successfully in the aquarium, you need to balance the amount of lighting with nutrient levels. Standard aquarium hoods often have only a single tube and this may not be adequate for most plants. If the light is increased, however, you may need to use a fertilizer or nutrient supplement and possibly CO2 addition to keep plant growth vigorous and avoid excessive algae. It is unnecessary to leave lighting on for more than 12 hours a day - longer periods are likely to favour algal growth, rather than promote plant growth. Consider adding algae eating fish if appropriate to the setup, Otocinclus species are particularly suited to smaller planted tanks, as they will not damage leaves. When planting a new tank, it is advisable to add all of the plants at the start, so that they become established before algae has a chance to utilise any excess light and nutrients. Include some quick growing plants in the initial stages. Floating plants are useful if you wish to shade part of the aquarium which will be left unplanted (or contain low-light plants), catfish and some others will appreciate an area away from the glare of the main lights. Natures Landscapes Plants by Andre Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Plants   WELCOME SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP Andre's Aquarium Club Ask all your aquarium related questions Freshwater and Saltwater Members will receive a 5% discount on all orders when they mention that they are members... Gina's Aquarium Supply and marineandreef.com is owned and operated by The Aquatic Group Toll Free Phone Number: 877-878-9349 Saltwater supplies Trouble-shooting with Plants Besides algal infestations, plants can suffer other ailments, especially when the water conditions are not favorable. Water with incorrect properties can cause as much or more damage to a plant than nutrient deficiency. If plants begin to wane (i.e. prematurely yellowing and losing leaves, leaf damage), first check that the water conditions are in order. If they are, see the chart below for help. Symptoms Possible Cause Action -slender stalks -smaller leaves -lower leaves on plant stem -lower leaf loss insufficient lighting Make sure that the plants have the right illumination period. Change the light bulbs if they have been used for longer than a year. Make sure that the lights are strong enough for the types of plants kept. -small brown spots, developing into holes -yellowing leaves high nitrate content from lack of water changes Make a series of moderate water changes. -small, irregular holes with sharp edges in otherwise seemingly healthy leaves snail feeding Remove snails by hand. -stunted growth -premature die off carbon dioxide deficiency Start fertilizing with carbon fertilization. Decrease aeration. Recommended Aquatic Plant Resources Check out the following sites for quality information on aquarium plants: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/articles.htm http://www.aquabotanic.com/index2.cfm http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/ http://home.infinet.net/teban/ http://www.tropica.com/default.asp