Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants  are a great addition to your aquarium. Live plants  are always better than plastic  ones, as they improve the filtration ability of the bacteria living in the tank.  They also help promote the overall health of your fish within the tank .  Having aquatic plants will not only help the fish to grow, but they will provide the fish with oxygen, which is helpful for developing healthy gills.

Plants, like fish, are living organisms, and thus require maintenance and care to keep them healthy. It's not always an easy task, and often, first-time aquarium owners will buy the wrong types of plants for their aquarium. Here are a few tips to keep your tank happy and healthy:

• Choose a younger plant with a good amount of roots.  Old plants go into shock in a new tank environment.
• To successfully maintain plants, you need to balance the lighting and nutrient levels of your tank.
• You should have the light on in your tank for no longer than 12 hours.  More than that will promote excessive algal growth.
• Add the plants at the start of your new aquarium. 

Saltwater Plants

Here are some live plants you can add to your tank. There is actually no such thing as a saltwater "plant," they are technically macroalgae .  The best thing to do here is to buy a live rock  with these macroalgae attached to them.  Buying live rock and algae is a great way to build up your tank's ecosystem to make it more habitable for less hardy fish.  

Halimeda   This plant thrives in areas with high concentrations of calcium and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.	Red Grape Algae  This shouldn't be placed in a tank containing tangs and other herbivores.	Maiden Hair  These are usually sold attached to a live rock.  They need strong current and are generally left alone by fish.	Mermaid Fan Plant  These get their name from their fan-shaped leaves.

Freshwater Plants

Nitrate removal, oxygenation, shelter and breeding sites are just some of the wonderful benefits of keeping live freshwater plants.

Amazon Sword  These are fairly hardy plants that take easily to new tanks.  One of the most popular freshwater plants in the pet trade.	Argentine Sword  Plant this in a loose substrate and supplement with an iron fertilizer.	Java Fern  These grow better in driftwood than in loose substrate.	Hygrophila polysperma  The leaves tend to grow small in cooler water while growing larger in warmer water.

Related Guides

Saltwater Aquarium Basics	Freshwater Aquarium Basics	Tropical Fish Care	Aquarium Filters and Pumps