| Stemmed plants: These can have several | | | | to the lamps helps but over 18" deep |
| leaves, pairs of leaves or single, | | | | really needs mercury vapour lamps. These |
| alternate leaves growing along a stem. | | | | are cheaper than the metal halides used |
| They are probably the easiest plants to | | | | for marines but slightly more expensive |
| grow and can be large and fast growing. | | | | initially than florescents. They are |
| Leaf nodes, where the leaf joins the | | | | also very good over open topped tanks. |
| stem, can produce leaves, roots or new | | | | With an open top you can encourage many |
| shoots. Simply snap the stem, plant it | | | | plants to grow up out of the water where |
| with at least one node buried and you | | | | some of them will flower, adding another |
| have a new plant. The original plant | | | | dimension to your aquarium. |
| will then grow a new shoot, or shoots, | | | | Co2 is plant food. Plants combine CO2 |
| from the top node on the remaining stem. | | | | with other nutrients in the water to |
| One of the commonest, Cabomba can reach | | | | produce sugars and tissues. A by-product |
| 6m. in length if it has the space and | | | | of this photosynthesis is oxygen. The |
| can grow visibly in a day. | | | | oxygen produced in a planted aquarium is |
| Rosette plants: These plants grow from a | | | | more than sufficient for the fish in the |
| crown in or around the gravel bed. Each | | | | tank. There are a number of commercial |
| leaf grows directly from this crown. | | | | CO2 units available which dissolve the |
| There are several types of rosette | | | | gas in the aquarium water. The amount of |
| plants. These include Vallis, a grass | | | | CO2 required varies according to the |
| like plant, Amazon swords, | | | | plant demand and the hardness of the |
| Cryptocorynes, Aponatogens and Nympheas | | | | water. Soft water needs much less than |
| or lilies. Vallis, swords and crypts | | | | hard. In very soft water areas, like |
| spread by throwing off runners with | | | | here in Aberdeen, I get reasonable plant |
| young plants growing along them. When | | | | growth with no additional CO2. Even so |
| these plants reach a big enough size | | | | the addition of CO2 turns the plant |
| they can be separated from the 'mother' | | | | growth from reasonable to spectacular. |
| plant. Vallis and swords (echinodorus) | | | | Filtration for a planted tank should be |
| need to be planted with the crown above | | | | slower than for a normal tank, no more |
| the gravel surface; crypts need to have | | | | than 1-1.5 times the tank volume/hour. |
| the crown buried. Aponatogens and | | | | External or internal power filters are |
| nympheas grow from tubers. The plant can | | | | good. I like to use a larger filter with |
| be removed from the tuber and a new | | | | the return slowed down. CO2 is easily |
| plant will grow again. Some of these | | | | bubbled off in gas exchange at the |
| plants look good as individual specimen | | | | surface so set the filter return about |
| plants standing out against a background | | | | 4" below the surface. Air driven filters |
| of stemmed plants. Contrast leaf shapes, | | | | or bubbles are not a good idea. |
| sizes and/or colours. | | | | Substrate/plant food. Laterite clay is a |
| Mosses, ferns and runners: There are | | | | very useful addition to the substrate as |
| only a few aquarium plants in this group | | | | it feeds the roots of the plants. Use a |
| but they are easily available, adaptable | | | | fairly deep gravel bed, min.2", to allow |
| and useful. The commonest are Java fern, | | | | for good root growth, particularly for |
| Microsorium pterops and Java moss, | | | | plants like sword plants and crypts. |
| Vesicularia dubyana. Another plant, | | | | 4-6" is nor too much for some of the |
| which is often featured by Takashi Amano | | | | larger specimens. Again there are |
| in his tanks, is Glossostigma | | | | several commercial substrates available. |
| elantoides. This plant produces single | | | | If you use one then try to get one that |
| leaves along the length of the runner | | | | has a whole system built round it. Each |
| but with enough light it will produce a | | | | manufacturer adds different trace |
| thick carpet of cover over the aquarium | | | | elements to their substrate and then |
| gravel. Java moss and java fern can be | | | | balances this with other nutrients in |
| grown on rocks or wood. Tie them on with | | | | their liquid or tablet plant foods. If |
| black cotton initially and they will | | | | you try to mix and match you may find |
| soon attach themselves by their own | | | | you are overdosing one element while |
| roots. Java fern can be grown on gravel | | | | starving plants of another. Some of |
| provided only the roots are buried. The | | | | these systems are fairly expensive. |
| rhizome or stem must be above the gravel | | | | While they do give good results it is |
| surface. | | | | worth shopping around. |
| Floating plants: There are a variety of | | | | Under gravel heating cables. These low |
| floating plants available. They can be | | | | power cables are used to encourage a |
| very useful as nitrate reducers. They | | | | very slow flow of water and nutrients |
| tend to be fast growing and can provide | | | | around the plant roots. Many plants |
| useful shade for fish like Discus that | | | | enjoy having their feet warm. An |
| do not appreciate bright light. They | | | | additional benefit of this slow |
| also provide good nest building sites | | | | circulation is that the gravel bed |
| for bubble nesters like Gouramis. | | | | becomes a very efficient slow biological |
| Please, for your own sanity, avoid | | | | filter. Some manufacturers make an |
| Duckweed. This is less a floating plant, | | | | external thermostat which controls two |
| more a floating plague. | | | | heaters, one a cable heater and the |
| Light, CO2, filtration and other | | | | other a water heater. This gives |
| accessories: Sufficient light is an | | | | preference to the UG cable with the |
| essential for good plant growth. I find | | | | other heater as back up if it gets |
| that one florescent tube the length of | | | | really cold. I achieve the same effect |
| the tank for each 6" of tank width is | | | | with a heater/stat set at 75F and a UG |
| sufficient, i.e. two tubes for a 12" | | | | cable controlled by an external Stat set |
| wide tank, 3 for 18" etc. Deeper tanks | | | | at 77F. |
| require more light. Fitting reflectors | | | | |