Many plants do not grow well in an aquarium. Do they need mineral supplements?
The most important condition for successful cultivation plants is compliance required indicators active reaction and water hardness.
Mineral fertilizers introduced into the aquarium play a large, but not always decisive role for good growth plants. The nature of the soil is also very important, but only if the physical and chemical parameters of the water are satisfactory.
It should be noted that for the content various plants required and different options water. Vallisneria, ferns prefer very soft, slightly acidic water (hardness less than 4°, pH 6.2–6.8), cryptocorynes and echinodorus grow well in water with a hardness of 8–20°, pH 6.8–7.5, bluema, Java moss is not demanding on water and can grow successfully in various conditions. All these plants can be combined in one aquarium, but some of them will grow better, others worse. Maintaining water indicators that would suit everyone is quite difficult.
Dirt snails of the melania genus, common among aquarium lovers, do not spoil the roots of plants. But many fish are "interested" in plants. So, most cichlids undermine the roots and destroy the leaves, the barbs often pluck out the apical shoots, the metinnis completely eat all the greens.
For most plants to grow well, regular water changes are essential. To stimulate growth, it is necessary to replace 1/4 of the water weekly, and in terms of pH and hardness, it should be close to the aquarium.
As the soil in the aquarium, it is preferable to use small pebbles. The soil quickly silts naturally, which favors the growth of all rooted plants. Additional feeding in the form of clay or peat, introduced under the roots, is not of decisive importance for the development of plants, but can improve their growth in new soil under favorable conditions.
The conditions in the aquarium should be changed gradually, over 7-9 days. Rapid change in conditions, even in better side will harm the plants. Frequent plant transplants should also be avoided.
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Why plants grow poorly in an aquarium
On the topic of why plants grow poorly in an aquarium, there are a huge number of articles and even more discussions on the forum. I will only tell you what I came up with on my aquariums.
The Essentials for Good Plant Growth
Aquarium soil
There are special lamps for aquarium plants with a predominance of the red spectrum, but they must be combined with white light lamps.
Fertilizers for aquarium plants
It is very desirable to put a nutrient substrate under the ground when starting the aquarium. You can buy a special one for the aquarium, or just buy in flower shop biohumus and pour on the bottom with a layer of up to 1 cm, and on top of the soil. Preliminary processing humus is not needed, it will only reduce the content nutrients. The nutrient substrate will nourish the roots of the plants in the first days after starting the aquarium, which is very important, and will help the plants in the future.
A week after the launch, you can start making liquid fertilizers for aquarium plants. Macro fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and separately micro fertilizers (manganese, iron and other trace elements). Fertilizer is applied according to the instructions, and the most important thing here is the regularity of fertilizer application! Be sure to add fertilizer 1-2 times a week. Micro fertilizers are usually applied separately from macro fertilizers.
These are the three most common causes the fact that plants grow poorly in the aquarium. If at least one of these conditions is not met, the plants will grow poorly, get sick and die sooner or later.
Some plants themselves grow for a very long time: mosses, anubias and others. If any one plant does not grow, then you need to deal with it, we read about specific problems with aquarium plants here.
Why aquarium plants grow poorly? The most appropriate answer is the bad conditions created in the aquarium. Then what needs to be done in order for the plants to grow better? To solve the problem, you should use some recommendations.
Causes of slow growth of aquarium plants
In an ordinary freshwater aquarium, it develops in such a way that living plants die. Why is this happening? The aquarium should not be a large number of fish. Their metabolic products large quantities harm plants. If you decide to add more neighbors to the fish, think about whether this decision is right. Perhaps it is better to purchase another tank, and move some of the fish there.
The amount of light also affects the life of aquatic seedlings. natural light or artificial lighting should be dispersed throughout the area of the aquarium. The length of daylight hours for most plants is 10-12 hours. Lighting is best done with fluorescent lamps power 0.4-0.5 W. Set the intensity of the light yourself, but it is better to start from dim, and ending with brighter. But as a result of intense lighting in the water, algae can rapidly multiply, which will also interfere with the growth of plants.
Fish should be fed in small portions, it is better to give as much food 2 times a day as they will eat in 2-5 minutes. It is important not to overfeed, otherwise the leftover food will oxidize, resulting in the formation of toxic ammonia, which is also loved by algae. Remove leftover food with a siphon with a hose, resort to this procedure as often as possible. Do not forget to purify the water with a filter, do weekly water changes with fresh water. Aquarium plants prefer clear, infused water.
