Upon gazing at a properly kept freshwater planted aquarium, you are now actually looking at a miniature underwater ecosystem at work, right at the comfort of your own home! This splendor that you could not possible see in an ordinary aquarium brings that style and utter elegance that can possibly be the main decoration of an entire room, while keeping the fact that it is still your well-loved hobby.
So, how do you successfully set up a freshwater planted aquarium? Here are some of the steps that are to be done to setup your aquarium fit for aquatic plant life.
Choose a good substrate Yes, in choosing a good substrate for your aquatic plant, you are basically initializing a good start in its life in your aquarium.
Generally, you have to choose a substrate that can hold the plant firmly, but you should also consider the iron levels of the substrate, as plants need iron for them to grow.
Select plants that matches the pH and kH levels of the fish tank Aquatic plants also need good water chemistry levels to survive, just like the fishes do, so you'll have to limit yourself to a plant that an survive the pH and kH levels of your fish tank, otherwise, you'll have to adjust the pH and kH levels for a plant that you would want to have in your aquarium (and change fishes too in the process).
Provide adequate lighting No, no, don't just put your aquarium near sunlight, because you're just going to invite more algae into your aquarium.
The best thing to do to provide adequate lighting for your aquarium is to use artificial lighting, preferably anything fluorescent and above, to stimulate plant growth.
Never put too much lighting though, and you'll have to occasionally turn off the lights for you to be able to simulate nighttime in your aquarium.
Separate the fishes as you place the aquatic plants Certain chemical changes will still happen to the water while the plants are still adjusting to their new environment, so you'll have to keep the fishes away for about two weeks (keep them in a separate hospital tank for a while) before putting them back in the aquarium with the aquatic plants.
Always check the water chemistry levels before and after the plants have adjusted to their new environment! Add Supplemental Nutrients when needed If there's a need for you to use fertilizers to further enhance their healthy growth, then you may do so ONLY if the plants actually needed it.
They would usually stay healthy for the first month before they would even need any kind of supplemental nutrient, but you can observe to see signs of nutrient deficiency (discoloration of leaves, etc.
) to know if you should add them or not.