Planted Freshwater Aquarium
by Sam Pol

Updated on 4-28-07

One of Aqua Buys customers Jason from www.dvaga.com produced this beautiful 75 gallon planted aquarium.

Table of Contents Planted Aquarium Equipment Habitat Water Chemistry Setup Adding Fish Feeding Maintenance Other Info

History

The Victorian era "Warrington Case"

Air pumps became available in the early 1900's.

Freshwater fish keeping dates back to ancient Egypt with depictions of captive fish“pets” being found in Egyptian writings. Planted aquariums evolved from the Victorian era “Warrington Cases” that served as terrariums for ferns and other plants for collectors. The idea of having an aquarium that was naturally balanced with fish, plants and invertebrates was popular in the mid 1800’s. Aquarium literature from the late 1800’s listed plants including Cabomba, Sagittaria, Riccia, Ludwigia, Salvinia, and Water Hyacinth.

In the early 1900’s as more homes were becoming electrified the aquarium also got the benefit of electricity. Powered air pumps and heating allowed more control over the aquarium environment. Advances in understanding water chemistry through the mid 1900’s and the introduction of CO2 for the aquarium have enabled the creation of underwater masterpieces.

Modern planted freshwater aquariums have evolved into a great hobby and have been simplified by some advanced equipment and a basic understanding of the requirements of aquatic animals.

Geography

Think for a moment of all the places in the world that have fish…all of the lakes, streams and rivers. A freshwater aquarium could be based on an East Asia stream, South American River or an African Rift lake. I usually start my aquarium planning with this in mind and try to replicate one of these locations. I try to choose fish and/or plants from a certain region and make…sort of a biotope aquarium. I don’t always stick to the region 100% but it makes for great conversation when someone asks about your aquarium and may increase your enjoyment of the aquarium hobby. I think that the South American Rivers are my favorite when it comes to planted aquariums (more on this later).

The Amazon River in South America is home to some of my
most favorite fish.

This biotope style planning also helps with compatibility. If you choose your fish this way you will likely avoid problems with water chemistry compatibility. An African Cichlid fish (higher pH, more alkaline) has different water requirements than an Angelfish (lower pH, less alkaline).

A modern (high tech) planted tank is a gadget lovers dream. Beyond the basics of the aquarium itself, a filter and heating we have high tech lighting, automated CO2 injection and more. Let’s take a look at some of the equipment we will need for our planted aquarium.

Aquarium
While an aquarium of almost any size would work for a planted tank a larger aquarium is better for many reasons. It allows you to keep more fish (and plants) and also the larger volume of water is typically more stable than a smaller setup. A 40 gallon aquarium would be a good choice.

SeaClear 40 Gallon Regular

Having a good stand for your aquarium will allow you to store accessories and also serve to “showcase” your tank. Choose a solid top stand for an acrylic tank.

36" x 18" Aquarium Cabinet

Filtration
A planted aquarium needs higher levels of CO2 to maintain plant health. Your filter should help support this by not creating excessive surface turbulence. A canister style filter will allow good filtration and the output can be slightly submerged for good results.

Eheim ECCO 2234 Canister Filter

Heating
Maintaining water temperature at a consistent level reduces stress on your aquarium pets. A good rule of thumb for selecting aquarium heaters is to have about 3-5 watts per gallon. Most tropical fish (and plants) prefer temperatures around 76 degrees F.

Stealth 150 Heater

Lighting
Plants require light for photosynthesis. You will need about 2-3 watts of light per gallon. 6700K broad spectrum lamps are great for freshwater as this closely resembles the natural sunlight spectrum. Light is one of the three essential components in the Circle of Balance (see below).

36" Freshwater Aqualight Single 1 x 96 watts

CO2
A consistent supply of CO2 (carbon dioxide) to your plants will support a lush and healthy aquascape. CO2 is one of the other three essential components in the Circle of Balance (see below). There are several methods for injecting CO2 including the chemical reaction method and the pressurized injection method. The chemical reaction method uses a mixture of water, sugar and yeast to produce CO2 gas as a by-product of a fermentation process (think of the bubbles or fizz in beer). This system needs to be replenished about once a month.

