Aquarium plants, types and care
Today there is a huge assortment of everything that is needed for an aquarium and aquarium fish.
This also applies to flora. Aquarium plants can be divided into three categories:
- aquatic plants are real;
- semi-aquatic;
- ground.
They all, like fish, need a variety of waterconditions, including the composition of water. It, depending on the type of plant, should be hard, soft, acidic, alkaline or brackish. Plants are aquarium, unpretentious and stable in a wide range of survival, remain viable in any habitat. Others need special conditions, so you have to make efforts to grow them.
Fully aquatic species
Aquarium plants, water completely - these are those that grow well under water and die if they are taken out of it. On sale, they are usually in cut form. A typical example is Cabomba.
Semi-water species
Aquarium plants belonging to this type, indifference from the above, only a part of their lives are under water. During the summer and during the dry season, they grow without staying in a liquid, many of them bloom and bear fruit. Such semi-aquatic plants include the following: Echinodorus (Echinodorus) and cryptocoryne (Cryptocoryne), which are sold with roots or cut, for example, hygrophila (Hygrophila).
Aquarium plants, terrestrial
They usually live outside the water and can evennever be covered. In a certain period of time they are under water up to three to four months, but it is not recommended to use them in aquariums. Some of the plants, particularly the diffenbachia (Dieffenbachia), have a poisonous juice, but, nevertheless, they are sold for use in an aquarium.
Acquisition of
Some plants came to us from the tropicalclimate, so try not to overcool them after purchase and when transplanting into the aquarium. Do not purchase tropical plants from cold reservoirs or trays. When supercooling, in some species, in particular, in Vallisneria, transparent plaques appear on the leaves. Aquarium plants are sold cut, or with leaves, or with a stem, or with growth buds.
After delivering home the purchased plant, lay it inA large basin filled with warm water, and well consider. You should pay attention to the length of the stem, if necessary cut it. It is best to use scissors for this, because when you pluck your fingers, you can damage the tissues of the plant.
Landing
To the ground used for planting, there are certain requirements: the plant should not be strongly squeezed by roots. For these purposes, coastal sand or pure gravel is ideal.
The planting method is approximately the same. Place them in such a way that the light falls to the bottom, and the lower leaves will not turn yellow and die. Aquarium plants are planted at a distance that depends on the size of the leaves. When planting it is advisable to adhere to the chess order.
Not all plants need planting, there arefloating, and some can be mounted on stones or wood, for example, Thai fern. The Javanese moss can freely swim until it meets a reliable support. Being rooted, it grows well and needs frequent thinning.
Cutting
Many specimens are sold in the form of cuttings. These are aquarium plants, such as cabbomb, peristawist, synemma-oak, rotala, water plague and hygrophil.
Nutrients they receive byleaves, and they are mainly rooted in roots. Many species grow beautifully, freely floating around the aquarium. Sometimes fish use them to lay eggs or to hide the fry.
Odrevesnevshie cuttings after planting can lose all the leaves, leaving a bare stalk. However, in the places of attachment, in time, young shoots will appear, but of a different shape and color than those that have disappeared.
Plants with roots
Aquarium plants with roots are grown withsomewhat more expensive. Individual species of Echinodorus or Amazon grow to large sizes and protrude from the water, so they are selected according to the size of the aquarium. E.paniculatus and E. tenellus are the best plants for the front wall, since they actively and quickly cover the ground with a continuous carpet. Cryptocoryne (Cryptocoryne) grows slowly and hard to survive, however, it forms wonderful thickets that need to be thinned out.
