How to Grow Aquarium Plants for Your Tank

A fish hobby is not just about choosing fish and tank. Instead, it includes setting up everything in your aquarium that your fish have in their natural habitat. Growing plants is the most demanded requirement for aquarium fish to mimic the natural ecosystem. It requires specific skills and knowledge of choosing the right aquarium plants for your fish, how to grow them, and the requirements for these plants. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you develop healthy and thriving aquarium botanicals for your fish boy in the tank.

Choose the Right Plant

Not every plant is suited for every fish and tank. Fish have preferences for plants, and tanks also have specific requirements for plants. For beginners, we recommend growing hardy plants that require little maintenance and can adapt to almost every fish tank. Plants like Anubias, Java Fern, Amazon Sword, and Vallisneria are easy to grow and can thrive in more challenging aquarium conditions.

Always buy the plant that you have thoroughly researched. Avoid those with reddish stems or leaves, as these are more vulnerable to melting and dying quickly. Be sure to wash the plants thoroughly to remove debris or other contaminants before placing them in their new home.

Your tank should be sufficiently large to accommodate the fully grown size of your selected plants. Tank size plays a crucial role in the maintenance of the plant and its growth. Larger tanks also make it easier to control and adjust the plants’ requirements, such as lighting and CO2.

The recommended plants for beginners are;

• Hornwort: It grows quickly and can be easily propagated.
• Epiphytes: They include Java Ferns and Anubias, which can be mounted on driftwood or other hardscape pieces, making placement quite easy.
• Amazon Sword: This plant grows both underwater and above the water.
• Cryptocoryne Species: A hardy plant that adds color to your aquarium.

If you find it hard to grow a specific plant, don’t be discouraged; it is a common experience. I have personally gone through trials with different plant species to find the ones that thrive in my fish tank. You can try more demanding plants like carpet plants, red plants or floating plants after gaining sufficient experience in planting. Read this article to know more about top recommended plants.

Plant Requirements to Grow Faster

After choosing your favorite fish, setting up the tank, and selecting plants, it’s time to delve into the requirements and essentials that are needed to grow the aquarium plants faster. Basically, you should focus on these factors.

1.      Lighting

Lightning is the basic requirement for aquatic as well as non-aquatic plants, as they need it for photosynthesis. Light requirements can differ for different plants, with some demanding low to moderate light while others require high light intensity. The thumb rule is to provide 8-12 hours of lighting a day to ensure the full growth of your plant. LED lights are best for my case.

Excessive lighting can enhance your plant’s growth; however, it also produces algae and other nasty stuff that can be a headache for you. Also, high light intensity for longer periods can stress your fish. On the other hand, too low lighting can retard the growth of your plant. Therefore, moderate light is essential to thrive in the plant.

Buy aquarium lights according to the size of your aquarium. I prefer customizable light sources that can work for a wide range of tank sizes. When purchasing a light, read the instructions for tank size and other considerations. You can discover comprehensive insights on betta fish lighting in our detailed content.

Gooing Top LED Grow Light,6000K

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AQUANEAT LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum

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2.      Substrate

The substrate is the ground for aquatic plants, providing a stable rooting source. It should be full of nutrients for the perfect enrichment of your plant. Beginners should go with Flourite for the first 6-12 months since it provides a solid foundation for plant growth.

Substrates have different options.

i. Soil-Based Substrate

The soil-based substrate is recommended for root-feeding plants. To prepare the substrate, ensure the following necessary steps.

• Put 1.5 inches of mineral soil at the bottom of the tank. You can use clean garden soil for that purpose.  
• Mix it with same amount of peat moss, such as Sphagnum, to hold the plant in a water-nutrient mix.
• Mizzle enough water on the substrate to saturate it.
• Put an inch of mineral gravel on top.
• Now, fix the rooted plant in the substrate and fill the aquarium with water.

ii. Gravel-Only Substrate

This type of substrate is cost-effective and recommended for beginners. Water wisteria, Amazon sword, Brazilian pennywort, and Aponogeton can grow well in gravel-only substrates. Add root tabs to supplement nutrients for gravel or sand substrates.

Some plants can grow without substrate in a tank, like rhizome plants; they just need to be attached to driftwood or hard rock. But in such cases, the plants will show retard growth.

3.      Nutrients and Fertilizers

As most substrates have a limited amount of nutrients and minerals, add fertilizers and nutrients to the planted tank to enrich them with these things. By using suitable fertilizers, plants show rapid growth and vibrant colors. They come in two forms:

i. Liquid Form Fertilizer

This type of fertilizer is suitable for bunch plants like Hornwort and Foxtail Green, floating plants, and epiphytes like Anubias. Liquid fertilizer is safe and can be added directly to your aquarium. Choose a liquid fertilizer that contains essential nutrients like potassium, calcium, and iron.

ii. Tablet Form Fertilizer

The tablet form fertilizer is ideal for root-feeding plants, and its application involves inserting it into a substrate. The tablets should be spaced one per every 6 inches, as closer than this can increase the nitrate rise.

If you have heavy root-feeding plants, you can use root tabs, which will ensure nutrients are delivered directly to the plants’ roots.

