Aquarium Plants: Our Complete Guide
When it comes to aquarium plants, there are so many things to consider: the type of plants you want, the type of water in your aquarium, lighting, planting, etc.
In this in-depth guide we will break down the basics of aquarium plants, including which ones are best for different types of ecosystems and what to do when you come across certain issues.
If you’re stuck for time, view our content guide below to skip to specific questions.
How to keep live plants in an aquarium
Aquarium plants are a great addition to any tropical or cold water tank. They create a more natural environment, offer food and shelter for fish and invertebrates, and help maintain water quality by absorbing CO₂ and producing oxygen. To keep your tank healthy, be sure to care for your plants or replace them regularly.
In order to keep aquarium plants alive, careful selection is key. While most plants sold in aquatics shops can tolerate submersed conditions, many are not true aquatic plants. True aquatic plants, as a rule of thumb, cannot support their own weight out of water (such as Elodia Densa), and when held out of the aquarium they will flop over.
While it might seem best to choose only true aquatic plants, some of the most attractive options, like Dracaena Marginata, are actually semi-aquatic. These can survive underwater for a time and, with proper care, may last quite a while. As with all living things, some species are easier to maintain than others (e.g. Amazon Sword and Moneywort) so it’s worth doing a bit of research beforehand.
At a basic level, plants absorb carbon dioxide from fish respiration and nutrients like nitrite and ammonia from fish waste. To keep them healthy and thriving, it’s helpful to add a liquid aquarium fertilizer, such as a plant boost solution.
For serious planted aquariums, lighting is essential. It enables photosynthesis—turning carbon dioxide into energy for plant growth.
Aquarium plants thrive under specialized lights, and we're big fans of the Fluval Plant Spectrum range. These high-performance, programmable LEDs are designed to deliver the ideal light spectrum for plant growth and can be adjusted to meet the needs of different plant species.
To summarise, if your aquarium is correctly lit and well fed with plant fertilisers, your plants should thrive.
Will aquarium plants die without CO2?
In short, no—plants won’t die without added CO2. Their growth depends on your aquarium setup. With proper lighting and nutrients, most plants will grow just fine.
However, if you're aiming for faster, more vigorous growth, adding CO2 is often recommended. When paired with quality plant-spectrum lighting, it can also help reduce algae. Just be ready to trim and maintain your plants regularly!
How to make co2 for aquarium plants
At the basic end of the spectrum, CO2 can be added into your aquarium in liquid form or with canisters. CO2 canisters exist as small kits and aerosol cans, but some experienced aquarium hobbyists prefer to use larger CO2 cylinders.
It is worth noting at this point that CO2 naturally exists in an aquarium – it is created by the fish and also exchanged between the water and air, so adding CO2 in one form or another is designed to increase the CO2 PPM.
How long do aquarium plants live?
Most aquatic plants are tropical and therefore perennial in nature. This means that they never die but instead, split and just keep growing.
Naturally, the amount of time they live depends on how well you take care of them - if neglected, they can die much sooner than expected!
Can aquarium plants kill fish?
No, aquarium plants cannot directly kill fish. They exist together naturally in the wild.
However, if plants are left unattended in an aquarium and die, the decaying plant matter can turn into ammonia/nitrite which can stress or even kill fish.
If plants are kept alive and healthy, they actually have the opposite effect as they absorb and neutralise ammonia/nitrite keeping your aquarium water healthier.
How to grow aquarium plants
Lighting is essential for healthy aquarium plant growth. This can come from standard aquarium LEDs or specialized plant-specific LEDs. Generally, higher-quality, premium lights are more effective at supporting robust plant development.
Aquarium plants come in a variety of shapes and sizes. One of the most common forms is a plant bundled in sponge and weighted with lead. To add these to your tank, simply place them where desired. You can bury the roots in the substrate if needed, but be sure to keep the lead weight attached to prevent the plant from floating.
Plants can also be bought in pots or tubs. In these instances, the plant is normally unpotted and planted directly into aquarium substrate using aquascaping tweezers.
Good quality aquarium substrate is absolutely key when properly aquascaping/planting aquariums. We like H.E.L.P. advanced soil, which promotes rapid plant growth.
Finally, in order to promote plant growth, it is vital to introduce additional nutrients into the water. This can be in the form of liquid fertiliser as previously mentioned but can also come as tablets or nutrition capsules, which are inserted to the substrate.