Turbo CO2 Bio System

The pressurized method uses CO2 gas from a pressurized bottle. This method is very consistent and can last 6-8 months or more before refilling the bottle. This method involves the use of a CO2 regulator with a solenoid valve, a CO2 diffuser/reactor and can be fully automated with a pH controller.

Deluxe CO2 System

Dosing Fertilizers
Supplying a steady source of nutrients for your plants is important for both plant health and also for controlling algae. Aquarium plants require Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK like on lawn fertilizer) in the correct proportions. They also require micro and trace elements including calcium, magnesium, and iron. These macro, micro and trace elements (fertilizers) are one of the three essential components in the Circle of Balance (see below).

I have personally had great success using an Eheim Liquidoser and Seachem NPK and Flourish. This is about the easiest method I have found for keeping the required level of nutrients for aquatic plants. I tried manual dosing for several years but would often forget to dose or would use the nutrients out of proportion. Using an automatic dosing device and a comprehensive supplement with a little extra Potassium (K) is my favorite method. The plants stay happy and I work less at keeping them that way!

Eheim Liquidoser

Seachem Flourish

Seachem Potassium

Thermometer
A digital thermometer is great tool for keeping track of the temperature in your aquarium. It only takes a glance to see the temp on the digital readout and they are more accurate than standard aquarium thermometers.

Digital Thermometer

Habitat

I already mentioned that the Amazon River in South America is home to some of my favorite fish. I am a big fan of Cardinal Tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi) and Blue Rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi). Some of the important scavenger and clean up fish are also from South America including Otocinclus Catfish (Otocinclus affinis), Cory Cat (Corydoras julii) and the Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus sp.). We will discuss more about these fish later.

The lush habitat of the Amazon River.

Amazon Sword Plants (Echinodorus bleheri) are one of the most recognized aquarium plants and make a good centerpiece plant for any planted tank. Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) is a nice South American plant that is has a short growth and makes a good mid-foreground plant. Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis) is another good ground cover plant. Several groupings of this species planted a few inches apart will surely cover the bottom of the tank with a lush green carpet.

The Amazon also has a large amount of decaying wood or driftwood and decaying plant matter. This decomposition of organics makes the water somewhat soft and acidic. The water also tends to have a slight tea color because of this. Many aquarium hobbyists use small amounts of peat media in their filter to simulate these conditions.

Substrate
The bottom of the Amazon River is a mixture of fine gravel/sand with some clay content. Using a combination of sand and laterite clay for your substrate would be appropriate. You could also use a rich substrate such as Eco-Complete. A rich substrate offers many benefits to the plants by providing more nutrients direct to the roots.

Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate

Water Chemistry

A planted freshwater aquarium is not that difficult to take care of as far as water chemistry is concerned. I have found that if you maintain a Circle of Balance between Light, CO2 and Fertilizers that the aquarium will virtually run itself. Here is how you can create that balance.

The basic water parameters for a freshwater planted tank are as follows:

Circle of Balance
In a high tech style freshwater planted aquarium there needs to be a certain balance between Light, CO2 and Fertilizers. If these three factors are not balanced the plants will not flourish and it is possible that algae growth will increase.

The Circle of Balance for planted
freshwater aquariums.

Light
Lighting is a key ingredient for plant life. 2-3 watts per gallon is a very basic rule of thumb for choosing your lighting. With our 40 gallon aquarium being just about 16” tall…using a 96 watt PC light fixture will give us 2.4 watts per gallon. That should do nicely as far as intensity is concerned.

Another important factor with lighting is spectrum. Daylight lamps in the 6700K range are close to natural sunlight and produce a nice broad spectrum light that plants will readily use for photosynthesis. Higher Kelvin (color temperature) ratings contain more blue and are more appropriate for saltwater aquariums.

I run my lights for about 10 hours each day using an automatic timer. While photoperiods in nature may be longer at up to 12-14 hours, 10 should be plenty for the aquarium.