The Seachem tabs are effective, adding up a lot of useful nutrients to your aquarium without hurting fish.

4.      CO₂

Water and carbon dioxide are the critical nutrients for photosynthesis. Some plants do not require CO₂; however, its injection can make plant growth much faster. I recommend that beginners go with plants that don’t need carbon dioxide because its injection is a skillful job, as it has to be dissolved in, and a high amount of it can stress your fish. If you have grown CO₂-demanding plants or require rapid plant growth, then learn CO₂ injection before using it.

5.      Tank Parameters

Your tank parameters should align with the fish and plant requirements. Any conflicting parameters can affect either of both. The general recommendations that should be adapted regarding tank parameters are bulleted below;

• Keep the water temperature between 72-82°F (22 and 28°C), as most fish species, such as bettas, can survive in this range.
• The pH range should be between 6.5 and 7.5, which is the pH range of most plant and fish species.
• It’s better to keep general hardness (GH) higher in the planted aquarium, as it ensures mineral-rich water, especially calcium and magnesium. Higher GH does not affect plant growth so much. Most plants, such as Hornwort, Vallisneria, Windelov, and Amazon Swords, are hardwater plants that grow very fast in high-GH aquariums. Those that thrive in low GH conditions are Bacopa and some species of Crypts.
• Keep the carbonate hardness (KH) as minimal as possible since it’s not a plant nutrient. However, it stabilizes the pH, so add enough baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate), a KH-increasing ingredient, to the tank to keep its level between 3 to 4 KH.

If you are a beginner and have trouble adjusting GH and KH, consider planting Vallisneria or duckweed, as they grow well in a wide range of GH and KH conditions.

Balancing the Conditions

I have been keeping plants since I was new to the fish hobby, and I have experienced that keeping all the above requirements in balance is the key to creating lush foliage. If you have intense light provisions for your plants without enough CO₂ or fertilizers, you will have a jungle in your aquarium. Similarly, having low-tech lights for demanding plants with a high injection of CO₂ and fertilizer will not work out for you.

The perfect balance can be achieved by adjusting these things in different amounts and ways. The balance for one aquarium plant might not work for another plant as they have different care requirements. Aquarium experts carry out various approaches and methods for nurturing plants, and one of them might not work in your favor. Therefore, experiment with different plants and go with different trials to find what works best for a specific setup.

Common Mistakes in Growing Aquarium Plants

Newly added plants may undergo melting initially, and many aquarist enthusiasts don’t allow them enough time to adapt. It’s important to give the plant time to go through its natural process of adjusting to a new ecosystem until it is fully grown. If the plant completely melts and dies off, you can replace it with another one.

Using chemical regulators or buffers to grow plants not intended for your aquarium can cause fluctuating water parameters, which is not a good practice.

Neglecting to change the water regularly can create a nasty environment for your plants and fish. When water is not changed for a long time, it becomes hard as it evaporates, leaving behind calcium ions.

Maintenance of the Plant

• The plant needs regular trimming, as it can occupy the whole tank if not trimmed, and the yellow melting parts are not removed. This will prevent the tank from overcrowding, promote bushier growth, and reduce nutritional needs.
• A 20-30% weekly water change is required to remove excess useless nutrients and debris that can promote algae growth or pollute the water for its inhabitants.
• If algae are out of control, introduce algae-eating species like Amano shrimp or Otocinclus into the tank.
• If plant is not thriving in your aquarium, try adjusting lighting, CO₂, or fertilization as needed. If not, even grow, experiment with another plant.
• Beside plant maintenance, it’s too crucial to maintaining your tank and arranging all its care requirements.

Fast-Growing Aquarium Plants

Here are some fast-growing aquarium plants.

Hornwort: Extremely fast-growing, gets dense and creates a jungle-like appearance if not trimmed. It is easy to manage and stays where you want it.

Salvinia: Grows rapidly, especially in nutrient-rich conditions, and can quickly cover a tank.

Elodea: Easy to grow and fun to trim; great for beginners.

Water Lettuce: Reproduces quickly, looks attractive, and is loved by livestock.

Duckweed: Tiny, reproduces fast but doesn’t cover the tank as quickly as Salvinia

Limnophila Sessiliflora: It grows too rapidly, which shocked me when I first added it to my tank. Additionally, it is an undemanding and low-maintenance plant.

Growing Aquarium Plants from Seeds?

Growing aquarium plants from seeds is not recommended, especially for beginners, due to the risk of scams and the hardy growth process. However, if you have the will to do so, follow the following steps.

• Fill a small tray with fresh and litter-free soil.
• Dampen the soil by sprinkling the aquarium water.
• Buy seeds with a scientific name and place them with a sufficient gap on top of the soil.
• Splash the water on the tray, avoiding flooding.
• Cover the tray with plastic film to retain moisture.
• Avoid direct sunlight from the tray.
• Lift the film and spray daily to maintain moisture.
• When seeds sprout, and roots appear, flood the tray with aquarium water to barely submerge the seedlings.
• Continue adding water as the seedlings grow.
• Once the plants are about the size of your thumb, they’re ready to place in the aquarium.