Planting your Aquarium - Tetra

12 Pages·2008·1.44 MB·English

Planting your
Aquarium
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For more information: www.tetra.net
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 plants
As well as creating a natural • Some species produce
looking environment, plants substances that help to
do a number of other useful deter harmful bacteria.
things: • Their root systems release
• They provide shelter and small amounts of oxygen,
hiding places for the fish. helping to keep the
• They produce valuable substrate healthy.
oxygen and use up carbon Aquariums with a good
dioxide. selection of plants often
• They help to remove remain healthier, and look
pollutants from the water. better, compared to those
without.
• They can help provide
some natural algae control.
• They create a surface on
which beneficial micro-
organisms can grow.
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Preparing the
aquarium for plants
There are one or two things reducing water circulation
you can do to make sure around plant roots.
your aquarium is suitable for
encouraging healthy plant The quality of the substrate
growth. for plants can be improved
by laying a 2cm (0.75 inch)
Substrate layer of TetraPlant Complete
The substrate should be Substrate beneath the gravel.
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 fine
gravel or sand, as it tends to
compact and create
stagnant areas,
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.
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Light Fish
All plants require light as In order for your live plants
a source of energy. Plants to become established, and
require light from the blue remain healthy, there are
and red areas of the light certain fish you should avoid.
spectrum, and so it is For example, whilst some
important to select a bulb that species of Plecostomus are
is specifically designed for good for eating algae off the
encouraging plant growth. glass, they can do a lot of
Usually they are marked damage to live plants. In
as being suitable for this planted aquariums, stick to
purpose. Light tubes should smaller algae-eating species,
be replaced approximately such as Otocinclus catfish.
every 6 months, as over time Your aquatics outlet can offer
their efficiency drops. more advice on which fish
to choose.
Tetra AquaArt aquariums
come complete with light
tubes that are ideal for
encouraging good plant
growth.
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What plants
need for health
In order to thrive, plants require a number of different things to
be available to them.
Oxygen
Vigorous aeration is not
Just like fish, plants require
a good thing in planted
oxygen for life. Most
aquariums as it drives
aquariums with a sensible
off carbon dioxide,
number of fish should have
which plants also need.
sufficient oxygen for good
Therefore, well planted
plant growth. If more is
aquariums should not be
needed, a TetraTec APS air
over-stocked with fish, as
pump can be added, and
this increases the need
switched on during the night for constant aeration.
when plants stop producing
oxygen.
Carbon Dioxide
Plants need carbon dioxide
for photosynthesis. This is the
process by which they trap
sunlight using the chlorophyll
in their leaves, and use it to
convert carbon dioxide and
water to simple sugars. In
most aquariums, there will be
sufficient carbon dioxide
for limited plant growth, but
for a really good display
it is necessary to provide
additional amounts. It is easy
to add additional carbon
dioxide to the aquarium with
a TetraPlant CO Optimat.
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Ideally, the CO level in as it is rapidly broken down
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the aquarium should be into nitrate. Nitrate is the end
maintained between 5 product of biological filtration
and 15mg/l.The amount and is therefore present
of carbon dioxide in the in quite high quantities in
water is influenced by aquariums.
temperature, pH and
Phosphate is also very
carbonate hardness. The
important for plant growth
Tetratest Laborett
and photosynthesis. It is
test kit contains the
present in fish waste, and
necessary test kits and charts
like nitrate will usually
for determining carbon dioxide
accumulate in healthy
levels in your aquarium. These
aquariums.
levels should be measured
during the day when the Because both nitrate and
plants are using up carbon phosphate are present in
dioxide, as at night they sufficient quantities for plant
stop photosynthesising and growth in most aquariums,
therefore do not require it. it is important to use a good
quality plant fertiliser, such
Nitrates and Phosphates
as TetraPlant PlantaMin, that
Plants require a variety of does not contain additional
other essential nutrients in nitrate or phosphate, otherwise
order to thrive and grow excess algae may grow. For
well. Ammonium and nitrate plants that take nutrients
are natural products of fish from the substrate, TetraPlant
excretion and biological CompleteSubstrate creates
filtration, and are both utilised the right conditions for healthy
by plants. Ammonium tends to growth without adding extra
be scarce in most aquariums, nitrate or phosphate.
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Micronutrients
TetraPlant PlantaMin
There are a number of other
contains all of the
elements that are important
elements essential for
for plants, without which
healthy plant growth
they will display poor growth
and it will not encourage
and appearance.
the growth of algae. It
For example, iron is is quickly and efficiently
important for the synthesis of absorbed encouraging
chlorophyll, the pigment that the production of rich and
plants use to trap the energy colourful leaves. It should
in light. A deficiency of iron be added after every
and other trace elements partial water change or,
leads to a condition called alternatively, at monthly
chlorosis, causing leaves to intervals.
turn yellow and brittle.
For 'marsh' plants, such as
It is therefore essential to
the popular Amazon Sword
use a plant fertiliser that
or Cryptocoryne species,
will supply the plants with
it is important to add nutrients
everything that they need,
to the substrate from time to
without encouraging the
time. This is because they do
growth of algae.
not absorb nutrients across

