Keeping live aquarium plants is an excellent way to make your tank look nicer. Live plants will make your tank more colorful and cleaner. Live aquarium plants also help tanks stay healthy. They provide places to explore or hide for aquarium fish and aquarium shrimp. Live plants in an aquarium can also provide food for aquarium snails. They will eat the plants or decaying leaves.
11 Best Aquarium Plants For Beginners
Is this your first time starting an aquarium? Did you start with a small, simple aquarium? That’s great! Welcome to the hobby! Plants need to be able to live in this type of environment. It would be best if you started with some easy aquarium plants.
Most aquarium plants that are easy for beginners have green leaves, sturdy stems, and strong roots. Plants with red or pink leaves might need more light and a complicated tank setup. Plants with delicate leaves may not be easy for beginners to take care of. They are usually less hardy. If you have any questions, ask for help at the store before buying the plant. Popular easy aquarium plants for beginners include:
Java Moss
Java moss thrives in clean and well-lit water. It’s a carpet plant and grows on the substrate in the fish tank. It’s easy to care for and maintain.
Java Fern
Java fern is also a natural plant to grow in fish tanks and does well in lit fish tanks. It’s hardy, easy to care for, and adds beautiful greenery to your aquascape.
Aquarium Banana Plant
The Aquarium Banana Plant is known for its toughness, as it will grow in low-light setups and can flourish either fully or partially submerged.
Dwarf Aquarium Lily
Dwarf aquarium lilies are beautiful plants. The unique shape of the leaves adds to the aesthetics of the tank. They are easy to care for, but, you must plant the bulb halfway out of the substrate, or the plant will die.
Anubias
Anubias and Anubias Nana are easy-to-keep aquatic plants for freshwater aquariums. These come on rocks or driftwood when bought in the fish store. This freshwater plant is slow-growing. So, you have to get one that is the right size for your aquarium.
Brazilian Pennywort
Brazilian Pennywort grows fast and has vibrant and colorful green leaves. It is a very fast-growing and low-maintenance plant with large lily-pad-like leaves.
Anacharis
Anacharis is a popular aquarium plant with a very lush appearance. It is a perennial plant that’s usually found in ponds, lakes and streams, and canals.
Amazon Sword
Amazon sword is an ideal plant for beginner aquarists. It grows large, broad leaves that provide adequate cover for small fish. It is easy to care for and thrives when planted in a loose substrate.
Aponogeton Ulvaceus Bulb
Aponogeton Ulvaceus Bulb is a background aquarium plant that has green flowing, rippled leaves. A single bulb can produce about 40 leaves.
Water Sprite
Water sprite plants are easy to grow freshwater aquarium plants that can survive floating in the water or planted in the substrate.
Water Wisteria
Water Wisteria is a freshwater plant with green leaves that are tall, lace-like and grow broad.
Other Popular Aquarium Plants In Fish Stores
You should be aware that “aquarium plants” sold in shops may be “true-aquatic plants” or “non-aquatic plants.” True-aquatic plants are appropriate for aquariums and can subsist immersed in water. Aquatic plants are for aquariums. Terrarium plants are different. They need different conditions and labels sometimes get mixed up. Plants also get misidentified.
Some plants are for beginners, and some are not. Some plants need very little light or care. Other plants need a lot of care and will not grow well in a beginner’s tank. And, some of these plants are not suitable for aquariums. Always ask the store assistant before you buy anything! A list of some plants that might be found at an aquarium store:
Amazon Sword Plant: The Amazon Sword Plant is a good plant for the midground or background of an aquascape. It can grow to be large, so make sure you plan your design with that in mind.
Anacharis Plant: Anacharis is a green plant with long stems. You can plant in the substrate, or it can float in the water. It is one of the hardier plants for aquariums. Beginners should have it because they are not as hard to take care of as other plants.
Anubias Barteri: Anubias Barteri is a popular plant with easy care needs. It grows in low light and has thick green leaves, thick roots, and durable roots—an acceptable choice for a beginner.
Banana Plant: An Aquarium Banana Plant is a plant with banana-like tubers. It grows leaves on top of the water. It is a good plant for beginners.
Brazilian Pennywort: A Brazilian Pennywort has long green leaves. It is a good choice for the background of an aquascape. It grows very thick, so you will need to plan.
Brazilian Sword Plant: Brazilian Sword Plant has green leaves on long, durable stems. You might think it may be suitable for your tank. But the plant is not well suited to grow submerged in water. The plant may look good for a while, but it will decompose and die. A Brazilian Sword Plant is better suited for a terrarium.
Cabomba Plant: A Cabomba Plant is a plant with soft, green, or red leaves. This plant can grow floating or planted. The delicate leaves trap bits of food, which are favorite snacks for Amano Shrimp and Red Cherry Shrimp.
Dwarf Onion Plant: A Dwarf Onion Plant is not an aquatic plant. But it looks like it is and can survive for a long time in the water.
Micro Sword Plant: A Micro Sword Plant has small green leaves and delicate roots. It is an excellent plant to have in the front of your aquarium. A Micro Sword can also grow to create a grass-carpet effect if it gets enough light.
Marimo Moss Balls: Marimo Moss Balls are both easy to buy and popular. These are not plants, but kind of like algae balls. They are suitable for shrimp tanks.
Water Sprite Plants: The Water Sprite Plant has green leaves. It can grow either floating in the water or planted in the substrate. It is an excellent plant to start with if you have no experience with aquarium plants.
White Sanderiana Plant: White Sanderiana is better in a terrarium. They last long, submerged in an aquarium, but these plants will soon wither even with the best care.
Final Thoughts
The following are problems with aquarium plant care: aquarium lighting, water quality, growth rate, pruning, and plant propagation. There’s also the issue of floating vs. planting (in the substrate) and positioning.
Plants that are closer to the surface of the water get more light. Plants near the top might make it hard for other plants to get enough light at the bottom of a tank. Adding plant fertilizer and CO2 is also another concern when taking care of plants in an aquarium.
If you pick plants that are right for your aquarium, there is a higher chance that they will grow. Most people have low-light, low-maintenance tanks. So it makes sense to choose plants that can survive in those conditions. Beginners do not consider this fact when buying plants. The result? Dead or dying plants, a filthy tank, money lost, aggravation, and disappointment.
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