How to Propagate Fish Tank Plants

Aquarium plants provides cover for your fish as well as giving it a fresh, green look. They soften the aquarium's hard edges and create an environment resembling nature. If your aquarium's plants are growing well, you can propagate the plant for a lusher look or you can root the plants in other aquariums.

Things You'll Need

  • Long sharp scissors
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Instructions

  1. Cuttings

    • 1

      Propagate long, flowing aquarium plants through cutting. Stem plants are a good choice for propagation through cuttings.

    • 2

      Cut off a 6- to 8-inch stalk of a healthy aquarium plant using a pair of long sharp scissors.

    • 3

      Cut off the leaves from the bottom inch of the stalk.

    • 4

      Push the cut end of the stalk 1 inch into the substrate of the aquarium.

    Rhizomes

    • 5

      Look carefully at the base of the plant, searching for side shoots, which are also known as rhizomes. Side shoots are root structures that are spreading from the main part of the plant.

    • 6

      Reach into the aquarium and snip some of the side shoots away from the main body of a plant using a pair of sharp scissors. You need an inch or less of rhizomes to propagate a new plant.

    • 7

      Bury the rhizome shallowly in another part of the aquarium. Ferns and mosses are good choices for propagation through rhizomes.