Why don't the plants in the aquarium get bigger and taller? You need to find out the parameters of the aquatic environment in which fish and plants live. Water is crucial for the well-being of all living organisms. depends on the composition of the water appearance vegetation, its growth, reproduction. The less salt heavy metals in water, the better plants will feel. It is also recommended to make periodic measurements of water for toxic substances, acidity, hardness, oxygen levels and carbon dioxide. Many plant species grow well in a pH-neutral environment, in water of medium hardness. The hardness range is 4-15 dH, and the acidity pH 5.5-6.5 suits many aquarium plants.
In addition to salts that affect water hardness, there are also metal salts (lead, tin, copper, zinc) that can affect the functioning of seedlings. In certain quantities they are useful, but excess allowable rate fraught with the death of the seedling. Salts contain residues of acids (nitrogenous, nitrate), the concentration of which in water can be several times higher than the permissible threshold. It is not easy for plants to process them, so they grow poorly or die.
Seedlings may not grow well due to a cramped aquarium and poor soil. Tropical species love silty, humus-rich soil. If the roots don't get enough useful substances, they die. Try to use fertilizers that will help restore the structure of the root system. A cramped aquarium is also a reason poor growth. The stem will never grow to its desired height if there is not enough room for it.
Water temperature below normal also provokes slow growth. Some plants of temperate latitudes easily tolerate a wide range temperature regime(from 14 to 27°C). Plants native to tropical latitudes can only live in warm water (22-26°C). Lowering the recommended temperature threatens extinction. Algae are thought to be harmful, but cladophora algae is a very hardy species that endures moderately cool and warm water. Also hardy are aquarium mosses and ferns.
What should be done to improve the growth of aquatic plants?
- The lighting should be of such intensity that the light is scattered over the entire surface of the bottom of the tank, reaching a depth of 50 cm. Incandescent lamps are very powerful, so they need to be turned on for a short time, unlike fluorescent lamps.
- The hardness of the water medium should not be higher than 15-20o.
- Do partial replacements water, clean the soil with a hose with a funnel. Repeat the procedure 1-2 times a week.
- Plants must be present in the aquarium different types, preferably as many bushes as possible.
- It is not recommended to place fish in the aquarium that harm the greenery - they eat it, dig up the soil with roots.
- It is better to place fish in the aquarium that are careful about vegetation - these are labeo, moths, guppies, platies, young ancistrus, girinocheils, catfish corridors.
- Feed your fish in moderation without overfeeding.
- If the seedlings are in unsatisfactory condition, take measurements using indicators, soften the water if necessary.
- Before starting a new tank, plants should be quarantined for 2-3 weeks.
- Many species are adapted to aquatic environment gradually, they are passive in their reactions. Observation is required to understand whether the seedling was able to adapt to new conditions.
Knowing everything possible reasons why the plants are not getting bigger and taller, you can gradually solve the problem. Make a list of actions, set the correct mode in the aquarium, do everything possible to restore the biological balance of the mini-ecosystem.
They do not grow, first of all it must be properly illuminated. To do this, you need to turn on fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps so that the lighting can be varied. The length of daylight hours for plants should be no more than 12 hours, and the intensity of lighting should go on increasing - from less light to more. Also plants from time to time should be using a hose with a funnel at the end. It will save the leaves of plants from soil precipitation, which slows down their growth - clean soil will settle down.
The more fish in the aquarium, the more often it is desirable to resort to the procedure for cleansing plants from silt and food residues.
In addition, the growth of plants in an aquarium depends on the composition of the water, which should be a certain amount of substances dissolved in it. So, if there is a minimum amount of salts in the aquarium water, the plants will grow better. At the same time, the water should not be too soft - rather, moderately hard. Also, plants may not grow due to metal salts present in the aquarium water. They are responsible for the normal functioning of the aquarium flora, so their concentration should not be exceeded.
Rules for the care of aquarium plants
The aquarium should be intensively lit (40 watts of fluorescent light at 0.3-0.4 square meters water surface). When installing incandescent lamps, the power should double. The water in the aquarium should be changed several times a week. If the plants refuse to grow in the aquarium or their condition is unsatisfactory, you need to start a small amount of fish caring for plants - labeo, mollies, girinocheils, guppies or platies.
It is desirable to plant an aquarium densely, while using a diverse species composition of plants.
The main types of fish living in an aquarium should not be large in size. In addition, they should not be herbivorous or burrowing, as this adversely affects the growth and condition of plants. They should be fed very moderately so as not to pollute the water. Before launching the fish into the aquarium, the plants should be given several weeks to adapt, and, at the slightest sign of deviation from normal development, soften the water, intensifying this process. Remember that plants have fairly inert reactions, so they need to be closely monitored.