'Expert Tips on Choosing Plants for Your Aquarium'
by Sir Jon Weaver

When confronted with such variety of plants for your
aquarium, there is a great temptation to take a piece of
everything that appeals to you. If you do this, you will be
wasting money needlessly.

A dozen different kinds of plants in a tank will compete for
food and light, and before long the strongest will have
gained all of the space, and leave the others dying off. So
exercise self-restraint and limit your choice to only three
kinds. Two of these plants should be for massing in the
background, and one as a center-piece.

For one of the two plants to be placed in the background, I
would suggest that one be either Vallisneria or Sagittaria
(not both in one tank though, as they tend to compete).

For the second plant, it always looks nice to have one of
the bushy plants, and of these, Hygrophila is the easiest to
grow. But also note that Cabomba-Limnophila or Ludwigia are
more decorative for the tropical tank. These suggestions
are also the best ones if you are starting a cold-water
aquarium.

And your third plant, the center-piece, a Cryptocoryne,
Echinodorus or an Aponogeton are recommended for warm water
aquariums, and a Hottonia, Muphar or Ranunculus do
especially well for the cold water. Not to mention they are
all very lovely to look at!

Healthy plants are plump, crisp and intense in color; refuse
those that are limp and pale. Most aquatic plants are rather
brittle when out of water and must be handled carefully.
Never pick them up by the middle of the stem; the best way
is to lift them by the base, so that they hang down from the
fingers. Select young, half-grown plants rather than fully
grown ones, and with as many leaves as possible.

Many of the plants which propagate by cuttings will be seen
to have fine, hair-like roots sprouting from the nodes from
which the branches grow; choose these, as they will "take"
more quickly.

Plants with crowns must have good roots, and you should
examine these to see that they are plump and bushy.

Of all of the aquarium plants available, the ones listed
above have always proven to be the most reliable and
attractive. Be sure to pick the healthiest ones of the
bunch, and you will be creating a great looking, and happy
aquarium.

by Sir Jon Weaver

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