Have you recently purchased a new aquarium?
Well, then you’ve got a lot on your plate.
From picking a beginner-friendly fish to plants for a new aquarium, you’ve to decide everything on your own.
However, what I can do is help you make the right decision.
First, here’s a list of beginner-friendly fish for your home aquarium;
Second, a list of worst beginner fish you should always avoid;
Third, a beginner’s guide to setting up a fish tank;
And with this post comes a list of 10 best plants for new aquarium and 5 worst plants for a new aquarium. Let’s get started:
Why Choose a New Plant For Your Aquarium?
Choosing the right aquarium plant is essential for your fish.
There are a lot of choices to make when selecting an aquarium plant- from hardy and easy to care for to those with interesting or unusual shapes or colors.
If you’re not sure why you should get a new aquarium plant for your fish tank, here are a few reasons why you might want to consider it:
- New plants can help add freshness and vitality to your tank.
- In addition, different plants can act as natural filtration media, removing pollutants and waste from the water.
- Some plants cover fish and other aquatic creatures, protecting them from predators or providing them a place to hide during quieter times.
- In addition to giving your tank some extra color and life, different plants can also add essential aromas and gases that support healthy fish behavior and health.
Ranking 10 Best Plants For New Aquariums
Java Moss
Java Moss ranks first in this list of best plants for new aquariums.
But do you know why?
To be clear, Java Moss is famous because of its hardiness and low maintenance requirements. Therefore, making it difficult to kill.
Further, if you attach the plant to a rock or other rocky surface, you will see how it grows to cover the surface with a dense carpet of green leaves.
Java Moss grows efficiently between the temperature range of 72 to 90 degrees and can tolerate multiple glasses of water and temperature factors.
Now that you’ve decided to use Java Moss as one of the plants for the new aquarium, you can use it for decorating, substrate stabilization, carpeting, protecting tiny fish, and spawning fish.
Amazon Sword
Amazon Sword ranks 2nd in this list of plants for new aquariums.
Aquarium plants like this get recognized for their way of thriving enormously and cover your aquarium in lush beauty.
When it comes to feeding it root tabs, less is more when it comes to lighting and substate.
When you buy a sword for the first time, it is likely to have large, spherical leaves that have been produced in water.
As the plant reabsorbs resources from the enormous leaves once submerged in water, it grows longer, narrower leaves (or grown underwater).
Make careful to add more root tabs if these new leaves look yellow.
For a long time, you’ll have the option of growing the sword as a mother plant and producing long spikes of baby sword plants to transplant into other tanks.
Marimo Moss Ball ranks 3rd in this list of plants for new aquariums.
Marimo Moss Ball
It’s a naturally occurring ball of cladophora algae, not a marine moss ball, commonly referred to as the world’s most accessible aquarium “plant.”
Every time you change the water, you can lightly roll the marimo ball in your hands to ensure that the algae on every surface receive enough light.
It’s not uncommon to keep an army of them in your betta tank or goldfish aquarium since they’re so cheap and unusual.
Wrap the paper around a bit of driftwood to make a small tree.
Christmas Moss
Christmas Moss ranks 4th in this list of plants for new aquariums.
The Christmas moss is an excellent addition to any breeding tank.
Miniature fish and shrimp may hide from predators in their fluffy fronds, which resemble little Christmas trees.
Aquascapers commonly attach them to rocks and driftwood to resemble an overgrown, mossy forest.
Further, you can use Amano shrimp and liquid fertilizer to increase the growth of slow-growing mosses.
Java Fern
Java Fern ranks 5th in this list of plants for new aquariums.
Although native to the Indonesian island of Java, java moss and java fern have a radically unique appearance.
Java ferns come in various forms, including thin leaf, Windelov (or lace), and trident – but the most common species have long, pointed leaves with highly grooved veins.
The rhizome, from which all its stems and leaves spring, should not be planted in the ground.
Instead, you should squeeze the plant into the tiny cracks of rocks and wood where it develops a robust root system.
Due to the lack of substrate, the plant’s roots are more likely to receive nourishment from liquid fertilizer in the aquatic environment.
Cutting the root in half or allowing one of the leaflets to float up are two ways to spread it.
Little seedlings with their little roots and leaves will soon emerge from the leaf’s rows of black dots (known as sporangia).
Detaching and replanting these plantlets is possible at some point later.
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Cryptocoryne wendtii ranks 6th in this list of plants for new aquariums.
Since this crypt doesn’t need liquid fertilizers or CO2 injections, it is one of our favorites.
Despite its sluggish pace of growth, this plant thrives in a wide range of lighting conditions and substrates.
When using an inert substrate with little nutrients, add root tabs every 12-16 weeks or so to maintain the plant’s growth.
These include green, brown, tropica, and red forms of Crypt wendtii
Supplementing the water cycle with more iron will help the plants’ crimson leaves pop even more.
Crypt leaves melt when initially introduced to a tank, like Amazon swords.
If you see this, please avoid discarding your “dead” plant!
If you keep it in the soil, it will swiftly recover and sprout green leaves after it has acclimated to the water’s ph level.
Pygmy Chain Sword
Pygmy Chain Sword ranks 7th in this list of plants for new aquariums.
Hardiness, sturdiness, rapid growth, and little care distinguish this kind of Chain Sword.
As a beginner, the Pygmy chain sword is a great option.
