Can You Have Too Many Live Plants in an Aquarium?

One common piece of advice shared among aquarium enthusiasts is related to the quantity of fish and invertebrate species they should keep in their tanks. Overstocking aquariums is never recommended because fish generally enjoy having enough space to swim around. This isn’t the case with all species, but things can get uncomfortable if too many fish are stocked in a smaller tank, particularly if they’re known to be territorial. Things are different with live plants because all aquarium species will appreciate them. A thick underwater jungle isn’t usually a problem because fish will find ways to swim around the plants, but there are a few things to keep in mind when keeping freshwater planted aquariums with a large amount of plants.

Some Fish Really Enjoy Destroying Plants

As previously mentioned, fish don’t mind plants at all, but some of them enjoy them for more than just additional nutrition and hiding. For example, African and American cichlids are known to treat rooted plants as toys. If your fine substrate is no match for your larger cichlids, they’ll move it around just so they can get to the root and play around with it until it dislodges. Some of the larger Plecostomus also show uprooting behavior, but it’s related to scavenging. With this in mind, you may want to protect your plants with heavier substrate.

Too Many Floating Plants

The problem with the surface being overcrowded with floaters is that they may end up shading plants that grow beneath them. All plants need light for the photosynthesis process, particularly aquatic grass and stems that grow near the bottom. One way to avoid this is to strategically place LED aquarium lights around the tank to ensure all plants are being illuminated.

Hair Algae Growth on Moss

Java and Christmas moss plants are very attractive for all tanks, and they really contribute to making the ecosystem healthier, but they’re also known to enable the bloom of hair algae. In the beginning, you may not notice this pesky algae, but it may end up changing the water color once it spreads through the mossy plants. This shouldn’t stop you from growing moss because you can always get small American Flagfish and Otocinclus to keep them clean. These two species are voracious and happen to love hair algae.

When Aquatic Plants Turn Invasive

Like other living organisms, many aquatic plants choose to reproduce and multiply. Some aquarists have been surprised by sudden growth of plants they never intended to keep. This usually happens when acquiring a plant that carried the spores of an invasive species. There’s no need to worry about invasive plants taking up nutrients because the ecosystem will try to balance this out, but if they’re taking up too much space and crowding other plants, you’ll need to prune them or remove them. Like any terrestrial garden, you have to do a little pruning to make it look beautiful.

To properly care for the plants and fish in your aquarium, you’ll need several key items on-hand. You can find everything you need at Aquatic Warehouse, a leading provider of freshwater and saltwater aquarium supplies. We’re located in Kearny Mesa, we offer an array of amazing products for sale on our website, and if you have any questions you can call one of our friendly and knowledgeable representatives at 858-467-9297.