How important are plants in a fishtank? I have four african cichlids, I had like 3 plants in the tank. But after a while they ate em up, now I can barely see the roots of those plants.
I heard the plants are important for fish, for O2. I have a bubbler for the fishtank though. Is it important to have plants in the tank for any other reason?
Plants and fish help each other and help stabilize an ecosystem. First of all, a plant will provide fish with a natural hiding spot in the event that it becomes startled or frightened. Its even considered a good sleeping place. Some fish like to sleep on plants too (labyrinth fish especially).
Second, people are often intimidated by the Nitrogen Cycle and usually end up buying very expensive commercial products to cycle their tanks. Plants are usually cheaper than these commercial products and help a great deal with the Nitrogen Cycle because aquatic plants can consume anything with Nitrogen in it as fertilizer. So basically, ALL the components of your Nitrogen Cycle (Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrates) CAN be taken by plants as food. Fish will excrete Ammonia primarily through their gills. Plants can remove this from the water and make your water safer. This is by FAR better than commercial cycling bacteria.
Also, plants consume fish poop as fertilizer, but they wont "clean" it for you, you still need to siphon it out. And, plants take in carbon dioxide from your water and with light convert it to oxygen and glucose for your fish. In a planted tank, shaking the surface with air stones is not good. It allows oxygen to enter, yes, but it will also allow precious carbon dioxide to escape. If you just wait, and give your plants sufficient light, they can convert the carbon dioxide to oxygen naturally. Don’t forget that if you have plants in your tank, they will compete against algae for nutrition and slow its growth. If you have really fast growing plants, they can sometimes completely stop algae growth all together.
Finally, some fish like to give birth in plants, or lay their eggs in plants too. They basically see plants as a good nursery or a hiding spot. Moss is very good for fry as it holds all sorts of microorganisms which fry can eat in their early days. Also, it gives fish fry cover from adults.
You probably need plants that have broad leaves so your fish simply don’t eat them up. Try some Anubias Nanas or Java Ferns. But the benefits of plants are too many to mention. Seriously.