Contact us if you have further questions about growing aquarium plants that weren’t answered above.
What is the best light for aquarium plants?
At Complete Koi & Aquatics, we love the Plant Spectrum LED by Fluval. This particular LED aquarium light is designed to create thriving planted aquariums. The light works alongside the FluvalSmart app, allowing you to customise the colour spectrum specific to your planted aquarium. Additionally, the light has programmable sunrise – sunset features mimicking natural daylight.
What types of water can aquarium plants live in?
As a rule of thumb, plants can tolerate a wide variety of water conditions:
- pH 6.5 – 7.8
- General Hardness (GH) 50ppm – 100ppm
- Alkalinity (kH) 54ppm – 140ppm
This covers most bases, with tropical/cold water aquariums. Aquascaped/planted aquariums may require more specific conditions dependent on the plant species selected. Aquarium plants cannot be kept in marine aquariums as they will die in the saltwater.
What plants can I keep with African Cichlids?
African Cichlid aquariums generally have different conditions to all other tropical aquariums. Typically, we see a much higher pH at around 8.2 with Carbonate Hardness (KH) and General Hardness (GH) at 180ppm – 300ppm. These aren’t ideal conditions for most plants; however, some species are hardy enough to tolerate such conditions:
- Anubias – Hardy plant with thick leaves, originating from central and west Africa
- Java Fern – Arguably the easiest aquarium plant to grow. The Java Fern originates from East Asia and prefers to be attached to a rock or wood.
- Vallisneria – Prevalent in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Vallisneria must be planted in the substrate and requires around 8 hours of light a day.
Although these plants can survive, it is worth noting African Cichlids are builders by nature and have a habit of uprooting sand along with anything in it - including plants!
What plants are good for beginners?
Choosing the correct aquarium plant should be given as much thought as the fish species. Every plant has specific requirements and as a result, some are much easier to keep than others. For beginners we recommend the following species:
- Java Moss – grows well in clean, well circulated water. Java Moss, by nature, will carpet the surrounding substrate but is easy to trim.
- Water Wisteria – this beautiful plant produces lacey leaves. In moderate lighting, it will grow quickly and can be propagated by taking cuttings from lower leaves.
- Amazon Sword – this hardy plant is a beginner staple. It produces large wide leaves and is ideally positioned at the rear of the tank as a background feature. It requires moderate lighting levels and prefers loose substrate.
- Java Fern – another plant which will flourish in moderate light. Available as several different leaf size / shape species.
- Anubius – This hardy plant is easy to grow and prefers being anchored to a rock or wood. This can be achieved with glue or nylon.
- Dwarf aquarium lily – These attractive miniature aquarium plants resemble true water lilies. They will thrive in low – moderate light and must be plants in the substrate.
- Elodia Densa - arguably the easiest aquarium plant of them all. Elodia Densa will grow in virtually any conditions. It is most often acquired in a bunch weighted with lead. Simply drop these into your aquarium substrate and watch them grow.
Visit our shop or contact us to find out if we have any of the above in stock to purchase.
What are the benefits of live plants for an aquarium?
There are many benefits of having live aquarium plants, such as:
- They provide great shelter for fish and/or their young.
- They provide the fish and/or invertebrates with a more natural ecosystem.
- They’re a fantastic and healthy food source for almost any fish which has a herbivorous diet.
- During photosynthesis, they convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen which the aquarium cohabitants will require to breathe.
- By nature, they will absorb ammonia and nitrite from fish waste, and use the potentially toxic elements to grow.
Are plastic aquarium plants safe?
Plastic aquarium plants are completely safe for tanks and offer a low-maintenance alternative to real plants. Thanks to their durability, they rarely need replacing.
If algae builds up on plastic plants, you can remove and clean them using the NT Labs Plastic Plant Cleaner solution.
Silk plants are another option, often chosen for their more natural appearance, providing a realistic look in the aquarium.
How to plant aquarium plants
Aquarium plants come in a variety of forms, all of which require slightly different planting techniques.
Bunched Plants
At the most basic end are bunches of plants which are bundled in foam and weighted down with a lead band at the root end of the plants.
Planting this particular variation of plant is as simple as inserting the lead weight end of the plant into your substrate, whatever that might be i.e. gravel, sand or aquarium soil.
