Grass in the aquarium - features, description and types

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The importance of grass in an aquarium can hardly be overestimated. It significantly improves the chemical composition of water, and is also an excellent top dressing for fish. The choice of algae for the aquarium is simply huge. However, many people prefer to buy plastic products instead of natural herbs and thus deprive their pets of their natural habitat. According to experts, it is not rational to do so.

Types of herbs

There is a huge selection of herbs for the aquarium. As a rule, they are selected based on the following conditions. First of all, the size of the aquarium affects the choice of plants. If it is small, then you have to limit yourself and acquire algae that will fit perfectly into the water landscape. Some plants are quite capricious and not suitable for beginners. Among the most popular species, the following names of herbs in the aquarium can be listed: dwarf anubias, hornwort, echinodorus, eleocharis, a rather attractive hemianthus and an interesting plant called java moss.

What are they for?

As already mentioned, the grass in the aquarium plays the role of food for small fish, as well as top dressing for large ones. In addition, it maintains the aquatic system in a natural state. The role of grass is also important from an aesthetic point of view. There are many types of algae that can decorate any aquarium. With their help, you can make a magnificent landscape, as far as the owner's imagination allows.

However, one should take into account the fact that some fish are not able to coexist with aquarium plants. For example, astronotuses and pterygoplichts eat them at such a speed that it makes no sense to plant new herbs every time. In addition, having large fish in a small aquarium, the owners have to create an enhanced water purification system, which also kills the plants.

How much grass do you need?

When planting aquatic plants, proportions should be taken into account. Their number should not be too large. Experts recommend leaving at least 2/3 of the swimming space for fish. Moreover, in densely populated aquariums there should be a sufficient amount of algae. The fact is that fish produce carbon dioxide, while algae, on the contrary, supply oxygen. You can plant them both evenly and in dense plantings. As a rule, beginners are advised not to use capricious species, but to opt for unpretentious specimens.

Javan moss

According to most experts, this species is considered the most unpretentious among the herbs for the aquarium. One of its main advantages is thatJava moss is not too picky about good lighting. In addition, it tolerates temperature changes very well. Dirty water has a negative effect on moss, which creates a sticky cloudy film on its petals. As a rule, it is fixed on a fishing line and then attached to the bottom.

Hornwort plant

This live aquarium grass is quite popular and easy to use. She has a rather lush crown and completely lacks roots. Therefore, the hornwort is simply attached to any convenient place where it forms dense and fluffy thickets. This plant requires good lighting. The water doesn't have to be soft. The best option would be an alkaline or slightly hard composition. With it, you can make magnificent aquarium landscapes. Moreover, work with hornwort is subject to any beginner, not to mention professionals.

Anubias plant

It is also one of the three lightest and least demanding aquarium grasses. It grows for a long time, but it is unpretentious and therefore very rarely disappears. How to grow grass for an aquarium? As a rule, the roots of anubias are attached to the stone. In order for it to grow well, the water temperature should be no higher than twenty-eight degrees. And also it should be remembered that with an excess of lighting, the leaves of this herb acquire a blue tint. In the future, if you do not pay attention to this, then anubias may die. There are several types of it. The most popular are Aftseli, Dwarf and Nana.

Popular duckweed

It is often used as a complement toaquarium landscape. However, it should be borne in mind that the rapidly growing duckweed can completely block the flow of light, which in turn will create discomfort for the fish. Aquarium owners have to occasionally thin out thickets of duckweed. At the same time, fish like this plant, which often serves as food for them. Fry are also happy to hide on the surface of the water in the thickets of this plant.

Bolbitis Fern

This is a tropical plant native to Africa. It has a creeping rhizome and emerald green leaves. Outwardly, it looks quite impressive and attractive. Sometimes its leaves are compared to parsley, as their shape resembles a popular green. The most favorable temperature for fern development is twenty degrees. How to plant grass for an aquarium? In order for the root to be able to gain a foothold at the bottom of the aquarium, it is advisable to lay pebbles or coarse sand. It does not tolerate partial shade well and prefers daylight hours of at least twelve hours.

