Planting your aquarium.pdf

8/10/2019 Planting your aquarium.pdf

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Planting yourAquarium

For more information: www.tetra.net

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To create a healthier,

more attractive aquarium,

you will want to ensure

it contains a good

selection of live plants.

Just like fish, plants are

living things that require

some care and attention

to keep them healthy.

In this brochure we

show you how to create

and maintain a beautiful

planted aquarium.


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Benefits of live plantsAs well as creating a natural

looking environment, plantsdo a number of other useful

things:

They provide shelter and

hiding places for the fish.

They produce valuable

oxygen and use up carbon

dioxide.

They help to remove

pollutants from the water.

They can help provide

some natural algae control.

They create a surface on

which beneficial micro-organisms can grow.

Some species produce

substances that help todeter harmful bacteria.

Their root systems release

small amounts of oxygen,

helping to keep the

substrate healthy.

Aquariums with a good

selection of plants oftenremain healthier, and look

better, compared to those

without.

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Preparing the

aquarium for plants

CompleteSubstrate

consists of a high quality

mix of sand and black peat,

which is rich in iron, trace

elements, and natural

humic substances.

It provides an ideal

environment for plants,

encouraging rapid root

growth and long-term

fertilisation.

There are one or two things

you can do to make sure

your aquarium is suitable for

encouraging healthy plant

growth.

SubstrateThe substrate should be

slightly deeper than in a non-

planted aquarium. An ideal

depth would be

5 7 cm (2 3 inches) of

well-washed aquarium

gravel. Avoid using very finegravel or sand, as it tends to

compact and create

stagnant areas,

reducing water circulation

around plant roots.

The quality of the substrate

for plants can be improved

by laying a 2cm (0.75 inch)

layer of TetraPlant CompleteSubstratebeneath the gravel.


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Tetra AquaArt aquariumscome complete with light

tubes that are ideal forencouraging good plantgrowth.

Light

All plants require light as

a source of energy. Plants

require light from the blue

and red areas of the lightspectrum, and so it is

important to select a bulb that

is specifically designed for

encouraging plant growth.

Usually they are marked

as being suitable for this

purpose. Light tubes shouldbe replaced approximately

every 6 months, as over time

their efficiency drops.

Fish

In order for your live plants

to become established, and

remain healthy, there are

certain fish you should avoid.For example, whilst some

species of Plecostomus are

good for eating algae off the

glass, they can do a lot of

damage to live plants. In

planted aquariums, stick to

smaller algae-eating species,such as Otocincluscatfish.

Your aquatics outlet can offer

more advice on which fish

to choose.


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Oxygen

Just like fish, plants require

oxygen for life. Mostaquariums with a sensible

number of fish should have

sufficient oxygen for good

plant growth. If more is

needed, a TetraTec APSairpump can be added, and

switched on during the night

when plants stop producingoxygen.

Vigorous aeration is nota good thing in planted

aquariums as it drivesoff carbon dioxide,which plants also need.Therefore, well plantedaquariums should not beover-stocked with fish, as

this increases the needfor constant aeration.

Carbon Dioxide

Plants need carbon dioxidefor photosynthesis. This is theprocess by which they trapsunlight using the chlorophyllin their leaves, and use it to

convert carbon dioxide andwater to simple sugars. Inmost aquariums, there will besufficient carbon dioxidefor limited plant growth, butfor a really good displayit is necessary to provideadditional amounts. It is easy

to add additional carbondioxide to the aquarium witha TetraPlant CO2Optimat.

What plants

need for health

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In order to thrive, plants require a number of different things to

be available to them.


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Ideally, the CO2level inthe aquarium should be

maintained between 5

and 15mg/l.The amountof carbon dioxide in thewater is influenced by

temperature, pH andcarbonate hardness. The

Tetratest Laboretttest kitcontains the

necessary test kits and charts

for determining carbon dioxidelevels in your aquarium. Theselevels should be measuredduring the day when theplants are using up carbondioxide, as at night theystop photosynthesising and

therefore do not require it.

Nitrates and Phosphates

Plants require a variety ofother essential nutrients inorder to thrive and growwell. Ammonium and nitrateare natural products of fishexcretion and biologicalfiltration, and are both utilisedby plants. Ammonium tends tobe scarce in most aquariums,

as it is rapidly broken downinto nitrate. Nitrate is the endproduct of biological filtration

and is therefore presentin quite high quantities inaquariums.

Phosphate is also veryimportant for plant growthand photosynthesis. It ispresent in fish waste, and

like nitrate will usuallyaccumulate in healthyaquariums.

Because both nitrate andphosphate are present insufficient quantities for plantgrowth in most aquariums,

it is important to use a goodquality plant fertiliser, suchas TetraPlant PlantaMin,thatdoes not contain additionalnitrate or phosphate, otherwiseexcess algae may grow. Forplants that take nutrientsfrom the substrate, TetraPlant

CompleteSubstratecreatesthe right conditions for healthygrowth without adding extranitrate or phosphate. 7


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Micronutrients

There are a number of other

elements that are importantfor plants, without which

they will display poor growthand appearance.

