Setting up a Tropical Fish Aquarium

The setting up of an aquarium is both a fascinatng and patience-taxing job. The greater the depth of the water, the more troublesome is the task. The boyancy of the plants time and again frustrate our efforts. Usually after several futile attempts, a root selection seems to be successfully pushed down into the sand. Before one can follow through with the rest, the plant becomes foot-loose, gracefully arising to the top, necessitating starting all over again.

Live plants are a beautiful part of an aquarium, especially with a large specimen plant such as an Annubias. However, if not planted correctly, it is easy to bruise the fragile roots allowing the plant to die. The tuber of the plant should reside above the surface of the gravel or it will also rot resulting in the death of the plant.

One of the best tools is the common aquarium plant weight. Commonly called lead weights, they are not actually made out of lead, but rather a tin composite. These weights can be gently wrapped around the roots of a plant and pressed into the gravel thus holding the plant in place.

Since we use the weighted frame to actually hold down the plant, this gives us a place to conveniently cover any roots that need to be covered with gravel or sand. This allows us to gently bury roots that should be covered but without the risk of breaking or damaging the roots.

Lead weights are not actually lead, because lead is toxic and would release toxins into the water.

This is also a more healthy way to plant roots as this allows us to spread the roots out so they can grow more naturally and healthily.

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