CO2
Carbon is essential to all life and a very important element for plant growth. CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the planted aquarium should be maintained in the 15-20 ppm range for lush growth. CO2 concentrations above 25ppm can have harmful effects on fish as the dissolved oxygen begins to decline. pH and KH are very important as these parameters allow you to closely estimate the concentration of dissolved CO2. See the chart below for the pH, KH, CO2 relationship.

CO2 levels in ppm are the numbers in the middle. If your dKH is 3.0 and your pH is 6.8 you will have about 14ppm of CO2. The bold numbers in highlighted green are good CO2 values. You can also use this chart to find a pH set point for a pH controller.

We have already discussed the requirements for light (2-3 watts per gallon) and the CO2 requirements (15-20ppm)…so how much nutrients or fertilizers do we use?

NPK
Nitrogen (Nitrate), Phosphorous (Phosphate) and Potassium are the three main nutrients required and commonly referred to as macro elements. While there is not really a “best ratio” (for every aquarium) of dosing for NPK we can give a recommended range:

With this in mind we can dose the aquarium and maintain a reasonable amount of nutrients for the plants. There is not really a reliable test for Potassium but you can estimate that levels are correct by dosing in ratios of double the Potassium to Nitrate (2:1). If you test Nitrate and it is around 10 ppm you can make a reasonable assumption that Potassium is around 20 ppm (if you are dosing).

It is not necessary to dose, test, do correction dosing, then test again as we will likely get too absorbed in the testing part of all of this. I dose the suggested amounts of NPK, watch the plants and simply try to maintain levels of supplements that make the plants look healthy. I know that may sound oversimplified but it really is just about that easy. Look for signs of NPK deficiency in older leaves which includes: chlorosis (yellowing), necrosis (death/browning), and weak stems and roots.

Seachem NPK

Nitrate and Phosphate are usually produced naturally in the aquarium from filtration processes and leftover fish food. This amount of Nitrate and Phosphate may be enough for some algae to grow but is likely not enough to support higher order plant growth. This is why it is important to supplement your plants with these elements.

Potassium is not produced naturally in aquariums so it is typical that Potassium is depleted in planted tanks. The plants use Potassium at a higher rate so it may be necessary to adjust your dosing for more Potassium as your tank matures.

Micro and Trace Nutrients
Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese, Zinc, Boron, Copper, Molybdenum and others are the micro and trace elements that plants require. Here is a short list of some trace element deficiencies that may show on aquarium plants:

• Iron: Short and slender stems or yellowing (chlorosis) between veins.
• Boron: Death of stem and root apical meristem, leaves twisted, young tissue most affected
• Cobalt: used for nitrogen fixation, same as nitrogen deficiency signs (stunted growth)
• Copper: Young leaves dark green, twisted, wilted, tip remains alive
• Manganese: Chlorosis (yellowing) of young leaves, with smallest veins remaining green, necrosis between veins
• Molybdenum: Chlorosis , twisting, death of young leaves
• Zinc: Reduced leaf size, shortened internodes, chlorosis, spotted leaves, older leaves most affected
• Nickel: lack of germination or seed formation, required for iron absorption

A comprehensive supplement works well for dosing micro nutrients.

Seachem Flourish

Maintaining the Circle of Balance
By automating the delivery of Light, CO2 and Fertilizers to the planted aquarium you increase the ease of achieving balance in the tank. I have my lights set on a timer to turn on for a 10 hour photoperiod. The CO2 injection is controlled automatically with a pH controller and is periodically (once a month) cross checked with dKH and pH testing. I have had great success with automatically dosing Flourish (contains some Macro NPK) and Potassium with an Eheim Liquidoser. It really is just about that easy.

Setup

This chart is a timeline describing step-by-step setup of your Freshwater Planted aquarium. After the chart is an explanation of each step.

