Plants are important to an aquarium for several reasons. When you place plants in an aquarium, they seem more natural to most people than gravel, stones, and resin ornaments. Aquatic plants are more than just decoration. Plants play an important role in the health and well-being of fish.
This article examines the general differences between using real plants and fake plants in the aquarium.
Benefits of aquatic plants
Aquatic plants, like all other plants in the world, carry out photosynthesis. It is the process of converting natural light into the energy source that plants need to survive and thrive. A gas exchange takes place during this process, depending on whether daylight is available or not. In broad daylight, plants absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen when there is a lot of light. This creates an oxygen-rich environment, perfect for marine life. However, you cannot have many plants, because at night, when there is no more natural light, the plants consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide, which removes fish from the air for breathe them. If you have many plants, you should make sure that the water in the tank is properly aerated at night with a pump. You can tell if your fish is infested with too many plants by watching it early in the morning when you wake up just before sunrise. On the surface, you can see oxygenless fish trying to swallow atmospheric air.
In addition to sunlight, plants also consume nutrients for their growth. They get it from underground or floating nutrients. Why is this an advantage? Because algae are also a plant. By having their own aquatic plants in the tank, they competed and stole nutrients from the algae, preventing them from taking control of the aquarium.
Another advantage of plants is that they are a natural source of food. Obviously, we don’t want the fish to chew the leaves and the rags and make them ugly. But when they are not sufficiently fed and hungry, they pinch the leaves, which is better than starving.
So why artificial plants?
Artificial plants have several advantages. At the very least, they protect fish when they feel stressed or threatened. If you have placed your aquarium in a place exposed to direct sunlight, the fish are under the leaves to escape the heat of the day.
You would use artificial plants in your aquarium if you have a properly configured aquarium system. This means a good filtering system, good ventilation and the means to fight against algal blooms.
Artificial aquatic plants are also a good idea if your aquarium is placed in a place that is not exposed to the sun during the day, e.g. B. in an office. Without enough sun, the real plants look wilted and wilted.
If you do not have much time to maintain the aquariums, opt for the “Fake Plant” option. Real plants tend to remove the leaves which should be removed as soon as possible. When plants rot, algae feed on excess nutrients and other fungi feed on them.
Having real plants in an aquarium, however, is a better option if you can afford maintenance times, as this increases the welfare of your fish.