Southern Kakoba

This is a fairly voluminous aquarium plant with a reddish top and needle-like leaves. Usually it is seated in groups, creating quite attractive landscapes. Sometimes beginners ask: why doesn't grass grow in an aquarium? Most often, the reason lies in the wrong temperature. The most favorable temperature for the southern kamby is twenty-four - thirty degrees. In dirty water, this plant can die. As a rule, it is dug in small pebbles or in sand. It should be borne in mind that the root system of the southern one is quite tender andvulnerable. It reproduces by dividing the rhizome.

Beautiful Elodea

This grass is a fast growing and upright aquarium plant. As the elodea grows, it fills the entire space of the aquarium, and therefore the owners have to occasionally thin out the thickets. Long flexible stems of elodea can reach three meters in length. Sometimes it blooms, forming rather large flowers, which most often bloom above the water. An aquarium with grass on top also looks attractive. There are such popular types of elodea as serrated, Canadian and leafy. Usually the plant is cut into shoots fifteen centimeters long and left to float in the water without attaching to the bottom.

Rigid Aponogeton

The birthplace of this plant is Sri Lanka. It does not tolerate very hard water. In addition, the temperature in the aquarium should be kept at twenty-five degrees, not falling below twenty-two. Hard-leaved aponogeton, like all soil algae, propagates by rhizome division. It grows quite slowly, but the adult bush looks quite impressive thanks to long, flat leaves with wavy edges.

Vallisneria Grass

Also growing up. It has thin, curved stems and a small, weak root. In the wild, Vallisneria forms real thickets that completely block rivers and lakes. For planting it is desirable to use fine gravel with a thickness of not more than four centimeters. If badgrass grows in an aquarium, then, most likely, it is a matter of temperature. She does not tolerate cold and is able to die even at fifteen degrees. As a rule, this grass propagates with the help of shoots. Moreover, up to fifty new Vallisneria can be obtained from the mother plant.

How to plant and breed?

Every aquarium owner dreams of having various plants growing constantly and on a regular basis. Unfortunately, very often they die, without having time to please with their flowering appearance. Many beginners make unforgivable mistakes by completely ignoring some of the features of planting and growing algae.

For example, for plants that are planted on the bottom and have a fairly developed root system, it is extremely important to get food from the soil. Usually it consists of peat and clay. The thickness of the nutrient layer should be at least five centimeters. Such plants, found, as a rule, in swamps, are accustomed to fatty soil rich in nutrients. If the grass in the aquarium does not grow, this means that the soil is depleted and needs to be fertilized with mineral fertilizers. Buying them is not difficult. They are sold in all specialized stores, where sellers will tell you how to use such a product and give useful tips.

Floating plants usually do not have roots. They reproduce vegetatively. The value of these algae for the aquarium is quite high. They saturate the water with oxygen, and also protect the fry from attacks.adults. Unlike ground plants, they tolerate temperature changes and water pollution much worse. Therefore, in aquariums with poor filtration, floating plants usually do not grow well.

A group of algae that floats on the surface of the aquarium also reproduces vegetatively. This action takes place fairly quickly. After a while, the excess grass has to be removed. Yes, many fish floating on the surface of the aquarium plants play a big role. On the one hand, they serve as food, and on the other hand, they serve as shelter from other fish.

Growing aquarium grass

As a rule, algae are bred by seed method, division of rhizomes and cuttings. Each type of plant has its own method. For example, in order to grow grass from seeds, grooves are made in the soil, into which grains are planted. It should be borne in mind that if the soil contains too much clay, then a new plant can not be seen soon. Clay significantly complicates the process of germination, especially small seeds. Large grass seeds for the aquarium already have enough nutrients and therefore, as a rule, there are no special problems with them. The depth of the groove should not be more than one centimeter.