Research
I think one of the best ways to prepare for aquarium keeping is to start by making a list of the fish and plants you would like to keep. While you are making the list you should also look at the requirements for the different plants and fish. You will notice that there are some differences and that some share common requirements. An easy way to insure success with your aquarium is to choose fish that all require the same water conditions.

We have several recommendations below for some great plants and fish that will do well together. This also includes some worker fish (and shrimp) that act as a cleanup crew and will help control algae.

Equipment and Setup
After you collect all of your equipment you can set up your aquarium. Choose a good location for your aquarium that is not in direct sunlight, has good access to an electrical outlet (or two) and will support the aquarium weight. Aquariums can weigh over 10 lbs per gallon when completely filled. Having a dedicated stand for your aquarium will help support the tank and also provide a place to store/hide your CO2 tank and other equipment.

A typical setup with a canister filter, pressurized CO2, pH
controller and inline heater.

Wet Test
Place the stand and then the tank leaving a space of at least 4-5” for equipment behind the aquarium. Begin filling the aquarium with water. You can use buckets for most small aquariums or use a drinking water approved hose for larger setups. You can use plain tap water for wet testing your tank.

After the aquarium is filled you can install the other equipment including the filter, heater and lighting. Don’t install any gravel or plants as you only are testing the aquarium and equipment. Better to find problems before you add fish and plants. This step also helps to clean the equipment.

Plug the equipment into a power strip and then into a GFCI outlet. The use of a Ground Fault Circuit can save you and your fishes from some dangerous shocks.

Turn on the filter and heater to check that everything is working. Set the heater for about 75-76 degrees. Use the thermometer to check the temperature. Let the equipment run for several hours to make sure the heater and filter are working. After you are happy with the equipment you can turn everything off and drain the aquarium.

Substrate and Aquascaping
When the wet test is complete you can begin adding the substrate to the tank. For a planted aquarium you can spread your substrate evenly making it a little higher in the back of the tank. This height in the rear of the tank will make the aquascape a bit more dramatic and increase depth perception.

Add some conditioned water to the tank so that you have about 6” of water depth. This will make planting a bit easier and the water will support the leaves as you work. Use a tap water conditioner to make the water ready for your aquarium.

Flora Gro Water Conditioner

Start by planting your background (tall) plants at the rear of the tank. Then plant the mid-ground (medium) plants near the middle and sides. Finally add the foreground (short) plants to the front center of the tank. You can also add pieces of driftwood and aquarium safe rocks to your aquascape to make it more natural and interesting.

An example of a full (but simple) aquascape. Note the plants on
the outside add to the total effect.

Starting the Equipment
After all of the plants are in place you should fill the aquarium with conditioned water. Turn on the filter, heater and set the lights to turn on/off with an automatic timer. Set the timer so that the lights are on for about 10 hours. I have mine set to come on at 12pm and go off at 10pm. This gives me some time to view the aquarium in the evening.

Begin Adding CO2 and Fertilizer
Now it’s time for the fun stuff! CO2 and fertilizer additions should be started soon after you add your plants. Set up your CO2 injection and begin bubbling CO2 into the tank. If you have a bubble counter on your CO2 system use it to target about 20-30 bubbles per minute (1 bubble every 2-3 seconds). Your goal is to maintain about 15-20ppm of CO2 during the majority of the hours that your lights are on. If your CO2 system is automated your CO2 injection should occur during the lighted hours and can be controlled with a pH controller. The photosynthesis process creates Oxygen which will raise your pH. CO2 is acidic and will lower pH. Injecting pH in the daytime when your lights are on.

Some CO2 injection systems use a power reactor that can be turned on/off at the same time as your lights. Plugging the power reactor plug into your light timer is an easy way to accomplish this. The CO2 should still be allowed to escape into the aquarium but will not be “forced” into the water when the power is off.

Use the CO2 chart above to find your levels. Test your pH, dKH and then cross reference your CO2 level. You should test a couple of times a day when first setting up your CO2 system to verify your levels are not too low or especially not too high. Adjust your CO2 bubble rate so that you maintain around 15ppm.

