The role of plants in the aquarium is much more important than just the decorative role that many of us believe in… They are a link in the chain of the artificial habitat we have built and play an important role in managing its pollutants and its proper functioning in general. Of course, this in turn means that in order for them to work positively, we need to know their requirements and the care they require to grow properly.

There are a number of reasons why plants are important in the aquarium:

1. It is the oxygen they release into the water, which is valuable for fish and microorganisms that live in the aquarium. When plants are dense they act like forests in nature, which is the most important supplier of oxygen. The amount of oxygen they release is more than that produced by other artificial means, such as air pumps.

2. The binding and processing of nitrogen compounds (NH3/ΝΗ4, NO2, NO3) produced in abundance by fish is also very important. The faster plants grow, the greater the amount of these substances they bind and remove from the water. With the systematic pruning and thinning of the plants, we remove from the aquarium these substances that are translated into the mass of these plants.

3. Plants also provide a wonderful surface for bacteria and microorganisms to settle and grow, the former improving water quality and the latter providing food for newborn fish. In addition, healthy and dense plants help control the development of pain.

4. For fish, plants also offer protection when they want to hide or calm, but also space to reproduce. Many fish show their natural colors and behavior only when they are offered an environment with many plants. Some species give birth only to plants with very fine foliage, while others prefer broadleaf leaves such as Cryptocoryne and Echinodorus. For young fish, the dense foliage offers protection from their aspiring hunters.

5. Apart from all this, of course, healthy plants also play an important role in the image presented by the aquarium. It is the element that gives color, but also contributes to the relaxing feeling that the green color offers.

Plant care in the aquarium

WATER CHANGES: This is a necessary work in the maintenance of the aquarium in general, which also plays a very important role for plants. Harmful substances that adversely affect plant growth are removed and kept in tolerable quantities. Possible removal of substances useful for plants by changing part of the water, can be restored by adding fertilizers.

FERTILIZATION: Some ingredients and micronutrients are needed for proper plant growth. Plants and trees in or out of water generally need the same elements. Only in the water of the aquarium some of these elements are found without us taking care of it, while others are either in small quantities or not at all. One of the most important elements that plants need is Carbon Dioxide. (Note that the use of carbon dioxide in a planted aquarium catalytically helps plant growth. Without the necessary concentration of carbon dioxide in the water, plants cannot photosynthesize sufficiently, so they cannot produce the necessary energy. needed for their necessary biological functions).

In conclusion, ways in which we can add the nutrients that plants need to grow and develop in our aquarium are:

1. Wet fertilizers for aquatic aquatic plants.
2. By adding fertilizer tablets to the substrate.
3. By using a substrate rich in nutrients when setting up the aquarium. The thickness of the substrate should be 2–4cm and in total together with the gravel we will choose 8-10cm to have the best support and growth of the plants.
4. With water changes from the water supply network or from reverse osmosis (with the addition of trace elements and salts) at regular intervals. It should also be noted that the use of food for feeding our fish indirectly helps to add trace elements to the aquarium water. Of course, this does not mean, for any reason, that we should feed our fish more than normal!

LIGHTING: Light is the "machine" of plants, which together with it, carbon dioxide and water prepare the nutrients that nourish them. In the tropics the day lasts an average of 10-12 hours but as we know there is not the same light intensity from the first to the last hour. So the useful light intensity for plants is shorter. About 8 hours is enough for an aquarium (it is of course a general rule because the duration of lighting has to do with the type of aquarium). The photoperiod in our aquarium should be stable as it is in nature. To achieve this we use a timer which we have set to turn on and off at that time. To simulate nature as much as possible, turn on the lights for 4 hours, then turn them off for about 2 hours and then turn them on for another 4 hours. This helps not only to rest the plants but also to keep the algae at controlled levels.

TEMPERATURE: Every living organism must have the right temperature, so that it has vitality and health. Most of the aquariums we have in our homes house fish and plants from tropical areas. In such an aquarium, the temperature should be between 26 - 27 degrees Celsius.

Planting aquarium plants

• Take the plant out of the basket and carefully remove the stone wool that covers the roots of the plant.
• Lightly cut the edges of the roots (if they are too large) before planting with a pair of scissors and remove the withered and worn leaves.
• Then open a hole by pressing by hand on the bottom. (For even better results we use tweezers for plants)
• The roots are placed carefully in the hole and covered with gravel.
• Press the gravel carefully so that it hardens and pull the plant slightly upwards so that its roots have a downward direction again.

How many plants should be placed in the aquarium

A general rule for proper and adequate planting is:

Number of plants: (Length in centimeters x Width in centimeters) / 50 (ie for an aquarium 100cm.x40cm. About 80 plants can be placed). This is a general rule, because we need to include in the parameters the size of the plants and their growth.

Part of the plants should consist of fast-growing plants, which will remove harmful nitrogen-containing substances from the water from day one.