For example, iron isimportant for the synthesis ofchlorophyll, the pigment that

plants use to trap the energyin light. A deficiency of ironand other trace elementsleads to a condition calledchlorosis, causing leaves to

turn yellow and brittle.

It is therefore essential touse a plant fertiliser thatwill supply the plants witheverything that they need,without encouraging thegrowth of algae.

TetraPlant PlantaMin

contains all of theelements essential forhealthy plant growthand it will not encourage

the growth of algae. Itis quickly and efficientlyabsorbed encouraging

the production of rich and

colourful leaves. It shouldbe added after everypartial water change or,alternatively, at monthlyintervals.

For 'marsh' plants, such asthe popular Amazon Sword

or Cryptocoryne species,it is important to add nutrients

to the substrate from time totime. This is because they donot absorb nutrients across

their leaves. TetraPlant Cryptotablets are ideal for doing this- you simply push them into

the gravel around the baseof the plants to keep themhealthy.

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Once you have obtained all

of the necessary equipmentand prepared the aquarium,you can then buy your plants.It is important that you selectplants that will not out-growyour aquarium, and that will behappy in your water conditions.Often, they will be labelled

with their potential size andtemperature requirements.

Traditionally, tall plantsare used to create abackdrop to the tankwhilst smaller onesare positioned in the

foreground. You may wishto stick to this format or,alternatively, come upwith your own plantingarrangement.

New plants are usuallytransported in plastic carrierbags, which is fine provided

that they do not dry out. If youhave bought plants that arealready in small baskets then

these should be removed andthe rock wool around the rootswashed off. If necessary, you

should cut the basket away inorder to avoid damaging theroots. They are best washed

in a bowl of water taken from

your aquarium, and at the sametime they need to be checkedfor snail eggs. These look likesmall masses of jelly and need

to be removed, as snails willeat some species of plant andadd an extra biological load to

the aquarium.

Any broken or damaged partsof the plant should be cut off,as should any brown and limproots or dying leaves. Healthyroots should also be cut backby about a half, in order tostimulate new growth. A hole

should be made in the graveland the plant inserted, then thisshould be back-filled to coverit and hold it in place. The plantshould be gently pulled up untilits growing tip, or 'crown', isjust visible. To give new plantsa healthy start, it is beneficial

to push aTetraPlantCryptotablet into

the gravel,near the roots.This will ensure

they receivea good

supply ofnutrients.

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Planting


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Stem plants

Stem plants, so-calledbecause they have veryobvious stems that can beseen between the leaves,

can sometimes grow tothe surface of the tank andprevent light from reachingplants that are lower down.If this happens, they need

to be cut back. Species thatbranch heavily will re-grow

to their former glory afterbeing cut back, but those thatonly exhibit sparse branchingwill not. The latter shouldbe removed completely, andreplaced with 20cm (8in)cuttings taken from the top of

the plant. When re-planting

these cuttings, remove thelower few leaves so as theydo not become buried.

Rosette plants

Rosette plants do not haveobvious stems and tend toexhibit quite dense growth.

They should have any dyingleaves removed and be

thinned out from time to time.

This can be done by cuttingaway the largest outerleaves, and if necessarycutting the roots back toaround 15cm (6in).This will

halt growth for a period oftime but eventually new rootswill develop.

Feeding plants

In addition to tidying up theplants, a fertiliser such asTetraPlant PlantaMinor

TetraPlant Cryptotabletsshould be added on a regularbasis. PlantaMinintroducesessential nutrients that plantscan take up over their leaves.Unlike some fertilisers, thenutrients are in a stable

format for consistent,long-term fertilisation overdays and weeks. Crypto

tablets are pushed intothe substrate, to providenutrients to plants thatcannot take them up over

their leaves.

Keeping plants healthyOccasionally you will have to tidy up your plants and give

them a feed. The frequency of this will depend on the type andnumber of plants that you have.

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Quick guide for a healthy,

planted aquariumWith TetraPlantproducts itis easy to have a healthy,well planted aquarium. Hereis a reminder of what youneed:

1 When setting up the

aquarium place a 2cm

(0.75 inch) layer of

TetraPlant CompleteSubstrateat the base.

Cover this with 57cm

(23 inches) of pea

gravel.

2 Use a proper light tube

that has been designed

for encouraging plant

growth.

3 Install a TetraPlant CO2Optimatto provide the

carbon dioxide that plantsneed for photosynthesis.

4 Keep a check on the CO2

level using a TetraTest

Laborett kit.It needs to

be between 515mg/l.

5 Do not overstock the

aquarium and avoid plant-

eating fish (ask before

purchasing them).

6 In well-stocked

aquariums, provide gentle

aeration at night with a

TetraTec APS air pump.

7 Keep your plants healthy

with regular fertilisation.Use TetraPlant PlantaMinfor your finer aquatic

plants (e.g. Myriophyllum,

Cabomba, Hygrophila,

Vallisneria), and

TetraPlant Cryptotablets

for 'feature' plants such

as Amazon swordsand Cryptocorynes. A

combination of these

two is ideal.


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Tetra (UK) Limited, PO Box 271, Southampton SO18 3ZX Email: [email protected]

www.sparsholt.ac.uk

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