First, you don’t have to give them a lot of attention.
Second, Pygmy chain swords don’t need CO2 for their survival.
You can find them in different parts of North America and Central and South America countries.
Bacopa caroliniana
Bacopa caroliniana is ranked 8th in this list of plants for new aquariums.
In searching for the right aquarium plants, answer me – Are you interested in stem plants?
If yes, Bacopa caroliniana is an excellent option for beginners.
Tough, erect stems with tiny, roundish leaves identify this plant from the southern United States.
Even though Bacopa caroliniana doesn’t require CO2 to thrive, liquid fertilizers like Easy Green can help.
Leaf tips turn coppery-red under full brightness and iron dosing, although this plant can flourish in low-light conditions.
It is common practice for bacopa to cultivate outside of water at plant farms, similar to other aquarium plants.
It begins generating submersible-grown leaves as soon as you put them underwater, whereas emersed-grown leaves start dying.
Snip the tips of the stems when they resemble a naked, slender trunk for a longer and thicker plant.
You can also propagate Bacopa caroliniana by cutting off the tops of the plants as they develop and replanting them in a different site.
Cryptocoryne lutea
Cryptocoryne lutea comes at the 9th position on this list as they are easy to learn and use.
This species comes with thin, green leaves that provide interest to your aquarium’s texture.
You may use practically any substrate, light, and no CO2 infusion to keep them happy.
For the most part, Crypts are sluggish to grow, but if you give them 12-16 weeks, they’ll quickly be among your favorites.
Crypts, on the other hand, don’t need your extra care other than periodic root tabs, making them ideal for long-term care.
Dwarf Sagittaria
Last but not the least, Dwarf Sagittaria ranks is another choice of plants for new aquariums.
When finishing your aquascape, a carpeting plant-like Dwarf Sagittaria is always your best bet.
It’s a hardy, grassy plant that resembles a small Vallisneria.
The shorter it stays, the closer it gets to the light, so if you use a bright light, it stays that way; if you use low light, it grows significantly taller.
Regarding nutrition, root tabs and water-soluble fertilizers are both favorites.
Dwarf sag quickly spreads by releasing runners into the soil.
Pull off the new branches and replace them elsewhere if it expands to an unwelcome part of the tank.
So, these ten beginner-friendly plants will thrive once planted in your home aquarium.
Ranking 5 Worst Plants For New Aquariums
Variegated Japanese Rush
Variegated Japanese Rush ranks 1st in this list of worst plants for new aquariums.
Slender but slightly hardened, whip-like blades characterize this tall, grassy bush which can grow up to 14 inches.
This variegated variety, which hails from East Asia, features green and yellow patterns on its slender leaflets.
It has large, fleshy roots thought to be able to absorb nutrients from the water they grow.
For a plant to successfully reproduce, at least half of its leaf length must be above the water’s surface.
Beneath the water, it likes the colder side of its thermal range limit from 50°F-79°F.
Although it’s pretty resilient, this rush will deteriorate and ultimately disappear if immersed for an extended period.
Striped Dragon Plant
Striped Dragon Plant ranks 2nd in this list of worst plants for new aquariums.
You can identify this plant by its Thick, stiff, oblong leaflets with white or golden edges.
Even though you can grow them quickly by keeping their roots entirely, they’ll die on their own if you keep them underwater for long.
When planted in a hot and brilliantly lighted environment, this plant may grow to a height of around 20 inches and survive for a long duration.
Caladium
Caladium ranks 3rd in this list of worst plants for new aquariums.
For those familiar with gardening and plant nurseries, this plant may appear a bit recognizable to you.
A wide range of vibrant hues is accessible for heart-shaped petals.
You can firmly contain the root structure of this plant’s branches to alter their overall length.
It can survive as a natural tropical plant with its roots submerged in hot water ranging from 72°F to 82°F.
Nevertheless, after it is submerged entirely, it will die within a few months.
Stardust Ivy
Stardust Ivy ranks 4th in this list of worst plants for new aquariums.
A wide range of color options is available for the stardust ivy, all of which have white veining, spotting, or frosting.
It can grow to elevations of around one foot, although it is much smaller in most cases.
This well-liked and easy-to-find uphill potted plant often does not require any supplemental watering during its growth process.
If the leaves of stardust ivy become soaked, the plant will perish instantly.
On the other hand, it can thrive and develop while partially immersed, and its lengthy roots will trail into the water.
Some enthusiasts have a lot of success when they plant little seedlings in the rockwork of paludaria and terraria.
This plant is not picky about its environment and may survive in a wide variety of ambient light as long as it receives adequate ventilation.
Fountain Plant
Fountain Plant ranks 5th in this list of worst plants for new aquariums.
The fountain plant is a plant you may frequently see in aquariums. It got its name from the way its leaves look to be flowing.
Its tall, narrow leaves could have some visually appealing white border or striping.
It has a strong capacity for adaptation and can spend several months living submerged in water.
Still, it must be relocated to a drier location as soon as the leaves wilt.
The fountain plant thrives as a borderline in environments that range from mild to somewhat chilly.
Its mature height can range anywhere from a few inches to well over a foot, depending on the variety from which it was cultivated.
Conclusion
So, that’s your list of best and worst Plants For New Aquarium.
Now based on your need, pick one plant for your home aquarium and start growing it.