Are Pond Plants Ok?

[fish mad]

My dad recently gave me some pond plants for my tropical tank are these ok to put straight in? They look like fern type plants that ive seen in the lfs

 

[nmonks]

Almost certainly not.

Pond plants differ from aquarium plants in three main ways:

1. They are much bigger and usually grow out of the water as well as under it.
2. They need much more light.
3. They need lower temperatures and/or a clear winter and summer seasonality

I've tried pond plants on more than one occasion, and without much success. Bunches of Elodea can work in cool, hard water aquaria. Floating plants might work. Hornwort is very easy to keep, but the floating plants that go above the surface of the water, like Azolla, are much more demanding than people realise. They need a cool, breezy space above the water and below the lights or they get scorched and die. But virtually all the other plants sold as pond plants are just that, pond plants. Water lilies will grow in aquaria, but the pond species is usually far too large.

Cheers,

Neale

My dad recently gave me some pond plants for my tropical tank are these ok to put straight in? They look like fern type plants that ive seen in the lfs