If you have an aquarium, then you must be worried about the maintenance of it. The plants inside need trimming and other services that we need to provide. Here today we will discuss it and will tell you the secrets. But we have to be conscious about the growth and the trimming method of the plants too. Today we will discuss how to trim the aquarium plants.
There are different types of plants we grow in our living room aquariums. Their trimming method is different and for extensive trimming it can disturb the balance in the aquarium. But for a better environment frequent trimming is required and it will keep the plants in good health. Also you will see the aquarium looks awesome in your living room.
Check this video:
Aquascape Tutorial – Trimming Stem Plants – YouTube
How to trim aquarium plants
There are some specific methods to trim aquarium plants. Now we will discuss them with you as you can follow them and learn easily.
- Regularly cut the longest shoots above the bottom leaves and use them as a new plant. Replant them and they will grow again. Basically the new shoots come from the trimmed stem and grow again.
- The bottom layer and moss are trimmed, from backward direction. In this way they will grow faster.
- In the same way, the bulbs, echinodorus, tubers are also trimmed, where the outer leaves cast shadow on the surface. We can cut the surrounding leaf here.
- In the case of Cryptocoryne, we should cut off the yellow and damaged leaves only. If the plant group is too dense, then we can cut away and remove the plants.
- We will trim the Stolons if they are hampering the surrounding plants. We also can replace stolons with new plants instead of old ones.
- There are Rhizome plants that are basically slow-growing plants. Rhizome stem is a trimmed one from a bunch of leaves, when they are big enough. If we plant them, then new shoots will grow from these leaves.
What kind of tools can you use to Trim Aquarium Plants?
There are different types of tools around us, from which we can trim the plants. We can use any kind of sharp, effective scissors or blades to do the task. Actually we need a clean cut and should not damage the plant. Keeping the plants in proper shape and size will keep the aquarium in the right form.
From various tools we can use scissors, blades, shears and tweezers. You can use one needed for the right task.
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What else should you keep in mind with Aquarium Plants?
There is an interesting thing about the underwater plants. If you trim them or cut any portion, there is a Hydra effect on them. They will grow bigger and denser this time. So, we have to keep those things in our mind. Now, if we do this very frequently, we have to assess whether it is good for the decoration or not.
Here, it is better you look over your aquarium by yourself. When you observe regularly, you will notice which plant to trim or cut. And you will understand which part is getting denser, so according to the observation you can plan the decoration too. What happens to your plants then? You have to plan according to the plants in the aquarium. The less plants you have, there are less nutrients and less CO2 your aquarium will need.
So, there are other facts. If you trim the plants well, you have to minimize the nutrients too. As per the nutrients the plants and mosses will grow in the tank. So, it is upto us how dense we want the moss and plants to grow. Over use of nutrients can harm our fishes too.
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Rejuvenating your plants
The main purpose of rejuvenating is to keep your plants fresh and looking nice. But when you cut-off the shoots from the group of plants, these are regular tasks of trimming. In this process the aging process of plants increases and they are in a regular growth habit. You may lose some plants for trimming, but that is not a big issue. As you can plant the shoots around the previous plants they will make dense plant groups. Then it will be easy for you to have aquatic plants for a longer time.
Some important FAQ
Can you cut back aquarium plants?
Extensive trimming will imbalance the aquarium environment, so it is preferred to do frequent trimming. It will make the aquarium look smart and friendly. Generally stem plants are trimmed and the longest shoots are cut. They are replanted in the aquarium for more plants.
How do you trim water plants in a fish tank?
We can put the plant out of the water and then trim it as required. We will replant it in the aquarium. If we cut them in water, the trimmed parts will start floating and will hamper the water quality of the aquarium.
Do you need to trim aquarium plants?
Generally the aquarium plants grow slowly. So, the best way to control the growth is to trim them. We can put them out of water, or minimize the level of water to start trimming. And with proper trimming, we can keep control on the plant’s growth.
How do you trim and replant aquarium plants?
When we need to trim the pants, it is best to bring the plant out of the water. The long shoots can be trimmed and saved for planting. When we have separate shoots, we can replant them in the aquarium, beside the other plants. It can be a dense and more lively environment in the aquarium.
Last words
As we have discussed a lot about , how to trim the aquarium plants- you will be able to trim your plants easily and with plan. Plant trimming is not tough but you should have the proper idea to do that in the right order. Some bad planning can ruin the aquarium environment. So, make a good plan, trim the plants and control the aquarium environment as desired.
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