Many plants do not grow well in an aquarium. Do they need mineral supplements? Why don't plants grow in an aquarium?

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Why do plants grow poorly in an aquarium?

There are a huge number of articles and even more discussions on the forum on the topic of why plants grow poorly in an aquarium. I will only tell you what I have come to with my own aquariums.

Essentials for good plant growth

Aquarium soil

There are special lamps for aquarium plants with a predominance of the red spectrum, but they must be combined with white light lamps.

Fertilizers for aquarium plants

It is very advisable to place a nutrient substrate under the ground when starting an aquarium. You can buy something special for an aquarium, or just buy vermicompost at a flower shop and pour a layer of up to 1 cm on the bottom, and soil on top. Preliminary processing humus is not needed, it will only reduce the nutrient content. The nutrient substrate will nourish the roots of the plants in the first days after starting the aquarium, which is very important, and will help the plants in the future.

A week after launch, you can start making deposits liquid fertilizers for aquarium plants. Macro fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and separately micro fertilizers (manganese, iron and other microelements). Fertilizer is applied according to the instructions, and the most important thing here is the regularity of fertilization! Be sure to add fertilizer 1-2 times a week. Micro fertilizers are usually applied separately from macro fertilizers.

These are the three most common reasons that the plants in the aquarium are not growing well. If at least one of these conditions is not met, the plants will grow poorly, get sick and sooner or later die.

Some plants themselves grow for a very long time: mosses, anubias and others. If one plant does not grow, then you need to deal with it; we read about specific problems with aquarium plants here.

Quite a popular question that can be heard from an inexperienced or novice aquarist who is faced with the fact that the plants in his aquarium do not grow or grow extremely slowly.

Usually the situation is aggravated by the fact that the beginner does not know either the characteristics of his plants or their requirements for water parameters or fertilizing. Causes poor growth or lack of growth of aquarium plants lies in the following:

• Inappropriate lighting
• Aquarium overgrown with algae
• Water that is unsuitable for its parameters
• Lack of essential micro- and macroelements

In addition to sufficient power, the aquarium lamp must have a certain emission spectrum, which is characterized by a color temperature scale measured in Kelvin (K) and indicated on the packaging.

The power of the aquarium lamp must be sufficient for the light to reach the bottom of the aquarium.

An algae-filled aquarium hinders the growth of aquarium plants. Plants and algae compete for nutrients, and in an aquarium overgrown with algae, the plants get nothing, which causes slow or absent growth.

Water that is too hard will also slow down and stop the growth of aquarium plants. Make sure that the water hardness in the aquarium is in the range of 2-6 degrees carbonate hardness (kH). Settling hardness tap water can reach 10-20 degrees carbonate hardness (kH), which must be taken into account when starting the aquarium and weekly water changes.

Lack of micro- and macroelements affects appearance aquarium plants and growth.

What to do

By the appearance of aquarium plants, one can judge which microelements the plants lack. Yellow leaves aquarium plants symbolize a lack of some microelements, and holes in the leaves indicate a lack of others. Lack of large amounts of microelements affects growth. This happens in aquariums without fish or in aquariums with poor soil, poor in nutrients and trace elements.

Make sure that the aquarium does not have the problems described above. Start your check by assessing the aquarium's lighting and water hardness. If the aquarium is overgrown with algae, then eliminate the cause of the appearance and put the aquarium in order. Study the requirements for the maintenance of those plants that are in your aquarium.

This surprisingly popular question is asked to us almost every day, both in real life and on the forum. . So why don't plants grow in an aquarium? We list the most likely causes of plant death or poor growth. They don't grow because:

1. Fixture lamps are not suitable for plants.
2. The water in the aquarium is not suitable for plants.
3. The water in the aquarium is at an unsuitable temperature for plants.
4. They sold you not an aquarium plant, but... a land plant...

As you can see, there are not many reasons for the death or very poor growth of aquarium plants, but each one must be dealt with separately.

