Having many live plants in an aquarium create a beautiful underwater scene, but you may often ask yourself, “can an aquarium have too many aquatic plants?”.
The short answer is no, it doesn’t matter how many plants you place in your tank, it will not cause any harm to your fish. Live plants will provide many benefits for your aquarium and the health of your fish.
The only downside is that it will require a lot more maintenance on your part. If they are not looked after or you do not have certain things setup correctly, the health of your water and fish can quickly decline.
This article will provide you with the benefits of aquarium plants, potential problems with too many plants, and top tips for keeping plants healthy.
Benefits of Aquarium Plants
Out in the wild, plants are an important aspect of a fish’s natural habitat which enables them to build nests and hide from predators. So other than looking pretty, what benefits do plants bring to your aquarium?
1. Aesthetics
Starting with the most obvious, a tank full of aquarium plants creates an amazing scene and looks visually appealing.
2. Health Benefits For Fish
Live plants inside of the aquarium are also beneficial to the health of your fish. The extra foliage means there are more options for your fish to claim as their home. This means they have a safe place to retreat to in order to evade aggressive fish.
Having many plants also creates an ecosystem that resembles how their environment would be if they were living in the wild.
3. Food Source
Your fish will use the live plants to feed on which closely resembles their natural diet. A healthy plant will continue to grow and renew itself, so you never have to worry about it losing it’s aesthetic appeal.
4. Extra Filtration
An important factor of keeping a lot of plants inside of the aquarium is that it will bring a unique filtration system. This added filtration from the live plants does an excellent job of removing ammonia, carbon dioxide, fish waste, nitrates, and decaying matter.
It’s important to note that you should still have an over-the-back filter or canister in the aquarium, and the live plants should never act as a replacement for them. But the the extra filtration from the plants can improve the quality of the water significantly.
5. Aeration
Live plants have the ability to create and saturate the water with new oxygen. This natural process is a lot better for your tank than using a mechanical bubbler or airstones.
Although these work great, they only increase oxygen levels at the surface as they increase the movement of the water.
6. Reduce Algae
Algae only needs a small amount of light and nutrients in the water for it to grow. So no matter how many chemicals you add to the water, if you currently have no live plants inside of the tank, then chances are you already have algae.
Even algae eaters placed inside of the tank will struggle and only last a short amount of time. Real plants have strong roots which means they will absorb everything. This means algae will not grow as there will not be enough nutrients.
7. Hiding Places
Having a number of dense plants inside of your tank not only provides places for your fish to hide, it also gives them plenty of options to explore. Species such as Betta fish will love this!
Problems with Too Many Plants
As you can see, there many benefits to having a lot of live plants inside of the tank. This doesn’t mean you will not face any issues, as there are a few downsides to keeping too many plants. Here is what you have to be careful of:
1. Less Nutrients To Go Around
Aquariums differ to nature in that they are always running at a higher stocking level. Plants will grab onto nitrate and nitrate but they do prefer ammonia.
Live plants require plenty of nutrients such as potassium, carbon dioxide, and iron. The problem is, the more plants you add into your tank, the less nutrients there are to go around.
2. Plant Respiration At Night
At night, plants will switch to releasing carbon dioxide and consuming oxygen. Just like animals, they will breath using oxygen as there is no longer any light to fuel photosynthesis.
This means that in a situation where a tank has loads of plants, your fish can suffer as they are both competing for the available oxygen. If your are using C02, it’s important to turn it off at night to prevent too much being released from your plants.
Failing to turn it off means you will more than likely find your fish gasping for oxygen at the surface of the water.
3. Decay Products And Dead Leaves
Dead leaves inside of the aquarium can become an issue if they are not collected as the will eventually begin to decay.
A few leaves here and there are not a cause for concern, but failure to do maintenance means a build up of mulm will develop that gunks up substrate. If this happens then the solution is with a water change.
Carbon and nitrogen stored is also released due to the decay of leaves. This only happens in trace amounts, but it can become a serious problem if a lot of dead plants and leaves build up.
Problems With New Plants
It’s important to take correct precautions when adding new plants into an established aquarium. In most cases everything should be fine, but if the plant happens to be contaminated, then this will be a problem.
A plant may be contaminated due to some suppliers using pesticides as well as other various treatments which help plants to thrive. These pesticides can diminish the quality of the water which in turn can upset your fish.
Planaria, algae, snails, and other microscopic hitchhikers are also a common problem when it comes to aquatic plants which can infest your aquarium. New plants may also carry disease and fungus which can effect other plants in your tank.
Tips For Keeping Healthy Plants In Your Tank
If you are a lover of having lots of live plants inside of your aquarium, here are some important tips you will need to follow.
Lighting
As plants grow thicker, the shade each other out as well as competing for substrate real estate. Having planted aquarium lighting such as an LED fixture is an important feature for the growth factor of your plants.
This kind of lighting will provide a high photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) instead of spectrums which are not ideal when it comes to photosynthesis.
Carbon Dioxide
CO2 is also a major factor when it comes to the growth of most plants. There is an unlimited amount of C02 in the atmosphere but the problem lies in the fact that far less of it gets into the water.
Aquarium plants will quickly use up all available resources unless you are using CO2 injection. Carbon dioxide will make up for less light as it is the main source for plant biomass.
Paintball C02 regulators which fit into a 12-24 oz paintball canister are an excellent way to supplement CO2. They typically provide enough C02 to last roughly 1-3 weeks and can be filled for as little as $4.
Substrate & Fertilizer
If you own an aquarium then you find yourself purchasing a lot of fertilizer. Without CO2 and proper lighting, the build up of algae is inevitable, but fertilizer is still important for your tank.
The more plants you have inside of the aquarium, the more important it is to ensure they are well fed.
Fish waste contains trace amounts of nutrients such as potassium and plants can get most of what they need just from this alone. Plant substrates such as Seachem Flourite contain trace amounts of elemental nutrients such as iron.
However, this may not be enough alone, and it’s best advised to supplement weekly plant micronutrients with a broad spectrum fertilizer.
When it comes to substrate, aquarium soil and sand are excellent choices for plants as they offer a secure anchor that holds nutrients close to the root system for longer periods. These options also have some variations that come infused with fertilizer.
Tips Regarding Fish Species And Which Ones To Avoid
If you are planning on having lots of aquarium plants, it’s important to know that certain species of fish are not going to be a great match with the plant life.
Having the wrong kind of fish inside of the tank os going to destroy your plants as they will not only eat them, but also dislodge them by digging into the substrate. Here are some of the most common species to avoid:
- Plecos: Although this species are very popular and do an excellent job of keeping the tank clean, they are going to cause more harm than good. Not only do they grow quite large, they are also very active at night and are likely to destroy plants as they search for food.
- Goldfish: Although goldfish are extremely popular, they love to graze all day which means they are not a great match for a planted tank.
- Cichlids: Cichlids add to the aesthetics of any tank as they are tropical fish and extremely beautiful to look at. The problem is they have a habit which can destroy plants which is their love for rooting through substrate.
Conclusion
Just to summarize, you cannot have too many plants inside of your aquarium. As long as you follow the recommended tips such as correct lighting, substrate, and supplement the CO2 with Paintball C02 regulators, you will have a beautiful, thriving aquarium.
