Red Root Floaters and the Only Surface Plant That Gives You Actual Colour
# Red Root Floaters and the Only Surface Plant That Gives You Actual Colour I’ve kept a lot of floating plants over the years. Started with the usual suspects when…
Rotala Blood Red and the Stem Plant That Needs Everything Dialled in Perfectly
I bought my first pot of Rotala Blood Red because the photo on the website looked impossible. Deep crimson leaves that seemed to glow from within, like someone had backlit…
Vallisneria and the Background Plant That Does All the Work While You Learn
# Vallisneria and the Background Plant That Does All the Work While You Learn I planted my first bunch of vallisneria because it was cheap, looked green, and the shop…
Echinodorus Red Flame and the Sword Plant That Gives You Red Without the Effort
# Echinodorus Red Flame and the Sword Plant That Gives You Red Without the Effort I picked up my first Echinodorus Red Flame because I was tired of watching red…
Aqueon Plant and Shrimp Substrate and What Reddit Actually Thinks of It
# Aqueon Plant and Shrimp Substrate and What Reddit Actually Thinks of It I’ll be honest – I picked up a bag of Aqueon Plant and Shrimp Substrate because it…
Water Sprite and the Floater That Works Just as Well Planted in Substrate
# Water Sprite: The Floater That Works Just as Well Planted in Substrate I picked up my first water sprite cutting from a bloke on Craigslist who was practically begging…
How to Add Live Plants to an Established Aquarium Without Disrupting Everything
# How to Add Live Plants to an Established Aquarium Without Disrupting Everything Your tank’s been running smoothly for months. Fish are healthy, water parameters are stable, and you’ve got…
Java Fern and the Epiphyte That Dies If You Plant It in Substrate
I’ve bought this plant six times over the years. Killed it four of those times by doing exactly what you’d expect anyone would do with an aquatic plant: planting it…
Cuba Pearl and the Tiniest Carpet Plant That Demands Perfect Conditions
# Cuba Pearl and the Tiniest Carpet Plant That Demands Perfect Conditions I spent £40 on what looked like a handful of grass clippings and promptly watched them dissolve over…
Riccia and the Floating Plant That Aquascapers Decided Should Live Underwater
# Riccia and the Floating Plant That Aquascapers Decided Should Live Underwater I discovered Riccia fluitans the way most people do: I was looking for something completely different and ended…
Rotala Rotundifolia and the Stem Plant That Goes From Green to Red Based on What You Feed It
# Rotala Rotundifolia: The Stem Plant That Goes From Green to Red Based on What You Feed It I’ve killed plenty of plants trying to get them red. Spent months…
Anubias Nana and the Bulletproof Plant That Survives Anything You Throw at It
# Anubias Nana and the Bulletproof Plant That Survives Anything You Throw at It I bought my first Anubias nana because the bloke at the shop said it was impossible…
Amazon Sword and the Centrepiece Plant That Takes Over Your Entire Tank
# Amazon Sword and the Centrepiece Plant That Takes Over Your Entire Tank I bought my first Amazon sword because I needed something green and substantial for the back corner…
Java Moss and the Plant That Grows in Almost Any Conditions You Give It
# Java Moss and the Plant That Grows in Almost Any Conditions You Give It I’ve killed plenty of plants in my time. Expensive stem plants that melted overnight, carpeting…
Banana Plant and the Weird Looking Lily That Beginners Fall in Love With
# Banana Plant and the Weird Looking Lily That Beginners Autumn in Love With I bought my first banana plant because it looked like nothing else in the shop and…
Alternanthera Reineckii Mini and the Compact Red Plant That Belongs in Every Nano Tank
# Alternanthera Reineckii Mini and the Compact Red Plant That Belongs in Every Nano Tank I spent two years trying to get red plants to stay red in my nano…
Monte Carlo and the Carpet Plant That Made CO2 Optional for Beginners
# Monte Carlo and the Carpet Plant That Made CO2 Optional for Beginners I’ve watched more students kill Java moss than I care to count, but when I introduced Monte…
Bacopa Monnieri and the Beginner Stem Plant That Actually Looks Good