1. Lamps may not be “liked” by aquarium plants, again for three reasons:

1. The first is that the lamp power is too low for this aquarium. In relation to fluorescent lamps, you can use this simple rule: if the power (in watts) is divided by the volume of the aquarium (in liters), then the result should be no less than 0.4 W/l. Under a light bulb of this power, at the very least, anubias, cryptocorynes, and Thai ferns can grow, the rest are unpretentious aquarium plants will not die, but will survive, not live.
2. The second reason is that the emission spectrum of the lamp is not suitable for plants, that is, it shines, but plants cannot use such light for photosynthesis. Suitable for photosynthesis higher plants lamps have emission maxima in the orange-red and blue parts of the spectrum. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not always equip aquarium lamp covers with such lamps. Often these are lamps whose light seems bright to our eyes and people like, but it is almost useless for plants. This is bluish or cool white light. .
3. The third reason is that the lamp has exhausted its service life. The fact is, over time, the emission spectrum of lamps changes and is less and less suitable for plants. It seems to us that the lamp is still shining normally, but the plants are already dark. If the plants grew well the first time after starting the aquarium, but after eight to ten months they stopped growing, then there is every reason to believe that the problem is a “dead” lamp. Change it and everything will work out.

2. Too alkaline water with a pH value of 8.5 or even higher is not suitable for most aquarium plants. How . Also not suitable is water that significantly (by 4 or more units) exceeds. Such water can come from artesian wells.
Do not fill the aquarium with pure distilled or filtered water. reverse osmosis. To prevent plants from “dissolving,” such water must be mixed with tap water or enriched with special salts.

Photo 1. The plants in the aquarium do not grow and gradually die. Two are described above possible reasons this sad picture.

Photo 2. Hygrophila polysperma and Hygrophila polysperma difformis) are easy to maintain aquarium plants. No special tricks are required for their growth. These and others can be recommended for beginning aquarists.

3. Water in the aquarium with tropical plants should not be too cold: less than 22°C, and should not be too warm: preferably no higher than 28°C. Cold water will greatly slow down plant growth, reducing metabolic rates. Warm water, on the contrary, speeds up the metabolism, but then the plants require brighter and more suitable lighting in the spectrum. In warm water, when the above conditions are met, mineral components quickly “eat away” from the water. If there are few fish in the aquarium, then it becomes necessary to regularly apply precise doses of fertilizer. In cooler water this problem is much less acute.

4. It turns out that you can buy and plant in an aquarium a plant that grew on land. The following options are also possible:
Option one and not fatal. Many aquarium plants are essentially swamp plants and are grown on land in very damp places or semi-submerged in water. How to distinguish such plants from those grown under water is described in. In principle, it is quite possible to plant above-water forms of aquarium plants completely underwater, but they will need time to adapt to new conditions. Therefore, one cannot expect from them immediate and rapid growth. On the contrary, at first it may seem that such a plant is dying. For example, echinodorus grown on land change all their leaves during the first month of life in the aquarium. The old ones are covered brown spots and slowly “dissolve”. This is a normal process and if at the same time young leaves appear from the center of the rosette, then it should not frighten.

Option two - fraudulent . What kind of purely terrestrial, and sometimes even arid (adapted to life in very dry places) plants are not sold as aquarium plants. Here the imagination of sellers knows no bounds! Well, the ignorance of buyers, who create some demand for such a product, stimulates these fantasies even more. So in a beginner’s aquarium there may be a clubmoss, a fat woman, a juvenile and it’s good if there is a chlorophytum that can last there for a month or even two. But the first three of the above plants will die very quickly. How to confidently identify purely terrestrial plants among aquarium plants in a seller’s tray that are categorically incapable of growing in an aquarium is described in

Why do aquarium plants grow poorly? The most appropriate answer is bad conditions created in an aquarium. Then what needs to be done to make plants grow better? To solve the problem, you should use some recommendations.

Reasons for slow growth of aquarium plants

In a regular freshwater aquarium, the situation is that living plants die. Why is this happening? Should not be in the aquarium a large number of fish The products of their vital activity in large quantities harm plants. If you decide to add more neighbors to the fish, think about whether this is the right decision. It may be better to purchase another tank and move some of the fish there.

The amount of light also affects the life of aquatic seedlings. Natural light or artificial lighting should be dispersed over the area of ​​the aquarium. The length of daylight hours for most plants is 10-12 hours. Lighting is best done using fluorescent lamps with a power of 0.4-0.5 W. Set the light intensity yourself, but it is better to start from dim and ending with brighter. But as a result of intense lighting, algae can rapidly multiply in the water, which will also hinder plant growth.

