You are building ideas to upgrade your aquarium farming skills, then learn and upgrade more live aquatic plants. In fact, they not only add to the natural beauty of the tank, but also help in consuming toxic chemicals and purifying the water for the fish. But how to come up with an aquarium idea, then continue reading our article on how to set up an aquarium with live plants.
Below are thepawmag step-by-step instructions for how to set up aquarium with live plants:
- Step 1: Choose an appropriate location and should choose the location of the fish tank near the electrical outlet, as well as the water source for easy replacement. In addition, to minimize algae growth and constant temperature changes, the aquarium should not be placed in direct sunlight or near air conditioning vents. In addition, avoid areas with high traffic density such as adults bumping into or being explored by curious pets and children.
- Step 2: Prepare the aquarium stand or counter by mounting the brackets and cleaning their surface.
- Step 3: Clean the aquarium and its accessories. You must first wash the tank, substrate and rigid frame with water (absolutely no soap) to reduce turbidity. Then install the aquarium background if you want. There are some people who choose to isolate live plants at a time when to get rid of harmful duckweed and snails.
- Step 4: Place the tank on the stand and add the media. Typically, potted plants will require at least 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) of substrate. In addition, plug a root fertilizer into the soil if you use an inert substrate and have a cryptocoryne, sword tree, or some other species that feeds heavily on its roots.
- Step 5: Next place the equipment and the scene in the aquarium. Be careful not to turn on the heater and filter at this step, you are only positioned in the tank so you can use plants and decorations to hide them. The rocks and driftwood will form the "skeleton" or framework of the planter's design, so take your time and rearrange the pieces if you need to in this step.
- Step 6: Fill the tank with about 6 inches (15 cm) of dechlorinated water with about an extra 6 inches (15 cm) of water, then the lower water level will help lift the leaves as you are growing so they don't bend too much and break. . Next, when you fill the aquarium with water, it is recommended to pour the water through the colander or into a plastic bag or bowl to limit disturbing the aquarium design.
- Step 7: Check and adjust pH and hardness (KH) levels. Also depending on the water source, water conditioners should be used to adjust the pH between 6.5 and 7.5 (Neutral Regulator). Adjust the appropriate pH range for both fish and plants, monitoring the pH regularly once the aquarium is established. If the area has very hard water, use reverse osmosis water and remineralize with Seachem balance.
- Step 8: Check and adjust pH and hardness (KH) levels. Also depending on the water source, water conditioners should be used to adjust the pH between 6.5 and 7.5 (Neutral Regulator). Adjust the appropriate pH range for both fish and plants, monitoring the pH regularly once the aquarium is established. If the area has very hard water, use reverse osmosis water and remineralize with Seachem balance.
- Step 9: because in the aquarium you will grow a lot of plants, but each plant will use a planting technique for each type of plant. First, place the taller plants in the background so that it doesn't cover the shorter ones in the foreground. Next, consider an aquarium lighting position to place low-light plants in the dark and the edges of the tank, higher-lit plants directly below the light. Finally, don't move the plants after you've finished planting because each time you move them, the plants need an adjustment period before they can take root well and grow quickly.
- Step 10: Fill the rest of the tank, add the lid and lights. Turn on the device and make sure everything is working properly. If you are using a heater, you can wait 30 minutes for it to acclimate to the water temperature before turning it on.
- Step 11: start with low fertilizer and light to avoid algae growth. For the first time, most plants are still getting used to the new environment and do not grow much. Therefore, you need to program the timer for only 5-6 hours a day and gradually increase the amount of light and Easy Green fertilizer each week as the plants enter the growing stage.
Carbon is known to be a particularly important plant nutrient that is rapidly utilized by growing plants. However, the manufacturer's recommendations should be followed to maintain strong plant growth.
Things you should prepare before setting up your aquarium with live plants:
1. Aquarium quality
If you are in the group of people who are starting to play aquarium or have experience in this, you must note this. If you're new to planted aquariums or are working on a tight budget, then you don't need to buy a low iron, rimless glass aquarium. You just need a regular and well-functioning glass tank, the rim serves the purpose of cushioning against any unevenness between the aquarium and the stand.
2. Place for setting up your aquarium with live plants
Aquariums should be placed on a hard and flat surface such as an aquarium stand, kitchen counter or sturdy furniture. Make sure the floor underneath can support the weight of the entire aquarium, and weigh close to 10 pounds per gallon when adding water, substrate, equipment, and decorations.
3. Fish tank cover
It may seem that an aquarium cover is a trivial expense, but you should buy one as it can minimize heat loss and the amount of electricity the heater works. The lids also reduce evaporation, which will cool the tank and cause some fluctuating water parameters that stress the fish. Also, covering the aquarium is a simple way to prevent fish, shrimp and snails from accidentally jumping or climbing out of the aquarium.
4. Aquarium background
They can hide power cables and cargo pipes from view. You can also buy background from pet stores, spray Plasti Dip rubber coating on the back of the tank, or poster ice for the aquarium. The black background makes the plants stand out more and hides the algae better.
5. Heaters and thermometers
They are essential if you plan to keep tropical fish. Therefore, you need to choose an appropriately sized heater for the aquarium setup.
6. Light
There are many options for aquarium lighting, but LED grow lights are recommended as they are designed to provide the optimal spectrum and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) levels for growing aquatic plants.
The Finnex Stingray is a lamp with consistent performance and value for low to medium light plants. Besides, a light timer is also very useful to make sure the plants will receive the right amount of light each day and prevent algae growth.
8. Substrate
Perhaps this is a hotly contested factor in the world of planted aquaponics. It seems that dirt and nutrient-rich soil are often the best choices because of their high nutrient content, but these excess nutrients can leach into the water and cause some water quality problems or algae blooms. flowers for those inexperienced.
Therefore, for starters, it is advisable to choose an inert substrate that does not contain nutrients such as aquarium gravel or coarse sand.
9. Selection for live aquatic plants
This is the factor we cover, as you need to set up the whole aquarium before growing live aquatic plants like if you get new plants and then realize you don't have enough substrate to cover 2-3 inches of tank bottom.
Conclusion
Things to remember: howto set up an aquarium with live plants that if the leaves start melting, do not throw the plant away. Because somewhere they are growing new, smaller leaves to adapt to living underwater in the local tap water. But if the plants are still not growing three to four weeks after planting, you need to learn about the plant's nutrient deficiencies to make sure they're getting it all.
