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It is not the intention of this article to discuss the cultivation of aquatic plants, their structure, or classification. These details are readily available in any basic aquatic plant book. Nevertheless, since the natural environment of all rainbowfishes includes waterplants; live, flourishing plants are an important part of maintaining a wholesome captive environment. It also provides information which can be used if you want to design a rainbowfish aquarium with plants from their specific part of the world.
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Wim Heemskerk, Netherlands |
In an aquarium, living plants serve most of the same functions that they do in the wild. Plants provide shelter, shade, and for some rainbowfishes - food, especially the duckweeds. Plants in an aquarium also contribute to the oxygen content of the water and assists in maintaining water quality. In addition to this, plants provide huge surface area for colonisation by other micro flora and fauna. In tanks where plants are growing well, rainbowfishes behave more normally and display better colouration. Finally, aquatic plants add to the beauty, interest, and naturalness of the aquarium.
Aquatic plants are not difficult to keep healthy and attractive, as long as their basic requirements are met. As is the case with terrestrial plants, these include adequate light and fertilisation, a suitable growing medium, proper water conditions and temperature. The importance of proper lighting cannot be over-estimated, but too much light is almost as bad as too little light. Keep the aquarium well away from a window and light it by artificial light. In this way you can control the light independently of the vagaries of natural weather; and should not be affected by a rampant growth of algae.
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Wim Heemskerk, Netherlands |
Planted aquariums are often referred to as 'natural' aquaria. However, despite what you may read elsewhere, reproducing in captivity the intricacies of natural aquatic ecosystems is not only a very difficult task, but almost impossible to accomplish with overall success. It implies an aquarium in which all the inhabitants are interdependent on each other, as they are in a natural environment, and it takes very little thought to understand that this outcome could not be achieved in an aquarium.
Strictly speaking a natural aquarium would be one where we wouldn't have to feed the fish, change water, learn water chemistry, provide lighting or any of the other things we have to do to maintain an aquarium successfully. No matter how much we may wish it, regrettably, there is no such thing as a natural aquarium. Keeping rainbowfishes in an aquarium cannot, even under the best conditions, be anything equal to their life in the wild. At best, an aquarium is an artificially controlled environment that is suitable for maintaining fishes, plants, and other aquatic life forms for an extended period.
In a loose sense, however, a 'balanced' aquarium is attainable, by not overcrowding the fish, by stocking with plenty of plants, and by way we are imitating Nature, even if we have to help her by feeding the fish, trimming the plants, and removing from time to time much of the sediment that collects on the bottom. A state of balance would occur if everything (food, lighting, fertiliser, etc.) that we supply the aquarium is taken up by the fishes, aquatic plants, algae and other life forms to the same degree as they are being supplied.
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Wim Heemskerk, Netherlands |
Many hobbyists are disturbed by the presence of algae and do their best to try and remove it. Perhaps this should be taken as evidence that a 'state of balance' is occurring. Maybe not the particular state of balance that you desire, but it is a biological balance all the same. However, the truth is that no matter how biologically balanced your aquarium is, over time water quality will deteriorate and must be changed on a regular timetable.
The aquatic flora of Australia is not dissimilar to that found in other tropical or subtropical regions of the world. Although some endemic species are found, most species are cosmopolitan.
© Copyright Adrian R. Tappin
Updated July, 2003
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