Getting Started with Planted Aquariums: Why Soil Matters When Aquascaping
When you’re growing a garden outdoors in the ground or indoors in containers, you know that your plants need good soil to perform well and stay healthy. Whether you’re growing vegetables or landscaping, this is always true. Did you know that the same is true when aquascaping in planted aquariums? Yes, the plants are under water, but they still need good soil to survive and thrive. Let’s address some common issues that arise when getting started with aquascaping and planted aquariums and get you set up for success.
What Is Aquascaping?
Before we can get into why soil matters when aquascaping with planted aquariums, we first need to establish what aquascaping is.
The catchy term refers to underwater gardening–the increasingly popular hobby that focuses on arranging aquatic plants, rocks, stones, wood, substrates, soils, lighting, and other elements to create planted aquariums that are beautiful while also being functional. Indoor gardening has taken the world by storm, and the next natural step is to bring in water and animals to the equation.
With aquascaping and planted aquariums, you can create miniature worlds that you can then nurture and watch grow. If you’re nature-obsessed like we are, there’s nothing better!
Using Soil Underwater
Soil? Underwater? Really? Yes! Most plants need soil or some sort of substrate to stabilize their roots and supply them with the nutrients that they need to survive and grow. This includes aquarium plants. But you can imagine how messy it could be to try and use regular outdoor soil or even potting mix in a planted aquarium–water and soil make mud! And muddy water is not what you want in an aquarium. Not only is it unsightly, but it also makes an unhealthy environment for fish or any other aquatic creatures that your aquarium houses. Dirty water also obscures the effort that you put into your planted aquarium, and it can make it hard for plants to photosynthesize.
So how can you ensure that your aquatic plants get the nutrients they need to thrive? AquaBed offers planted aquarium owners a novel way to provide a soil substrate without dirtying the water or making a mess.
AquaBed is a self-contained aquatic plant earth bed. It’s made using a fiberglass screened bag that allows for penetration from plant roots through the inner paper sleeve into a parcel of nutrient-dense soil. It’s fairly small–roughly 5" x 6"–and can sustain 3 or 4 plants for well over a year. AquaBed is held down by the sand, gravel or stones in the bottom of your aquarium, a plant is situated on top, and it eventually puts its roots down into the pouch of soil. The result is a natural aquascaping look and a mess-free way to ensure that your plants stay happy and healthy. AquaBed is non toxic, does not affect water quality, and is safe for fish and other aquatic animals.
Troubleshooting Planted Aquarium Issues
When growing plants in your aquarium, there are some common problems you might encounter. One question we get fairly often is “Why are my aquarium plants turning yellow?” As is true with any kind of gardening or landscaping, one question begets another, and the root cause of an issue could be one or several factors.
In this case, yellowing leaves on aquarium plants could be the result of several core issues, including the following nutrient deficiencies:
Nitrogen Deficiency: Frequent water changes without checking on nitrate levels could result in too little nitrogen being available to the plant. Nitrogen is essential for leafy growth and deep, green color and without it leaves will typically appear pale, yellow and sickly. If you are regularly fertilizing and monitoring nutrient levels but plants still have yellowing leaves, it could simply be that the plant has outgrown the current dosing and you need to fertilize more.
Iron Deficiency: If you’re noticing that leaves are pale yellow but retain green color in their veins, you could be seeing a clear sign of chlorosis, or iron deficiency. Special iron supplements can be used to rectify the situation. Iron deficiency is most common on the newest growth.
Potassium Deficiency: Yellowing that’s focused in small areas and surrounding a pinhole in the plant’s leaf could point to a potassium deficiency. Certain plants need more potassium than others, and fertilizers can be used to increase potassium levels in planted aquariums.
Phosphate Deficiency: Phosphate is the last of the “big three” macronutrients that plants require for healthy growth. Oftentimes, phosphates available in other inputs like fish food can supply all the phosphorus needed, but at times, there may be a deficiency. Older leaves are typically affected the most, and may turn yellow and brown.
Magnesium Deficiency: More common on older leaves, magnesium deficiency looks much like a lack of iron, with dark veining on a pale, yellow leaf. In this case though, it is the older leaves that are typically affected. You may notice leaf drooping as well. A complete fertilizer will typically include all of the magnesium needed.
Calcium Deficiency: A lack of sufficient calcium can result in malformed leaves, and can point to a water hardness issue. In this case, it is recommended to use special calcium salts to provide the necessary calcium for your plants.
How to Fix Nutrient Deficiencies
As mentioned above in conjunction with each specific supplement deficiency, fertilizers are commonly used to address all sorts of nutrient deficiencies in planted aquariums. However, figuring out just the right dosing can be tricky and you could end up doing more harm than good. While using a complete or all-in-one fertilizer is still a perfectly viable option, easier still is using a soil source that provides all the nutrients that your plants need to thrive. AquaBed does just that, and can sustain plants for a year or longer! Your plants will be happier and the other living organisms in your tank won’t be affected at all. When your plants stop sending out new growth and start to look sickly, you’ll know that it's time to change or add soil.
Beyond the major macronutrients, additional micronutrients and trace minerals, another reason why you’re seeing yellowing leaves could include a phenomenon called melting. This is especially common on new plants that are adjusting to your planted aquarium and were not being grown underwater. Old leaves will melt away, making room for new, healthy leaves that are adjusted to their new environment. Even if plants were grown submersed, they may have to adjust to the nutrient profile of your tank and melting may help them to achieve that. New leaves should be well-acclimated and the plant should grow well once recovered and fully transitioned.
It’ s also worth checking into your lighting situation. You may be able to correct what looks like a nutrient deficiency by adjusting or adding more powerful aquarium lighting that allows the plant to better photosynthesize. A plant that seems to stretch toward your light source and is very floppy and peaked could be showing you that it needs a stronger light that is closer to its leaves.
Successful Aquascaping With AquaBed
Clearly, soil matters when it comes to growing plants underwater! No matter what aquatic plant you choose, if you utilize the well-balanced, robust nutrient profile contained in every AquaBed packet, you can relax and enjoy your planted aquarium, knowing that your plants are growing well and providing a healthy and calming living environment to your fish and any other aquatic creatures. Now that you understand why soil quality is so important to planted aquarium success, it’s time to get planting and growing! Check out our list of five easy aquarium plants for beginners to get you on your way.
Check out the difference that AquaBed makes and get your own to start aquascaping today! Feel free to contact us with any questions.
