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Aquarium Plants
Aquatic plants are not difficult to keep healthy & beautiful as long as their needs are met. Just as your everyday house plants need certain care & requirements, so do your aquatic ones. These include adequate light, fertilization, suitable growing mediums, healthy water & the right temperature. Keep in mind that preventing the problem before it arises always takes less time & effort than trying to correct problems once they have already started. If you short-cut any of these requirements, it will only lead to trouble. The lighting requirements for your natural aquarium are crucial when live plants are to be kept. Plants must have the correct light for photosynthesis, the process which they combine carbon dioxide & water in the presence of light energy to form the carbohydrates upon which nearly all living things depend on for energy. Light is made up of a number of light waves of different lengths. Some of which appear as different colors to the eye, others lie outside our visual range. In a way, plant pigment chlorophyll that is light-sensitive, is sensitive only to certain waves of light., namely the longer red-to-yellow & the shorter blue to violet waves. These waves are absorbed by chlorophyll, providing the energy input which photosynthesis requires. Artificially provided light is best for the home aquarium, rather than direct sunlight, which will create the continual problem of excessive algae growth plus the fact that the temperature of the aquarium water may rise too high. The type of fluorescent light called full spectrum will best simulate natural sunlight. Other fluorescent tubes labeled broad spectrum or wide spectrum are roughly equivalent. Any of these are satisfactory as long as the appropriate wattage is used for the tank & the type of plants. As far as plants go, the rule of thumb for the amount of light the aquarium should receive is about 12 hours a day. You can use a timer for this to make it easy for you. The wattage required is about 1.5 watts per gallon. A 10 gallon tank would need a 15 watt bulb, a 40 gallon would need two 30 watt bulbs. Very deep aquariums (more than 18 inches) may require additional wattage or a longer duration of light. You can use light colored gravel to help create a brighter bottom for a deep aquarium. You will need to replace the tubes as time progresses, actually, you should replace them when they reach half of the recommended life expectancy according to the manufacturer. If you calculate the rate mentioned above, the tube would last for about two years before necessary replacement, but it is recommended to replace bulbs after about 8 months.

Aquatic plants are not difficult to keep healthy & beautiful as long as their needs are met. Just as your everyday house plants need certain care & requirements, so do your aquatic ones. These include adequate light, fertilization, suitable growing mediums, healthy water & the right temperature. Keep in mind that preventing the problem before it arises always takes less time & effort than trying to correct problems once they have already started. If you short-cut any of these requirements, it will only lead to trouble.

The lighting requirements for your natural aquarium are crucial when live plants are to be kept. Plants must have the correct light for photosynthesis, the process which they combine carbon dioxide & water in the presence of light energy to form the carbohydrates upon which nearly all living things depend on for energy.

Light is made up of a number of light waves of different lengths. Some of which appear as different colors to the eye, others lie outside our visual range. In a way, plant pigment chlorophyll that is light-sensitive, is sensitive only to certain waves of light., namely the longer red-to-yellow & the shorter blue to violet waves. These waves are absorbed by chlorophyll, providing the energy input which photosynthesis requires.

Artificially provided light is best for the home aquarium, rather than direct sunlight, which will create the continual problem of excessive algae growth plus the fact that the temperature of the aquarium water may rise too high. The type of fluorescent light called full spectrum will best simulate natural sunlight. Other fluorescent tubes labeled broad spectrum or wide spectrum are roughly equivalent. Any of these are satisfactory as long as the appropriate wattage is used for the tank & the type of plants.

As far as plants go, the rule of thumb for the amount of light the aquarium should receive is about 12 hours a day. You can use a timer for this to make it easy for you. The wattage required is about 1.5 watts per gallon. A 10 gallon tank would need a 15 watt bulb, a 40 gallon would need two 30 watt bulbs. Very deep aquariums (more than 18 inches) may require additional wattage or a longer duration of light. You can use light colored gravel to help create a brighter bottom for a deep aquarium.

You will need to replace the tubes as time progresses, actually, you should replace them when they reach half of the recommended life expectancy according to the manufacturer. If you calculate the rate mentioned above, the tube would last for about two years before necessary replacement, but it is recommended to replace bulbs after about 8 months.