their leaves. TetraPlant Crypto

tablets are ideal for doing this

- you simply push them into

the gravel around the base
of the plants to keep them
healthy.
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Planting
Once you have obtained all in a bowl of water taken from
of the necessary equipment your aquarium, and at the same
and prepared the aquarium, time they need to be checked
you can then buy your plants. for snail eggs. These look like
It is important that you select small masses of jelly and need
plants that will not out-grow to be removed, as snails will
your aquarium, and that will be eat some species of plant and
happy in your water conditions. add an extra biological load to
Often, they will be labelled the aquarium.
with their potential size and
Any broken or damaged parts
temperature requirements.
of the plant should be cut off,
as should any brown and limp
Traditionally, tall plants
roots or dying leaves. Healthy
are used to create a
roots should also be cut back
backdrop to the tank
by about a half, in order to
whilst smaller ones
stimulate new growth. A hole
are positioned in the
should be made in the gravel
foreground. You may wish
and the plant inserted, then this
to stick to this format or,
should be back-filled to cover
alternatively, come up
it and hold it in place. The plant
with your own planting
should be gently pulled up until
arrangement.
its growing tip, or 'crown', is
just visible. To give new plants
New plants are usually a healthy start, it is beneficial
transported in plastic carrier to push a
bags, which is fine provided TetraPlant
that they do not dry out. If you Crypto tablet into
have bought plants that are the gravel,
already in small baskets then near the roots.
these should be removed and This will ensure
the rock wool around the roots they receive
washed off. If necessary, you a good
should cut the basket away in supply of
order to avoid damaging the nutrients.
roots. They are best washed
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Keeping plants healthy
Occasionally you will have to tidy up your plants and give
them a feed. The frequency of this will depend on the type and
number of plants that you have.
Stem plants This can be done by cutting
Stem plants, so-called away the largest outer
because they have very leaves, and if necessary
obvious stems that can be cutting the roots back to
seen between the leaves, around 15cm (6in).This will
can sometimes grow to halt growth for a period of
the surface of the tank and time but eventually new roots
prevent light from reaching will develop.
plants that are lower down.
Feeding plants
If this happens, they need
to be cut back. Species that In addition to tidying up the
branch heavily will re-grow plants, a fertiliser such as
to their former glory after TetraPlant PlantaMin or
being cut back, but those that TetraPlant Crypto tablets
only exhibit sparse branching should be added on a regular
will not. The latter should basis. PlantaMin introduces
be removed completely, and essential nutrients that plants
replaced with 20cm (8in) can take up over their leaves.
cuttings taken from the top of Unlike some fertilisers, the
the plant. When re-planting nutrients are in a stable
these cuttings, remove the format for consistent,
lower few leaves so as they long-term fertilisation over
do not become buried. days and weeks. Crypto
tablets are pushed into
Rosette plants the substrate, to provide
Rosette plants do not have nutrients to plants that
obvious stems and tend to cannot take them up over
exhibit quite dense growth. their leaves.
They should have any dying
leaves removed and be
thinned out from time to time.
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