The fish should be fed in small portions; it is better to give as much food as they will eat in 2-5 minutes 2 times a day. It is important not to overfeed, otherwise the remaining food will oxidize, resulting in the formation of toxic ammonia, which algae also love. Remove any remaining food using a siphon and hose; use this procedure as often as possible. Do not forget to purify the water using a filter and replace the water with fresh water weekly. Plants in an aquarium prefer clean, infused water.

Why don't the plants in the aquarium become more magnificent and taller? Need to know the parameters aquatic environment, in which fish and plants live. Water is critical to the well-being of all living organisms. The composition of the water determines the appearance of vegetation, its growth, and reproduction. How less salts heavy metals in the water, the better the plants will feel. It is also recommended to periodically measure water for toxic substances, acidity, hardness, oxygen levels and carbon dioxide. Many plant species develop well in a pH-neutral environment, in water of medium hardness. The hardness range is 4-15 dH, and the acidity pH 5.5-6.5 is suitable for many aquarium plants.

See how to test aquarium water for hardness.

In addition to salts that affect water hardness, there are also metal salts (lead, tin, copper, zinc) that can affect the functioning of seedlings. In certain quantities they are useful, but in excess permissible norm is fraught with the death of the seedling. Salts contain residues of acids (nitrogenous, nitrate), the concentration of which in water can be several times higher than the permissible threshold. It is not easy for plants to process them, so they grow poorly or die.

Seedlings may not grow well due to a cramped aquarium and bad soil. Tropical species They love silted, humus-rich soil. If the roots don't get enough useful substances, they die off. Try using fertilizers that will help restore the structure of the root system. A cramped aquarium is also a cause of poor growth. The stem will never grow to the desired height if there is not enough room for it to grow.

Water temperatures below normal also provoke slow growth. Some plants temperate latitudes easily tolerate a wide range temperature regime(from 14 to 27oC). Plants native to tropical latitudes can only live in warm water (22-26°C). Lowering the recommended temperature threatens extinction. Algae are considered harmful, but Cladophora algae is a very hardy species that can withstand moderately cool and warm water. Aquarium mosses and ferns are also hardy.

What needs to be done to improve the growth of aquatic plants?

By learning all the possible reasons why your plants are not growing fuller and taller, you can gradually solve the problem. Make a list of actions, set correct mode in the aquarium, do everything possible to restore the biological balance of the mini-ecosystem.

Why don't plants grow in the aquarium:: Hobbies and entertainment:: Other

An aquarium in an apartment allows you to get closer to living nature - besides, watching its serene inhabitants is considered an excellent relaxation therapy for the nerves. People often buy beautiful aquariums with exotic fish and suddenly discover that the plants simply refuse to grow in them. Why does this happen and how to correct the situation?

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Growth of aquarium plants

If plants are not growing in the aquarium, the first thing you need to do is properly light it. To do this, you need to turn on fluorescent and incandescent lamps so that the lighting can be varied. The length of daylight hours for plants should be no more than 12 hours, and the lighting intensity should increase - from less light to more. Plants should also be vacuumed from time to time using a hose with a funnel at the end. It will rid the plant leaves of soil sediment, which slows down their growth - the clean soil will settle down.
The more fish there are in the aquarium, the more often it is advisable to resort to the procedure of cleaning the plants from silt and food residues.
In addition, the growth of plants in an aquarium depends on the composition of the water, which must contain a certain amount of substances dissolved in it. So, if there is minimal amount salts, the better the plants will grow. In this case, the water should not be too soft - rather, moderately hard. Also, plants may not grow due to metal salts present in the aquarium water. They are responsible for the normal functioning of the aquarium flora, so their concentration should not be exceeded.

Rules for caring for aquarium plants

The aquarium should be intensively illuminated (40 watts of fluorescent light at 0.3-0.4 square meters water surface). When installing incandescent lamps, the power should double. The water in the aquarium must be changed several times a week. If the plants refuse to grow in the aquarium or their condition is unsatisfactory, you need to add a small number of fish to care for the plants - labeo, mollies, girinocheils, guppies or platies.
It is advisable to plant the aquarium densely, using a diverse composition of plant species.
The main types of fish living in the aquarium should not be large size. In addition, they should not be herbivores or diggers, as this negatively affects the growth and condition of plants. They should be fed very sparingly so as not to pollute the water. Before introducing fish into the aquarium, the plants need to be given several weeks to adapt, and, at the slightest sign of deviation from normal development, the water should be softened, intensifying this process. Remember that plants have fairly inert reactions, so they need to be closely monitored.

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