How Many Plants Can One AquaBed Support?
Is aquascaping soon to become a serious hobby for you? Maybe you’ve just started dabbling in planted aquariums. Or, you could own several tanks and have plenty of experience but are looking for a new approach. Either way, finding a reliable growing medium is a vital first step. Here’s what to know about AquaBed and how it will support the plants in your aquascape aquarium.
What Is an AquaBed?
Before we get into how many plants you can use with an AquaBed, let’s discuss exactly what this product is. AquaBed is a self-contained, nutrient-rich aquarium plant soil bed that sits hidden under gravel or sand. It’s specially designed to deliver targeted root-zone nutrition to aquarium plants. AquaBed is 4" x 5" and several can be used together for larger planted aquariums. Over time, as plant roots grow into and through the medium, it hardens and becomes a solid mass. The nutritional profile of AquaBed is balanced and does not impact water pH or animal health. All in all, it’s a convenient and proven way to grow plants in water.
Plant Density and AquaBed
As mentioned above, AquaBed is 4" x 5" in size. While that can sound small, this high-quality earth bed can support 2 to 3 plants, close together, for several years. If you have a very small tank, or you prefer a minimalist look, then perhaps just one AquaBed will suffice. However, if you have a large planted aquarium or several of them that you’ve developed with different themes or styles in mind, then you can utilize several AquaBeds to achieve your ideal aesthetic. They work well both for scenes that are completely underwater and those that include partially submerged plantings.
One Aquabed substrate is suitable for this aquascape design
Multiple Aquabed substrates would be needed for this aquascape design
Best Plant Species for an AquaBed
AquaBed works for just about any plant, so long as you limit the number to 2 or 3 plants per self-contained pouch. It is true that some aquatic plants may have niche requirements that necessitate a different growing media, but any easy aquarium plants for beginners will be right at home in an AquaBed. These can include plants like the Java fern (Microsorum pteropus), broad-leaved anubias (Anubias barteri), eelgrass (Vallisneria) and Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri), to name just a few. Some of these plants are very amenable to even less-than-ideal conditions, and others can serve as fish forage. All of them will benefit from the balanced nutrients that AquaBed planting medium offers. The nutrition they receive from AquaBed will negate the need for additional, expensive fertilizers that can be confusing or overly complex to use. AquaBed will sustain plants without impacting water quality or appearance.
When To Add More AquaBeds
If you already have planted aquariums and are using AquaBed to grow plants, you know that it can be a challenge to get things looking just right. It would be a shame to have to dismantle everything and add new substrate or growing media because plants outgrow their beds. We’re happy to relate that if you choose to use AquaBed in your aquascaping efforts, you can passively feed and sustain aquatic plants for 3+ years at a time. As a testament to their effectiveness, AquaBed has lasted 8 years and counting in test planted aquariums!
Besides times when you may want to bring in additional plants and are already at capacity with existing AquaBed pouches, other times to change out planting media would be if you begin to see signs of common nutrient issues. If you’re using AquaBed and still asking, “Why are my aquarium plants turning yellow,” it could be time for a new AquaBed, or there may be underlying issues with your water supply. That said, unless the nutrient needs of your plants are especially demanding or they are especially fast-growing, you likely will not need to replace AquaBed for several years.
Aquascaping With AquaBed
If aquascaping is your hobby of choice, then AquaBed needs to be on your “add to cart” short list. This innovative product enables you to grow dense, luxurious plantings or keep things minimal–either way, your planted aquariums will be thriving for several years at a time. AquaBed enables you to take a more hands-off approach to aquatic plant management and makes it easy to grow planted aquariums, whether you opt for easy aquarium plants for beginners or more rare specimens. Either way, the balanced, slow-release nutrition of AquaBed and the self-contained, mess-free construction cannot be beat. Contact us today to learn more about our product, check out what customers are saying, and pick up your own AquaBed today–we just know it will revolutionize aquascaping for you.
