Switching Over to Live Plants

Live plants make good decor while bringing life to your aquarium. Some fish may even snack on them every once in a while. Plants add a whole new dimension to fish keeping and can help out with the biological load your fish are producing.

Plants feed off of nitrate; fish waste (ammonia) in its broken down form. Still, don't be thinking about postponing those water changes, that would be pushing your luck.

Things that are specified safe for aquarium are not nesessarily safe for live plant use. Read the whole thing before you use anything.

Substrate and Fertilizers

Some plants will benefit from a nutrient rich substrate, but this is not necessary for the majority of aquatic live plants. Normal aquarium gravel will do for most plants. Adding a fertilizer will benefit aquatic plants too, but adding too much too often will promote algae growth!

Lighting and Temperature

Certain plants require certain levels of light to survive. Some will do just fine with ambient lighting, and your tanks stock lighting. Some will need intense levels of light for many hours a day. In some cases you may even need to upgrade your aquarium lighting! Again, excess light will promote algae growth.

Most plants will do fine in your aquarium at any temperature your fish live at. However, sudden changes in temperature will shock the less hardy variety. This same rule goes for water quality and 'levels' as well.

CO2

As you may already know, plants need carbon dioxide. Purchasing or making a co2 kit can greatly accelerate your plants growth speed. However, these kits are expensive which is why some poeple prefer to make one. Many guides of making your own CO2 system can be found here.

Plants for Beginners

The two plants in my tank who have been the most successful are the Watersprite and the Crpyt (Cryptocoryne Wendtii). From my experience, the Hornwort tends to shed so much of its 'leaves' that it clogs up my gravel cleaner/vaccuum during water changes.

Plantgeek features a complete database of aquatic plants and their needs. It has a very accurate description of each species light requirements, difficulty, placement, and more.