Plants

Most commercial plants are grown emersed. This is a faster way to grow plants to keep up with the demand, amoung other reasons. When planting your new plants, expect an acclimation period while plants go from terrestrial to submerged. Some leaves will die off, but DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED as new leaves will grow that will be acclimated to submerged growth. Also expect changes in leaf shape which can be interesting and surprising.

ANUBIAS - Anubias species are very popular with a wide variety of fish hobbyists. Since anubias can handle a wide variety of conditions, it makes them the ultimate plant when it comes to aquarium plants. Anubias grows in shaded shallow streams mainly in West Africa. They are able to grow both in and out of the water, which makes them a perfect choice for aquariums or paladariums and can even look really cool in open top aquariums.

They have thick hardy leaves that can withstand herbivorous fish which makes them a popular plant for african cichlid hobbyists. They have low light requirements which make them a great beginner plant, and with a wide range in sizes, perfect for even killi and betta hobbyists. Anubias can also handle higher temps which is perfect for discus hobbyists. Even bare bottom tank keepers like anubias because they are more designed to grow on hard surfaces like dirftwood and rocks. NEVER bury the rhizome of an anubias in the gravel as it will cause the plant to slowly die and rot away. You must keep the rhizome exposed and only allow the roots to bury. But the best advice is to tie anubias to a piece of driftwood. Anubias also like IRON. New leaves are yellow and old leaves typically turn dark green, when old leaves turn yellow or appear weak, it is usually a sign of iron deficiency. This is also a good tip with all species of plants, not just anubias.

APONOGETON - There are about 40 species of aponogetons with about 15 being suitable for the aquarium. Aponogetons are sometimes specialized and adapted to special conditions in their own environments that aquariums can not achieve. Aponogetons are usually found in shallow bogs in Africa, Asia and Australia that dry up annually. Because of this, Aponogetons are said to go through a "rest" period that coincides with the dry season. This also explains why there is fast growth for several months followed by slow or no growth. Most aponogetons will benefit from warm nutrient rich aquariums and some will prefer hard water, while others prefer soft water. The Madagascar Lace will actually prefer cool, shaded hard water....sorry discus people.

CRYPTOCORYNE - Commonly called "crypts" in the hobby, these plants are referred to as the easiest plants to grow. They are possibly the most popular and widely available in the aquarium hobby. Crypts can be found in marshes, bogs, rivers and swamps located in Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Crypts can take a period to acclimate, which some hobbyists consider "crypt melt", but once established can be very hardy plants. The real reason for "crypt melt" has to do with constant changes in water conditions, temps and lighting that causes holes in leaves and cause them to rot. Crypts are typically low light plants that will adapt to a wide range of temps, they just need to stay somewhat constant once acclimated. Despite the voodoo warnings, crypts are GREAT beginner plants and perfect for the low tech tank.

ECHINODORUS (SWORD PLANTS) - Echinodorus are another very common and popular aquarium plant found mostly in North and South America. There are close to 50 species of sword plants with only a few that are true aquatic plants as most swords are considered bog plants. In nature, sword plants do need to be able to adapt to different water levels during the wet and dry seasons. Swords will produce submerged forms if kept under water long enough. Sword plants will grow rather tall and should be kept in larger tanks as they will reach heights around 24". Leaves can be trimmed to keep the plant shorter. Sword plants will propogate by producing numerous daughter plants on runners. Allow runners to float until a good root system appears and then seperate them, using the runner to anchor the new plants in the substrate. Sword plants are very easy to grow if you do three things; nutrient rich substrate, stronger light, and the addition of iron.