What Are the Benefits of Live Aquarium Plants?

Owning an aquarium can provide you with an opportunity to create a natural environment in your home. Maintaining an aquarium is easy, requiring simple maintenance. A proper setup with the right water filtration system, a heater if necessary and a lighted cover will supply the necessary environment for live aquarium plants. Your setup goal is to create a stable setting. Fluctuations in temperature and water chemistry can harm live plants that may not have the ecological mechanisms to adapt to drastic changes. Live aquarium plants are available at pet stores, garden centers and online.

  1. Cover for Fish

    • Perhaps the primary benefit of live aquarium plants is for the other organisms that share the aquarium. Live plants provide cover for aquarium fish. In a tank containing a variety of fish, competition for food and resources can occur. Live plants give smaller or less aggressive fish an opportunity to hide. This reduces stress and the likelihood of disease in the aquarium fish, making for a healthier environment.

    Gas Exchange

    • Live aquarium plants benefit a tank setup by contributing to the natural exchange of gases in aquarium water. Plants take up carbon dioxide in the water to undergo photosynthesis, the process by which plants make food and energy. In turn, plants give off oxygen, helping to maintain the proper dissolved oxygen levels that are necessary for plant and fish life.

    Natural Environment

    • Live plants are one component that you can use to create a natural environment in your tank. Some aquarium fish prefer a tank setup that replicates their native habitat and may not thrive in a tank with artificial plants. Live plants can serve as nesting habitat and provide food for aquarium fish.

    Aesthetic Appeal

    • Live plants add to the aesthetic appeal of an aquarium, adding to the sense of peace and tranquility you can find from gazing into an aquarium. The natural movement of plants in response to water or fish movement contributes to its value.

    Water Quality

    • In addition to maintaining oxygen levels, aquatic plants improve overall water quality by absorbing waste products from fish and other aquarium organisms. This action helps prevent high ammonia levels in the water, which can kill any aquatic life in the aquarium. In the closed environment of an aquarium, maintenance of water chemistry is vital. Aquatic plants also help prevent algae growth. Unchecked algae growth mars the appearance of the tank and increases the likelihood of water quality issues from decaying algae.