Potted Plants
Aquarium plants sold in small pots or tubs usually need extra care. Carefully remove them from their containers and plant them into the substrate—typically aquarium soil—using tweezers. If the tub contains a cluster of plants, you can gently separate them and place each one where you want in the aquarium.
For aquarium plants, such as Anubias or Java Fern, which prefer to grow on a rock, wood or ornament, these must be bonded. This can be done with fishing nylon or a rubber band, but in our experience Flourish Glue works best. Generally, this technique will work better on smaller plants:
- You must first remove any foam, plant rock wool etc. from the plant. Locate the rhizome of the selected plant (which is the largest lateral part of the plant between the leaves and the roots).
- Select the area of the rock/wood which you would like to attach the plant – a natural crevice or dip works well.
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Spread a healthy amount of glue on the dedicated area and tattach the aquarium plant at the rhizome.
- The aquarium plant should be dry before bonding – this can be achieved with a paper towel / kitchen roll.
- Hold the plant in place for a couple of minutes to secure, then allow to dry for a few minutes before returning the rock/wood and plant to the aquarium. It is important to work fairly quickly as aquatic plants can dry out very quickly.
How long does it take aquarium plants to root?
Aquarium plants typically take root within 7-10 days under the right conditions. Rooting time varies based on several factors, including:
- Plant species
- Temperature
- pH level
- Water hardness
- Light intensity and quality
- Health of the plants before planting
- Availability of carbon (dissolved CO₂ or fertile substrate)
If you have trouble rooting your aquarium plants, contact us for further advice.
What is aquarium substrate?
Aquarium substrate quite literally is any loose material which occupies the bottom of an aquarium. In real terms this can be aquarium soil, sand, gravel, pebbles or rocks.
How much substrate do I need for my aquarium?
We would recommend 1” – 2” of substrate in an aquarium. Sand and gravel are fantastic dirt traps, so the thicker you go, the more cleaning will be required.
For true planted aquariums it is common practice to have an additional nutrient layer (aquarium soil) below the gravel.
How to clean aquarium sand substrate
Cleaning aquarium substrate is generally done with a gravel cleaner:
- To begin you must first start a siphon with the gravel cleaner.
- Once the water is flowing from the aquarium into a large bucket, you should use the head of the gravel cleaner to poke around in the substrate, to dislodge dirt and hoover it up.
- When using finer substrates such as sand, it is advised to reduce the flow of the gravel cleaner by kinking the pipe slightly, so as to not hoover up large amounts of sand.
Gravel cleaning should be done on a weekly basis OR whenever the gravel is visibly dirty. It is important not to remove large volumes of water from the aquarium as this can negatively affect the water chemistry.
We generally recommend removing 10-20% of the aquarium water when gravel cleaning. This should be replenished with room temperature water which has been dechlorinated.
In instances where the substrate is particularly small, i.e. sand and fine gravel, it is possible you may need to top up the substrate infrequently as some may be lost to the gravel clean.
What is a good substrate for aquarium plants?
When planting an aquarium properly, it is good practice to have a nutrient layer of aquarium soil/ active substrate below gravel. This helps retain the soil in place and provides the aquarium plants with an anchor for the roots and sufficient nutrition for growth. We like H.E.L.P. advanced soil, which promotes rapid plant growth.
The roots of my aquarium plants are above the substrate, what do I do?
If the aquarium plant in question requires its roots to be below the substrate, then the best thing to do is to take the plant out and replant correctly.
How to clean fake aquarium plants
Aquarium plants are available in both plastic and composite silk. In each instance, they can be cleaned in a bucket of clean water with an plant cleaner solution.
Alternatively, subject to the composition, fake plants and ornaments can be put in the dishwasher, which will remove the vast majority of grime.
How to get algae off aquarium plants
When live aquarium plants are coated in algae, the easiest way of cleaning is to treat the whole aquarium for algae. We like to use Protalon anti-algae treatment by eSHa.
This particular product is designed to completely eradicate algae from an aquarium. It is well tolerated by both fish and plant species and prevents algae returning to the aquarium in the short term.
How to remove snail eggs from aquarium plants
If live snails hitch a ride on your aquarium plants and become a problem, the best approach is to manually remove the snails and their eggs. We recommend using a snail trap and bait to easily catch and remove them from the tank.
Another option is to introduce snail-eating species, such as clown loaches, zebra loaches, or assassin snails. These natural predators help control snail populations and prevent overgrowth.
