Need A Change of Pace? Plant Away!

Dec 01 2008

Written by Kris Weinhold

And now for something different. Planted aquarium life expert Kris Weinhold has kindly offered to guest post for The Reef tank blog. Kris maintains the planted aquarium and nature-oriented website, Guitarfish.org. He is also president of the Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

I’ve heard the story a number of times; you’ve invested thousands of dollars into the perfect reef setup, had it running for a couple of years, and then one day a heater or pump fails while you were on vacation, and the whole system crashes. The thought of starting over from small frags is too painful, and you put your whole setup on Craig’s List.

To anyone in that situation, or someone who has an extra reef setup, and needs a change of pace, I’d like to encourage you to consider the world of the freshwater planted aquaria. I once heard a hobbyist tell me that plant-geeks are afraid of the complexities of saltwater, and reefers are similarly afraid of planted tanks. Neither of us should be afraid of the other. In fact, we share far more in common than you may think.

Reef tanks already incorporate most of the equipment needed to run a very successful planted aquarium. You already have the most expensive components: high-output lamps, a CO2 system, plenty of water moving pumps, and the tank itself. You’ll need to get rid of your crushed coral substrate, lose the blue actinic bulbs, and possibly change your filtration system, but at least you’re 75% of the way there.

So, why would you want to keep a planted aquarium? Let me tell you why I do.

Infinite variety: With hundreds of aquatic plants already in the hobby, and thousands more described and undescribed species in the wild, there’s always something new entering the hobby to try.
Faster turn-around: While it is possible to choose plants that grow very little over the course of a year, it’s also possible to see an aquascape come to fruition just couple months after setup.
Great Looking Fish: Most fish pop in a planted aquarium because they feel more comfortable in a natural planted environment. Don’t let anyone tell you that all freshwater fish and invertebrates are drab – it’s just not true!
No Cycling: If you setup your planted aquarium with lots of live plants, you’re introducing a huge amount of beneficial bacteria into the tank. In addition, plants readily use ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate as their nitrogen source, so you don’t have to worry as much about cycling the tank. The key is to plant densely initially.
Gardening: If you love gardening, you can garden aquatically year-round in your aquarium. Plus, just like in the backyard, there are natural, Dutch, bonsai, and other styles that can employed to really make your tank a living masterpiece.
Water quality: Plants help to oxygenate the water through respiration, and provide some level of filtration, keeping the water pristine. This also means that you don’t need air-stones or additional filtration mediums in your tank.
Simplified Water Changes: In most areas, your water changes can come straight out of the tap, with just a bit of dechlorinator added. No need to mess with salt additives.
Flowers: Most aquatic plants will grow up and out of the water if allowed. This can provide the opportunity to see the plants transition to emersed growth and even flower.
Ever-changing: Since plants constantly grow and develop, your aquascape grows with it, providing new surprises that only nature can provide.
Beautiful: Planted tanks are beautiful, plain and simple.