Note that the chemical reaction method of CO2 production should not be restricted or closed off. The small (usually plastic) reaction containers can explode if they build up excessive pressure!

Fertilizers should also be added in small amounts. Use a basic NPK fertilizer such as Seachem NPK. If there is a smaller dose available, start with it and then move up to a regular dose after several weeks. This will give your plants the necessary nutrients to allow root systems to take hold and leaves to grow and stay green.

Micro nutrients should also be added using a comprehensive trace supplement such as Plant Gro Flora Care. Begin adding trace and micro nutrients at low doses initially and then move to a full dose after the first month. Adding the fertilizers from the start will give the plants a boost allowing them to use the nutrients faster than algae.

Add Fish
When you have stabilized your CO2 injection and have a fairly steady pH you can add some fish and begin the process of maturing the aquarium. In a 40g tank you can add 2-3 small fish in the first month. Your first couple of fish should be the least aggressive. I would also recommend avoiding algae eaters as your first fish. It takes some time for algae to develop in the aquarium and these cleanup fish may not have enough natural food if added too soon.

Adding this small amount of fish will help start the natural production of Nitrate and Phosphate in the aquarium that will help support the plants. While plants will readily consume these bi-products from fish waste, initially overstocking the tank should still be avoided. This gives the animals and plants time to adjust and promotes a natural balance.

Water Changes
You should change about 10% (minimum) of the water in the aquarium about twice a month. A good way to remember is to do water changes on the 15th and 30th day of each month. In a 40 gallon aquarium you will change about 4 gallons (see below for details).

Siphon Kleen

Fertilizer Summary
During the first month of adding fertilizer to the aquarium you will begin to gain experience with dosing. It may be necessary to increase dosing (especially Potassium) to correct for any deficiencies that may show on the leaves. Use the recommended amounts of NPK, Micro and Trace fertilizers and the plants should respond with nice green leaves and lush growth.

About once a month you should check your CO2 concentration by testing pH and dKH. Use the CO2 chart to confirm your levels. You can also look for signs of good CO2 concentration such as pearling. These are the tiny oxygen bubbles that plants produce during photosynthesis. These bubbles are a good indicator that there is sufficient CO2 in the aquarium. If your plants are not pearling there may not be enough CO2 in the aquarium.
You can also look for signs of excessive CO2. Your fish may stay at the top of the tank gasping if the CO2 gets too high. This should be corrected or it may cause fish death. Turn your CO2 bubble rate down and consider temporarily adding an airstone to increase oxygen.

Adding Fish

The South American Rivers are just about my favorite area of the world to re-create in the aquarium…especially the fish. Here is a list of fish from this region that would make an awesome planted freshwater aquarium.

Cardinal Tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi Temper: Peaceful Adult size: 2 in Origin: South America Feeding: Omnivore Great in schools of 6 or more. 12 to 15 would make a nice display in a 40 gallon.

Blue Ram Microgeophagus ramirezi Temper: Peaceful Adult size: 3 in Origin: South America Feeding: Omnivore Keep a pair of Blue Rams (male and a female) for the best color display.

Cory Cat Corydoras julii Temper: Peaceful Adult size: 2.5 in Origin: South America Feeding: Omnivore Part of the freshwater cleanup crew. Interesting in schools of 5-6. Consider using a sand substrate if planning on keeping Corydoras. Their barbels on the sides of their mouth are easily damaged by rough gravel.

Otocinclus Catfish Otocinclus affinis Temper: Peaceful Adult size: 2 in Origin: South America Feeding: Herbivore Part of the freshwater cleanup crew. Keep one for every 10 gallons to help control algae growth.

Bristlenose Pleco Ancistrus sp. Temper: Peaceful Adult size: 4.5 in Origin: South America Feeding: Herbivore Part of the freshwater cleanup crew. Keep one only to help control algae growth.