# Bacopa Monnieri and the Beginner Stem Plant That Actually Looks Good I’ve been teaching middle school biology for eight years, and I’ve learned that the best way to get…
Java Moss and Why Every Planted Tank Eventually Ends Up Covered in It
# Java Moss and Why Every Planted Tank Eventually Ends Up Covered in It I started keeping a small tub of java moss as backup material for my classroom tanks.…
Bucephalandra and the Slow Grower That Became the Most Collected Plant in the Hobby
# Bucephalandra and the Slow Grower That Became the Most Collected Plant in the Hobby I’ve got a confession: I started collecting Bucephalandra because I thought it would be cheap.…
Anacharis and the Fast Growing Stem Plant That Doubles as a Water Purifier
# Anacharis: The Fast Growing Stem Plant That Doubles as a Water Purifier I walked into that aquatics shop eighteen months ago planning to buy a goldfish bowl and some…
Hornwort and the Floating Stem Plant That Grows Whether You Want It to or Not
# Hornwort and the Floating Stem Plant That Grows Whether You Want It to or Not I bought my first bit of hornwort for three pounds fifty from a local…
Salvinia and the Surface Plant That Blocks Light Better Than Any Lid
# Salvinia and the Surface Plant That Blocks Light Better Than Any Lid I’ve been keeping planted tanks for eight years now, and I thought I understood surface coverage until…
Ludwigia Repens and the Red Plant That Doesn’t Need Expert Level Lighting
# Ludwigia Repens and the Red Plant That Doesn’t Need Expert Level Lighting I spent my first eighteen months in this hobby convinced that red plants were for other people.…
Monte Carlo and the Carpet Plant That Changed What Beginners Think Is Possible
# Monte Carlo and the Carpet Plant That Changed What Beginners Think Is Possible I’ve been keeping planted tanks for over two years now, and I still remember the first…
The 10 Best Freshwater Aquarium Plants That Actually Thrive
# The Definitive Ranking: 10 Best Planted Tank Species That Actually Work in Real Tanks Right, so we finally sat down and hashed this out. Took us three sessions and…
How I Set Up My First Planted Tank (And What I Wish Someone Had Told Me)
I’m looking at a large 55-gallon tank sitting in my garage that my friend was about to throw away and I said, “What could go wrong?” Yeah, famous last words.…
The Complete Guide to Planting Specific Aquarium Plants the Right Way
# The Complete Guide to Planting Specific Aquarium Plants the Right Way > **TL;DR: Start Here** > > 1. **Remove all rockwool from store-bought plants** and trim damaged roots before…
Planted Aquarium Ideas for Every Budget From Beginner to Competition Level
Don’t worry. I know that feeling too. Eighteen months ago I walked into that aquatics shop clueless about what was about to happen. Spending £340 on a tank you decide…
Aquarium Plant Maintenance Schedule and What Weekly Care Looks Like
Establishing a planted tank is one thing. Maintaining that tank is something else entirely. More often than not the tanks that stay stable long term have a predictable weekly maintenance…
Simple Planted Aquarium Ideas for People Who Don’t Want a Full Aquascape
Simple Planted Aquarium Ideas for Those That Don’t Want a Full Aquascape I know what you’re thinking. “aquascaping” dominated by impossibly balanced stacks of driftwood, carpet plants trimmed to perfection…
Hardscape Planted Tank and Balancing Stone and Wood With Greenery
Few things make or break a planted aquarium like your hardscape design. Nothing screams “this isn’t a natural habitat” quite like poor planning and haphazard placement of rocks and driftwood.…
How to Glue and Tie Plants to Hardscape Without It Looking Terrible
There’s a certain pride that comes with watching your Anubias attach itself to your chosen driftwood after patiently waiting weeks for it to start doing so. Watching moss slowly soften…
How to Remove Dead Leaves From Aquarium Plants Without Making a Mess
It’s easy to look at those brown or yellow leaves decorating your aquarium plants and decide to leave them be for now. After all, there’s no need to stress your…
