Read About Introducing New Plants

Introducing new plants to your fish tank will make your fish happy because plants serve as hiding places for fish. However, you need to be careful that the plants you are adding are a good match for your fish.

Why should I put plants in a fish tank?

One basic reason for introducing new plants in a fish tank is that fish tank owners like the way the plants look. But, plants serve a more practical purpose than tank appeal. Fish love to have hiding places and plants provide a perfect place for them to hide. Fish know that they’re animals of prey and, even though they live in a tank, they are constantly conscious of the fact that they could be gobbled up at any time. Introducing new plants into their tank makes them feel at ease even if you don’t have a shark lurking about!

Introducing new plants into your fish tank also allows shy fish or pregnant fish to hide out. Baby fish also like to hide near the plants because they feel protected there. Many fish will also use the plants as a food source.

By introducing new plants to your fish tank, you’re giving your fish a constant source of oxygen. Plants absorb carbon monoxide, which is poisonous to mammals, and release oxygen, which is necessary for a fish’s survival. They also provide one more area where algae and protozoa can grow. Fish love to eat both.

Lighting up their world

Introducing new plants into your tank is a good idea, but if you don’t have the proper lighting in the tank, your plants will die. Obviously dead plants look unattractive in the tank, but they also create bacteria when they decay. To prevent your plants from dying, give them an appropriate light source. If you spot a dead plant, remove it from the tank immediately.

Some pointers

Introducing new plants in an aquarium is like decorating for fish. You should remember to use tall plants to cover large, ugly, manmade materials such as the filter. You should also remember to keep large plants in the back of the aquarium. If you put them in the front, you will impede your view of the fish. Covering about 50-75 percent of your tank with a nice mix of small and large plants should suffice.

Plants are not the only decoration you can put in your fish tank. You can also add fake castles, scuba men, treasure chests or water wheels. However, your fish should have at least a couple of hide out options. The advantage of introducing new plants in an aquarium is that plants offer more than a hideout.