Life-Like Living With Aquarium Plants
When it comes to a home aquarium, most owners focus on the fish. Whether it is a salt-water or fresh-water tank, the fish quickly become the pride and joy. Trips to the store to select a new colorful friend, research on which fish can and cannot live together, fish food and filtration and all of the other necessary life-sustaining aquarium products. One way to really liven up your tank is through the addition of some aquarium plants. Sure, they may be green and rather stringy, more like seaweed than any beautiful outdoor flower. They may even give the appearance of dirtying the water. Many owners focused on the beauty of their fish overlook the plants. But in the end, the fish rely on aquarium plants as much as they rely on food and a beautiful, healthy aquarium tank requires a good variety of life-giving plants.
A Plant For Every Need
Live plants help to ensure the proper balance of water, chemicals and elements in any aquarium tank. A properly chosen, planted and cared for variety of plants beautifies the aquarium, increases the health of the fish and even gives joy to the owner. Selecting aquarium plants and arranging them can be as enjoyable as purchasing new fish. Plants come in a variety of shapes, textures and sizes, and while there are limits based on the size of the tank and the pre-existing plants, most owners can truly experiment with aquarium plants and discover the perfect arrangement.
But in the end, aquarium plants exist foremost for the fish not the owners. Happy fish are fish that feel at home, and in an aquarium only plants are going to give the appearance of nature. Plants help the aquarium mimic the ocean floor and they help filter light and filter water, giving fish places to hide and helping them to believe they are swimming through the various ocean levels. Aquarium plants also provide natural filtration, as they eliminate the need for many fish care products and external chemicals, including pH adjustments and ammonia absorption resins.
Oxygenators specifically are some of the most important aquarium plants. Growing completely under water, these plants release oxygen directly into the water. They also offer numerous other benefits such as helping to balance the chemistry of the water by softening it, and help to maintain proper pH balance, a necessary concern for the survival of fish. Elodea is one of the most popular oxygenating aquarium plants. Dark green leaves, arranged around a narrow stem, help to indicate the quality of the water in the tank. The leaves will become covered in calcium deposits if the water is too hard.
