Aquariums are a great hobby and the perfect way to keep your very own piece of nature right in your home. Planted Aquariums - aquariums with live plants - are a great way to express your creativity and create an amazing, living display however you like. Planted aquariums also benefit your aquarium by converting carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen for your fish, and removing nitrates and other chemical waste products from the water column. Aquatic plants come in a large variety of size, shape, colors and care levels.
Types of Aquarium Plants
The large spectrum of available aquarium plants can be broken up into 3 main categories:
Foreground Plants: Also known as "carpet plants", these are the plants you place at the front of the tank – they are generally shorter and grow fairly slowly.
Mid-ground Plants: Taller than foreground plants and can be used along the sides of your tank and in the middle, great for aesthetics and creating depth in your aquarium.
Background Plants: The larger plants you use in the back of your aquarium, emulating a natural backdrop for your tank as well as a place for your fish to hide.
Best Foreground Plants For Beginners
Java Moss: A delicate moss, Java moss has small irregularly branched stems that are populated with rows of tiny overlapping oval-shaped leaves. Java moss is very popular as a foreground cover for sandy or rocky substrates, but it will grow on virtually any surface. Stunning carpets of Java moss are easily created by attaching it to a plastic mesh, which can be placed directly on the substrate or against the side of the aquarium to create a living wall.
- Growth Rate: Slow to Medium
- Lighting Needs: Low
- Temperature: 59 - 82°F
- pH: 5.5- 8.0
- Difficulty: Easy
Dwarf Baby Tears: Dwarf Baby Tears are usually found rooting on porous rocks or driftwood pieces. It grows tiny, bright green leaves at an amazing speed, covering the tank floor with a lush emerald carpet. They can also be planted in the substrate as a foreground plant, or attached to other tank objects. These mosses will provide extra nutrients, as well as a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Lighting Needs: High
- Temperature: 70 - 84°F
- pH: 5.0 - 7.5
- Difficulty: Moderate
Best Mid-ground Plants for Beginners
Anubias: One of the easiest plants for beginners, anubias is hardy and easy to grow. This plant is commonly anchored to rocks or driftwood instead of being rooted. This rosette plant may reach up to 16 inches in width and has thick, creeping rhizomes. A quality substrate fertilizer is necessary, and CO2 fertilization is also recommended. In order to keep these plants small, simply trim back the leaves near the rhizome with a sharp pair of scissors. Pisces recommends: AquaVitro Double Curved Shears.
- Growth Rate: Medium - Fast
- Lighting Needs: Moderate
- Temperature: 72 - 82°F
- pH: 6.5 - 7.5
- Difficulty: Easy
Water Trumpet: Also known as Cryptocoryne Beckettii, this plant is a great mid-ground plant. It is very tolerant with water parameters and does well in low to medium light. This plant grows fantastically as a mid-ground plant for most aquariums and a background for nano aquariums. Customarily, placing the Cryptocoryne Beckettii in the mid-ground of the tank will create a very nice contrast with most green plants; its appealing reddish leaves and unusual shape will also make it a unique centerpiece.
- Growth Rate: Medium
- Lighting Needs: Low - Moderate
- Temperature: 72 - 82°F
- pH: 5.5 - 8.0
- Difficulty: Easy
Best Background Plants for Beginners
Java Fern: Java Fern is a beautiful addition to the freshwater, planted aquarium. Growing around 8 inches tall, with creeping, green rhizomes, Java Ferns are well suited for not only planted aquariums, but also those that contain cichlids and other large South American fish. Java Fern looks great planted singly, or in groups to create a wall of lushes green if there is enough room in the aquarium.
- Growth Rate: Medium
- Lighting Needs: Low - Moderate
- Temperature: 68 - 82°F
- pH: 6.0 - 7.5
- Difficulty: Easy
Amazon Sword: One of the most recognizable aquarium plants, Amazon sword is an ideal background plant that produces large, broad leaves. It is easy to care for and prefers loose substrate. They are capable of reaching approximately 20 inches in height under proper water conditions. Best cultivated in large aquariums, Amazon Sword Plants make a great focal point if used singly. It is an amphibious plant that will grow either partially or fully submersed.
- Growth Rate: Medium
- Lighting Needs: Moderate
- Temperature: 72 - 82°F
- pH: 6.5 - 7.5
- Difficulty: Moderate
If you are starting your new planted aquarium, Pisces recommends the Seachem Plant Pack Fundamentals & Aqua Pro Plant Dip to help boost the growth of your new plants, and prevent any diseases and pests that may be present on the plants.