How to propagate aquarium plants
Plant propagation is growing new plants from seeds or cuttings. Aquarium plants usually spread better from cuttings rather than seeds. For stem plants like Elodia, simply cut about 50% off a mature stem and insert it an inch deep into rich substrate. Once roots develop, the new plant can be replanted.
For aquarium plants with rhizomes (i.e. Java Fern and Anubias), simply split the rhizome at the base of the plant. The two separated pieces of aquarium plant can then be bonded to a new rock / wood structure using glue.
When propagating any aquarium plant successfully it is important to ensure the new growth has sufficient nutrients and light in order to give it the best possible chance.
Why are my aquarium plants rotting/dying?
Here are some common reasons why aquarium plants may start to rot, along with recommendations:
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Inadequate Lighting
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Lighting can be natural (near a sunny window) or artificial (T5, T8, or LED).
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Most hobbyists use LED lights—choose high-quality, plant-spectrum LEDs to promote growth.
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Poor lighting often causes leaves to yellow.
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Recommendation: Ensure the light is on for the right amount of time or upgrade to a suitable LED light.
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Nutrient Deficiencies
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Plants need potassium, phosphorus, iron, carbon, and nitrogen to thrive.
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Recommendation: Use aquarium plant fertilizers to supply essential nutrients.
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Water Quality Issues
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Excessive nitrate and phosphate levels can harm plants.
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Recommendation: Perform partial water changes (up to 20%) during gravel cleaning to reduce these levels.
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Use room-temperature water treated with a dechlorinator to avoid shocking fish or altering water chemistry, when refiling a tank.
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It is good practice to regualrly test you water to discover and treat problems early for best results.
Why are my aquarium plants changing colour?
Aquarium plants will often demonstrate decaying with different colours subject to the cause:
- Brown – When aquarium plant leaves begin turning brown this is generally due to excess Nitrate or Phosphate. The easiest way of rectifying this is by doing weekly gravel cleans / water changes of around 10-20%. The new water added to the aquarium will be free of both Nitrate and Phosphate thereby diluting the potential issue.
- Yellow – Yellow leaves can be caused by either a lack of good quality light OR a potassium deficiency. If the lighting is suspect the lighting strength should be increased (if on a dimmable system) or the lighting upgraded. If the lighting is good and leaves are yellowing, then it is almost certainly due to a potassium deficiency. If there is a lack of potassium in the aquarium, liquid aquarium fertiliser (ideally rich in potassium) should be added.
- Black – Much like brown leaves, Black leaves are generally caused by water quality issues. The easiest way of remedying this is by performing weekly water changes of around 10-20% with gravel cleans.
- White – White leaves on aquarium plants are generally caused by a lack of iron in the aquarium. In these instances, an iron additive should be addded to the aquarium either in liquid or tablet form.
- Transparent – Aquarium plants with transparent or white leaves are generally lacking calcium or magnesium. In these instances, liquid aquarium fertiliser (ideally rich in calcium/magnesium) should be added to the water.
Why are my aquarium plants melting / disintegrating?
When aquarium plants become brittle and start disintegrating, this is generally due to a nutrient deficiency so liquid aquarium fertiliser should be added to the aquarium. Other causes of disintegrating plants can be as follows:
- Fish eating them – plants are a fantastic food source for most fish species. As a result, it is not uncommon for your fish to snack on the aquarium plants. If this is causing you issues it is often best to stick to tougher or fast growing plants.
- Cryptocoryne Rot – Small holes often begin to appear in the leaves, which then break down and disintegrate. While the exact cause of this plant issue is unclear, excess nitrate is frequently a contributing factor. To reduce nitrate leves; cut back on feeding and perform weekly 20% water changes until the problem imporves.
- Excessive phosphate / nitrate – As previously mentioned phosphate and nitrate will naturally increase in aquariums over time, and this can damage aquarium plants, causing them to disintegrate. The quickest and most simple way of reducing these elements in the aquarium, is by performing a 10-20% water change with a gravel clean.
Where to buy aquarium plants
At Complete Koi & Aquatics, we offer a wide range of high-quality aquarium plants to suit all setups—whether you're starting a low-maintenance tank or designing a lush aquascape. From hardy beginner plants to vibrant, specialist varieties, we've got something for every aquarist.
Ready to transform your aquarium with beautiful, healthy plants?
Browse our selection in-store or contact us today—our expert team is here to help you find the perfect plants to bring your aquarium to life!