The easiest way to grow new plants is with rhizomes. Usually the root is easily divided into several parts. Each of them has a fairly strong stem. Next, new plants are planted in the ground and securely attached to the bottom. Cuttings are obtained from mature plants. Usually remove the bottompart with the condition that a few nodes remain on the stem. Before planting, they are kept in s alt water for one hour, after which one end is placed in the aquarium soil and attached to the bottom with pebbles or driftwood.

When planting before filling with water, as a rule, they make a small hole in the ground, carefully place the plant and fix it. How to plant grass in an aquarium with fish? If there is already water in the aquarium, but you need to place a new grass, then the algae are obligated with a fishing line or nylon thread and carefully, with the help of tweezers, attached to the snag. You can also use special aquarium suction cups. It is highly not recommended to make dense thickets or plant different types of plants too close to each other. Some of them can't stand each other well.

How to care?

In order for algae to grow strong and strong, they should be properly looked after. For example, too many large leaves are removed over time so that they do not interfere with the growth of young shoots. Why does the grass rot in the aquarium? Sometimes a transplant is required, as some algae require better lighting. Algae are fed at any time of the year, regardless of the season. As a rule, for this purpose, such compounds are used that contain sulfur, iron, potassium and chloride.

All mixtures can be purchased at a specialized store, where they are presented in both liquid and dry form. Not only large and spoiled leaves should be regularly cut, but also the rhizome. Thus, it is possible to improve the nutrition of the grass in the aquarium,and, therefore, to renew the plant itself.

Carpet plants

Planting and growing carpet plants has its own characteristics. How to plant grass in an aquarium? As a rule, before planting, they fill the water in the aquarium by about six centimeters and proceed to the main work. To do this, you will need special long tweezers, with which herbs will be planted. Next, the aquarium is carefully filled with water using a plate so as not to damage the plants.

They love lighting that lasts at least six hours a day, as well as good feeding. Carpet plants are not indifferent to potassium, thanks to which they grow quite quickly. Some of these types of algae need regular trimming with scissors.

Why does grass spoil?

This is a very common question for aquarium owners. There are many reasons for this problem. Most often, algae rot due to poor, micronutrient-poor soil, as well as in the case of too many fish, as a result of which a lot of carbon dioxide is released. Plants do not like poor lighting and hard, poor-quality water. If acidification of the soil occurs, then those algae that have rhizomes may suffer. Therefore, before planting grass for an aquarium with seeds or rhizomes, you should take care of the quality of the soil.

Almost all algae need trace elements such as magnesium, iron, nitrogen, potassium and calcium. For example, due to a lack of magnesium, brown spots appear on the leaves of plants, andwith a lack of nitrogen, it turns yellow. In addition, a lack of potassium or iron also leads to yellowing. In the event that the leaves fall off, then, most likely, there is an acute shortage of phosphates in the aquarium. And you can also determine their shortage by troubled water.

Why does the grass in the aquarium turn brown? To prevent acidification of the soil, the amount of sand and fine gravel should be reduced. However, the soil underneath must be sufficiently nutritious for the plants to thrive. Sometimes too many fish lead to the death of algae. As a result of their vital activity, a huge amount of ammonium and ammonia is released. This, in turn, negatively affects the ecosystem of the aquarium.

Artificial algae

Artificial grass for aquarium is a great alternative to natural plants and has a number of advantages. First of all, plastic grasses do not need maintenance and are able to serve their owner for a long time. They are not expensive compared to some types of living plants. They are ideal for beginners who do not know how to work with algae yet.

However, plastic products also have many disadvantages. For example, they do not perform the main function assigned to algae. Artificial plants do not purify water or supply oxygen. Many natural algae are also fish food or additional food. Thus, a person who prefers artificial plants deprives his pets of many useful substances.

To many fish that lay eggs,absolutely indifferent to the origin of the grass in the aquarium. In addition, if treatment with antibiotics or other drugs is needed, then artificial plants, as a rule, will not suffer from this.