Llive aquatic plants vs. plastic

[cam]

I have 2 newts (firebelly) and was wondering if I should stick with my plastic plants or get some new live aquatic plants.
Cam

 

[pamela]

Hi Cam,

You could stick to plastic plants, but live plants are a great addition to your tank. They help "clean" the water by utilizing excess nitrates, and some plants are great oxygenators. Newts also like to hang out on them. Good, and easy, plants for beginners would be Elodea, Bacopa, and Java Moss. The elodea makes nice floating mats that your newts will use to rest on. Since I started using live plants with my fish (and newts), my tanks have been "healthier", and water appears clear and clean.

 

[carly]

For these types of plants, do you need soil? Or just something they can be grounded in?

 

[joseph]

For java moss, no. Some other aquatic plants do seem to require more specialized substrate types but just to provide cover for newts you don't have to worry any about this.

 

[dale]

I have elodea and bacopa growing well in a fish tank with just regular gravel. The elodea grows like a weed when I give it enough light, and the only time I have to spend taking care of it is the time it takes to trim it so that it won't overrun the tank!

 

[ken]

I use java moss and wisteria in my tank as well as duckweed.

The java moss is excellent and will grow both in and out of the water, attaching itself nicely to rocks, logs and even my turtle dock where it grows nice and spongy as long as I keep it moist.

The wisteria is the newt's favourite place to hang out, but the problem with it is that every so often all the leaves will start to die and it will produce baby plants while littering your tank with debris.

Duckweed is another story entirely. It grows far too quick and blankets the tank from one end to the other. Unless you're prepared to thin it out on a regular basis, it will block most of the light from your other plants.

 

[kristy]

I actually use a few Lucky Bamboo plants in my aquariums planted in the gravel. These plants aren't usually seen completely submersed in water but they do thrive this way.

 

[shaun]

I've also had success with dracaena sanderiana(lucky bamboo) but I bought my plant at an aquarium store. It's been super tolerant of the low temperatures/light and while it isn't growing, it's in good shape. Java Fern is also great - the stuff is practically invinsible and it's very easy to grow.

 

[martin]

Can most tropical plants available at stores survive in cooler temperatures or do I need to be careful with what I buy?