Stocking
Keeping your fish stocking levels on the conservative side can help avoid problems in your aquarium. A standard rule of thumb for freshwater aquariums is 1” of adult fish per gallon. This is based on how big the fish will be when it is fully grown. Here is a reference chart for determining stocking levels based on aquarium volume:

Fish larger than 5 inches at adult size should be kept in larger aquariums of at least 36 inches wide and 50 gallons or more.

Feeding

Check the diet requirements of your fish so you will know what is best to feed them. The fish mentioned above are either omnivores (plants and meat eaters) or herbivores (plant eaters).

Here is a good omnivore diet for tropical fish:

Ocean Nutrition Community Flake

Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp

While the herbivore fish will get some food from eating algae you will need to supplement their diet with a good veggie food. The Freshwater Multi Pack frozen food has Emerald Entree and Spirulina enriched brine which will help keep the herbivores healthy:

San Francisco Bay Frozen Freshwater Multi Pack

Maintenance

Water changes are the basis for successful aquarium keeping! This is the easiest thing you can do as an aquarium owner to maintain a healthy environment for your aquatic pets. You will need a few basic pieces of equipment including a large, clean plastic bucket, a gravel vacuum and a thermometer.

You should change about 10% (minimum) of the water in the aquarium about twice a month. A good way to remember is to do water changes on the 15th and 30th day of each month. In a 40 gallon aquarium you will change about 4 gallons.

Your basic 5 gallon bucket. A must have
maintenance tool.

Fill a bucket with about 4 gallons of water and treat it with water conditioner. Test the temp and adjust it to match your aquarium. Drain about four gallons from your aquarium (time for another bucket) and then pour the new treated and temp adjusted water back in.

If your tap water pH is drastically different from the pH in your tank you may need to add a pH adjuster to the water. You can also let the water sit for 24 hours with an airstone or powerhead running to stabilize the pH.
You will need also to vacuum parts of the gravel every month or two to clean up excess mess left by the fish. Take care not to plunge a gravel vacuum too deep and avoid disturbing the plants. You only need to vacuum the surface of your aquarium substrate. Pinch the hose on your siphon tube to adjust the flow if the suction is too strong.

Filter Maintenance
The filter system for a freshwater planted tank will probably consist mostly of mechanical media. The media (sponges or pads) can be taken out of the filter and rinsed in old aquarium water when you do water changes.

Biological media is somewhat optional and almost unnecessary in a planted tank. The plants actually serve just about the same function by consuming ammonia and nitrate.

Chemical media is also optional. Carbon can be beneficial for polishing the water and occasional use but should not be used continuously. Carbon can actually remove some the fertilizers and nutrients you add for your plants.

It is also a good idea to periodically check and clean your other equipment especially your CO2 regulator and diffuser. Check the bubble rate and delivery of your CO2 system weekly and make sure the diffuser does not become clogged.

Pruning
After some time of steady plant growth you will need to prune the plants. A small pair of stainless steel scissors works quite well for cutting back plants. Some interesting growth can also be encouraged by strategic pruning – kind of like creating a bonsai tree. I prune my plants when they get overgrown (think jungle) but with careful, frequent pruning you can achieve a truly beautiful aquascape.

A well maintained and pruned planted aquarium
by Jason from www.dvaga.com.

If you notice any leaves that are beginning to die off go ahead a prune them. Removing dead leaves before they start to decay can help control nuisance algae growth.

Cleaning the Glass
Keeping the glass clean makes the difference between an average aquarium and a show quality tank. Use a magnet cleaner at least once a week to remove algae and slime buildup on the glass. If your aquarium is acrylic be sure you use an acrylic safe cleaner.

You also need to wipe down the outside of the aquarium to remove fingerprints and water splashes. I use a water dampened soft cloth to remove the smears and then polish with a dry cloth.

Other Information

We hope you enjoy your freshwater planted aquarium. Check these books and websites for more information.

Books
Nature Aquarium World 1
Takashi Amano

Aquarium Plant Paradise
Takashi Amano

Aquarium Plant Manual
Innes Schuerman

Websites
Planted Tank – www.plantedtank.net

Aquatic Plant Central - www.aquaticplantcentral.com