Benefits of Floating-leaved aquatic plants (pros and cons):
Floating-leaved aquatic plants cultivate on the water surface & their roots are either buried in substrate or attached to the water bottom.
Pros of Floating-leaved aquatic plants:
Have a look at advantages of floating-leaved aquatic plants:
Filtration:
Floating-leaved plants are very important because they act as natural filters. Their roots can absorb pollutants from the water. They keep aquarium water clean & free from toxic chemicals & heavy metals.
Reduce Temperature:
Floating-leaved plants stop light from hitting aquariums directly & keep your aquarium temperature low.
Shade:
Floating-leaved plants will provide shade for fish, invertebrates & plants that need low light.
Source of food:
Fish & invertebrates will eat floating-leaved plants.
Oxygenation:
In the presence of light & carbon dioxide, plants absorb carbon dioxide & release oxygen. Fish & invertebrates need oxygen for survival.
Control algae:
Floating leaved plants will prevent light from reaching the bottom of the aquarium & hence lower growth of algae. If you don’t want to keep algae eating inhabitants then floating leaved plants will help you.
Beautiful:
Floating-leaved plants seem beautiful & they are a great addition to an aquarium or pond. They look natural & float on top of the pond water which grabs the attention of people.
Save fries:
Floating-leaved plants can protect fries / stressed fish from bullies by providing hiding spots.
Cons of Floating-leaved Plants:
Floating-leaved plants have disadvantages too like:
Stop Light:
Floating-leaved plants spread on the water surface. They block light from reaching the lower plants. Light is required for photosynthesis.
Beat other Plants:
Floating-leaved plants consume lots of nutrients & passive plants might not receive enough.
Consume oxygen in dark:
In the dark, every plant in your aquarium will absorb oxygen & release carbon dioxide.
Live plants generate more oxygen than their consumption rate but oxygen is consumed in other ways too.
Algae, good bacteria & organisms that photosynthesize inhale oxygen. If anything dies in the aquarium, then during decomposition lots of oxygen is absorbed.
If your aquarium is heavily populated then it will rise carbon dioxide quickly & oxygen levels will be reduced quickly as well.
The best method for increasing oxygen in an aquarium is by aerating water using an air pump.
Goldfish / Cichlids vs plants:
Goldfish / Cichlids will eat your full plant.
Regular Maintenance:
Floating-leaved plants grow out of control if not trimmed frequently.
Summary:
Advantages of floating-leaved plants | Disadvantages of floating-leaved plants |
Filtration | Passive plants will not receive enough nutrition |
Oxygenate water (in the presence of light) | Consumes oxygen (in dark) |
inhale carbon dioxide (in the presence of light) | Exhale carbon dioxide (in dark) |
Provide shade for fish & invertebrates | Lower plants will not receive enough light |
Fish & invertebrates can eat plants | Goldfish / Cichlids will eat full plant |
Keep algae in control | Need regular maintenance |
Beautiful | |
Stop fish from jumping outside | |
Save fries | |
Reduce Temperature |
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