Aquarium Plant Supplements and Whether Extra Additives Are Worth the Money
Walk into any aquarium shop and you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled into a chemistry lab’s marketing department. Bottles upon bottles of every imaginable supplement promising faster growth, healthier…
How to Keep Live Plants in an Aquarium Looking Good Long Term
You spend ages getting your planted tank looking exactly how you want it too. Your carpet plants are spreading into the open areas, your stem plants are growing vibrant red…
Water Changes in a Planted Aquarium and How Often You Actually Need Them
Arguably no topic causes more debate and argument amongst aquarists than water changes in planted aquariums. One website will tell you to change 50% every week, another that you never…
The Complete Guide to Cleaning and Maintaining Aquarium Plants
# The Complete Guide to Cleaning and Maintaining Aquarium Plants > **TL;DR: Start Here** > > **Three foundational steps:** First, establish a proper trimming routine using clean, sharp scissors to…
The Complete Guide to Aquarium Plants and Fish That Work Together
# The Complete Guide to Aquarium Plants and Fish That Work Together > **TL;DR: Start Here** > > Get your tank fundamentals right first: establish proper filtration, cycle for 4-6…
Planted Aquarium Aquascaping and the Difference Between a Fish Tank and an Aquascape
If you walk into your typical fish shop you’re likely to find two completely different types of fish keeping happening. Rows of pragmatic tanks full of fish that are healthy…
The 10 Best Aquarium Plant Fertilisers and Why Getting This Wrong Kills Everything
The Definitive Ranking: Best Aquarium Plant Fertilisers That Actually Work Ok so we finally got around to doing it. Four whole meetings, three arguments about liquid carbon, Bobby nearly quitting…
The Complete Guide to Dealing With Algae on Aquarium Plants
# The Complete Guide to Dealing With Algae on Aquarium Plants > **TL;DR: Start Here** > > 1. **Prevention first**: Start new planted tanks with 4-6 hours of light daily,…
Saltwater Aquarium Plants and Whether They Actually Exist or You’re Thinking of Macroalgae
One of the first questions I had when I started getting serious about marine aquariums was “what can I grow”? After years of successfully keeping “okay” freshwater plants, I wanted…
The Complete Guide to Setting Up a Planted Aquarium From Scratch
# The Complete Guide to Setting Up a Planted Aquarium From Scratch > **TL;DR: Start Here** > > Set up your planted aquarium in three foundational steps: First, establish proper…
Planted Marine Aquarium and What Growing Plants in Salt Water Really Involves
When people think planted tanks, they automatically assume freshwater tanks with carpeting plants and CO2 dosing. However, there is a whole world of marine planted aquariums that I knew nothing…
The Complete Guide to Growing and Caring for Aquarium Plants
# The Complete Guide to Growing and Caring for Aquarium Plants ## TL;DR: Start Here > **The Essential Three Steps for Plant Success:** > 1. **Get the basics right first**:…
Japanese Planted Aquarium Styles and What Makes Them Different From Everything Else
When searching for aquarium inspiration online, it doesn’t take long to come across photos of aquariums that look effortlessly beautiful. Perfect even spreads of mosses extending into the distance, stones…
Reef Aquarium Plants and the Difference Between True Plants and Coral
I’ll admit that when I started looking into reef tanks, I spent countless hours looking at pictures of gorgeous coral reefs completely enamored. “Coral trees? Brain coral? These things look…
Mangrove Plants in an Aquarium and Setting Up a Brackish or Marine Refugium
Keep mangroves! That’s right you vegetarians who inhale Marineland® vegetable slickcover™. I know mangroves seem intimidating, reserved for people with saltwater fishrooms and money to burn. I thought so too…
The Complete Guide to Keeping Terrestrial Plants in Your Aquarium
> **TL;DR: Start Here** > > Getting terrestrial plants to work in your aquarium comes down to understanding what survives partial submersion and what doesn’t. Start with pothos cuttings rooted…