| Many times it is hard to decide whether to get | | | | fern. These plants will thrive with hardly any effort at |
| freshwater aquarium plants or to go with fake plants. | | | | all on your part. You will need to trim them just like |
| It is the same sort of decision you also have to | | | | you would prune outside plants. If you don’t |
| make for your home. Do you want real, live | | | | they will cover the entire top of the tank and leave |
| houseplants or artificial plants? Certainly live plants | | | | you no open water at all. If you are conscientious |
| create a more natural environment, and for fish this | | | | about trimming, however, they make a nice looking |
| translates into being more comfortable in their | | | | plant for fish to hide underneath. Plants with rhizomes |
| surroundings. Both live and fake plants provide places | | | | can include anubias, which are good for beginners |
| for fish to hide, which keeps aggressive fish from | | | | because they are pretty much indestructible. They |
| bullying smaller fish. | | | | don’t need a lot of carbon dioxide like some |
| Fake or live plants? | | | | other plants and a plectostomus can keep them clean |
| The big advantage of fake plants is that they require | | | | of algae. |
| absolutely no care whatsoever, but in an aquarium | | | | Java Moss is a very popular aquarium plant. It can |
| they do get covered with algae and need to be | | | | grow on the bottom of the tank, or it can attach |
| consistently cleaned. Even those big algae-eating | | | | itself to rocks, driftwood, or other structures. The |
| bottom dwellers don’t like to clean off fake | | | | great thing about java moss is that it doesn’t |
| plants. Live freshwater aquarium plants not only look | | | | require special lighting like many other freshwater |
| more natural, they help you to keep your fish | | | | aquarium plants. And, some fish will lay their eggs in |
| healthier. They deliver oxygen to the water and take | | | | the moss, and this is an especially good characteristic |
| in nitrates, which fish expel. There are also many fish | | | | if you want to have more fish. |
| who like to eat plants and unless you have some | | | | A few other hardy plants you will want to check out |
| aggressive plant-eaters, you will only notice some | | | | are Cryptocoryne or crypts. They grow slowly and |
| nibbled edges now and then. Stay away from Silver | | | | further down in the tank where the lighting is not |
| Dollars, as they can destroy an entire underwater | | | | good for many other kinds of plants. One of the |
| garden in a day. | | | | most colorful is the cryptocoryne beckettii, which has |
| Live plant selection | | | | the unusual ability to grow underwater and on land. |
| While live plants require more care and may need | | | | The Amazon sword is one of the most popular |
| some specific lighting changes to grow well, if you | | | | freshwater aquarium plants, and it really depends on |
| get just the right plants they will provide a | | | | what you have for fish whether this plant is a |
| completely natural habitat for your fish. There are | | | | success or a failure. It needs lots of light, fertilizer |
| many different types of freshwater aquarium plants | | | | and carbon dioxide to do well. |
| and all have different characteristics. For instance, | | | | No matter what you end up choosing for freshwater |
| floating plants, as you probably guessed, float on the | | | | aquarium plants, the chances are you will be happy |
| top of the tank. Rhizomes are horizontal plants and | | | | with the looks of the habitat they create. The |
| they have roots which act like a runner across the | | | | amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen in your water |
| bottom of your tank’s substrate. They have | | | | will determine which ones do well and which ones do |
| leaves on top but grow horizontally. If you have a | | | | not. Just make any necessary adjustments and |
| small tank they can fill it up pretty fast. | | | | remember to trim the plants so that you don’t |
| A good example of a floating plant is the floating | | | | end up with an underwater jungle. |