Aquarium Plants From South America

When choosing plants for a tropical freshwater aquarium, keep in mind the temperature and water conditions you will be maintaining in your tank. To insure a harmonious fish tank, you may wish to create a biotope, or a replica of a particular ecosystem. For example, in South America, you may choose from the Amazon River, the Rio Negro, or a blackwater river in Argentina. There are many plants from different areas in South America that you may choose for your tropical fish tank.

  1. Amazon River

    • Aquarium plants suitable for an Amazon river-inspired aquarium will need to thrive in soft, acidic water with temperatures in the high 70s. Possible plants include red Amazon (Echinodorus osiris), water stargrass (Heteranthera zosteraefolia), broad-leaved dwarf Amazon sword (Echinodorus Quadricostatus), Brazilian water ivy (Hydrocotyle leucocephala) and red copper leafed alternanthera (Alternanthera reineckii).

    Rio Negro

    • Plants for an aquarium displaying fish from the Rio Negro in Brazil may include green cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana), tropical hornwort (Ceratophyllum submersum), pygmy chain sword (Echinodorus tenellus), and Bolivian sword (Echinodorus bolivianus). These plants prefer slow-moving water, a pH between 4.5 to 6.5, and temperatures in the low to mid 80s.

    Blackwater Argentina

    • Plants that thrive in the slow-moving black waters of Argentina require low-flow filters in an aquarium, with a pH near neutral 7.0 and temperatures in the high 70s. Such plants include Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum), Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa), and Vallisneria spiralis (eelgrass).