# Serious question about planted aquariums!



## KathrynGaines00 (Sep 24, 2010)

Hey guys.. So I really like the look of planted aquariums. They look so elegant and natural if done right. I would sometime in the future like to transform my freshwater tank into a planted tank. I read in another post that most plants that Wallmart & Petsmart sell are actually just plants that are from high humidity climates and actually arent aquatic at all, and will slowly "drown" in your fish tank? 

Here is a list of plants that are supposedly supposed to live on land:
Aluminum Plant (Pilea cadierei)
Arrowhead (Syngonium podophyllum)
Bamboo Plant (Bamboo sp.)
Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata)
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema simplex)
Club Moss (Lycopodium spp.)
Coconut Plant (Calamus spp.)
Dwarf Rush (Acorus pusillus)
Dragon Tongue (Hemigraphis repanda)
Dwarf Onion Plant (Zephyranthes candida)
Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia spp.)
Elephant Ear (Caladium spp.)
Green Sandy (Dracaena borquensis)
Hedge (Alternanthera sp.)
Japanese Rush (Acorus sp.)
Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonica)
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum tasson)
Pineapple Plant (Dracaena compacta)
Pongol Sword (Chlorophytum bichetii)
Pothos (Philodendron spp.)
Prayer Plant (Maranta leucoreura)
Princess Pine (Lycopodium obscurum)
Purple Waffle (Hemigraphis exotica)
Red Dracaena (Cordyline spp.)
Rush (Pontederia cordata)
Sandy (Dracaena sanderiana)
Scarlet Hygro (Alternanthera sessilis)
Silver Queen (Aglaonema sp.)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum bichetii)
Stardust Ivy (Syngonium spp.)
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus)
Ti Plant (Cordyline terminalis)
Underwater Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)

So is this true or not? Will these plants listed "drown" in your fish tank? Hmm, just wondering. 



HERE ARE MY SERIOUS QUESTIONS! :
1. Are plants in your tank hard to mantain?
2. Do they change water quality? (Raise amonia levels, alter PH levels etc.)
3. What are the best kinds of plants to buy for your tank & where can you buy them?
4. Which kinds of plants can grow in gravel? If any.

Thankyou for reading this and PLEASE help me out by answering to this post!
Thanks!!!!! 


:fish:
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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Most of those plants my mother has kept in pots of dirt over the years, so I'd say they are land plants. Some of them will do well 'emmersed', in the water, but sticking out into the air. I had pothos in a tank for months, but it did eventually get mushy and die. 

I have easy care plants like java-fern and java moss. Many are more demanding. 

Plants should be good for water quality, assuming they are healthy and growing and not dead and decaying. The remove waste and filter stuff like heavy metals from the water. But because they are so good at removing ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, they can mess with your "cycle". Basically, the filter bacteria multiple until their numbers match their food supply. So the plants are competition for the filter bacteria for food. If you plants are doing a good job of "filtering", you filter may be less effective. Its not an issue until you take out or kill a lot of plants at once, then you can see a "mini-cycle". The plants can also compete with fish for trace elements. Again not an issue if you keep up with water changes. 

Live plants don't affect pH, but CO2 systems do, generally lowering it. Dead plants, driftwood, and peat can also lower pH. 

The best plants for any tank will depend on the light, the water, the fish, etc. I get them mostly from aquarium club meetings, but good lfs are starting to carry real aquatic plants and plants ship well, so mail order works too. 

Not sure about gravel. Every plant I put in gravel ended up floating. java fern is best tied to something heavy and not buried at all. java moss just sits there.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

I have many plants in my tank (jave fern, and a bunch of other stuff I cannot name) But it is not very difficult at all. Just be sure you get the right lighting. Also certain plants are tasty to certain fish so that would be something to check out also. PLants change your water quality for the better. They utilize nitrates for growth and thus lower it. Plants depending on the type also act as natural biological filters. They can grow in gravel but you should probably get special plant fertilized gravel if you are getting serious with the more difficult plants. Oh also you need to consider that some plants especially those attached to driftwood (plus the driftwood itself) Will lower PH. They will often lower it to 6.5 so be aware that could happen and make sure your fish would be ok in that. Also likewise other plants can raise PH.


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