How do I plant my bulb plant?The banana plant, dwarf aquarium lily, tiger lotus, and aponogetons (also sold as “betta bulbs” at pet store chains) are all types of plants that grow from a bulb or tubers. Rinse the bulb or tubers to remove any rock wool or loose substrate covering it, and place it on top of the substrate. If the bulb starts floating, you can either wait for it to sink or place it loosely under a piece of hardscape to keep it weighed down (until it develops roots that will firmly anchor it into the substrat...
How to Care for a Tiger LotusWhen looking to add plants to a freshwater aquarium, there are endless choices. Color and shape are some important things to consider when trying to achieve the most pleasing look overall. One plant that is both beautiful and relatively simple to maintain is the tiger lotus or Nymphaea zenkeri. With its broad, wavy-edged leaves and variegated color pattern, it can bring a new and stunning aesthetic to your aquarium. The tiger lotus is a bulb plant that has two kinds of leaf structures. The fi...
Which Planted Tank Fertilizer Is Right for You?Ever wonder how professionals and even advanced hobbyists make those gorgeous aquascapes bursting with plant life? It all comes down to having the three essentials that make aquatic plants happy: Good lighting Substrate as needed Nutrients, like fertilizers Many beginners will ignore that last piece of the puzzle because the world of fertilizers seems like a complicated hot mess. Everyone on the internet is pushing for dry fertilizers because they’re cost-effective and highly customizable, ...
Top 5 Aquarium Fish That Love Soft WaterMost beginners in the fishkeeping hobby are not aware that not all fish can live in their tap water. Some species are quite sensitive and will only thrive if the pH and GH (or general hardness) of the aquarium match their native habitats. Try measuring the pH and GH levels in your tap water using a multi-test strip. If you have a GH number that is 4 degrees (75 ppm) or lower, then your water contains fewer minerals (e.g., calcium and magnesium) than normal. Rather than fight your naturally so...
Which aquarium plants need root tabs?Cryptocoryne plants (or crypts), sword plants, bulb plants, carpeting plants, and plants that produce runners all tend to feed from the substrate and will greatly benefit from root tabs. Stem plants like bacopa and moneywort can absorb fertilizer from the water or ground, but they seem to prefer the former. Plants that don’t need substrate to grow – such as mosses, floating plants, anubias, and java fern – typically do not use root tabs as much. For more information, read our full article on ...
Which plants can I put in the Easy Planter?The Easy Planter is a fake rock decoration with a hole in the center that is perfect for placing a plant with its plastic basket inside it. This protects the plant from being uprooted by fish and allows you to move the plant around when desired. The Easy Planter works best with: Anubias Ferns Cryptocoryne plants Grass-like plants (like dwarf sagittaria and vallisneria) Bulb plants The following plants do not grow as well in the Easy Planter: Mosses Carpeting plants (with tiny leaves and ...
New Deliveries at Aquarium Co-Op! 🆕This week at Aquarium Co-Op's retail store we got in some beautiful Small Assorted Discus, Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, Magenta/Purple Mystery Snails, and Pea Puffers! As far as plants this week, the Pogo. Octopus and Dwarf Sagittaria that we have in our Easy Planters are looking especially full and nice! Also, our Dwarf Aquarium Lilies are looking lush and happy as well with multiple shoots per bulb. For this week's Tank Tip I wanted to talk about the importance of quarantining fis...
Our 5 Favorite Aquarium Plants That Everyone Should TryIf you have ever tried to buy live aquatic plants online, it can be a bit overwhelming when looking at all the different species, care requirements, and difficulty levels. At Aquarium Co-Op, we strive to provide a curated selection of the easiest, hardiest plants in the hobby, but sometimes it can be nice to just talk to someone at the store and get a few personal recommendations. That’s why we interviewed our CEO Cory McElroy to find out what his current favorite plants are that he thinks ev...
How to Care for a Dwarf Aquarium LilyWish you could put lily pads in your aquarium? Check out the dwarf aquarium lily or Nymphaea stellata. This beautiful, easy-to-grow species hails from India and Southeast Asia and is often used as a midground or background plant. Its bulb spouts a compact bush of 4-inch, arrow-shaped leaves and then eventually extends long stems of lily pads that float at the water surface. Compared to your typical green aquarium plant, the dwarf lily provides unique textures and interesting colors ranging fr...
10 Best Background Plants for Beginner AquariumsOne of the easiest ways to make your fish tank look less like a glass box and more like a slice of nature is to cover the back wall with a lush forest of tall aquarium plants. Check out these 10 beginner-friendly background plants that grow to 12 inches (30 cm) or more. Before we begin, remember that most of these plants are grown emersed (or above water) at the plant farms, so when you bring them into your aquarium, their original leaves may melt away since the plants must grow new leaves th...
When Should I Dose Potassium in My Planted Aquarium?Just as your fish need to have a healthy diet and clean water to grow big and beautiful, plants also require a special “diet” of lighting and nutrients to thrive. To have the proper building blocks needed to grow well, they need large amounts of macronutrients (like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) and trace amounts of micronutrients (like magnesium and zinc). Our Easy Green all-in-one liquid fertilizer contains all the correct ratios of these macronutrients and micronutrients that can be...
Top 5 Red Plants to Try in Your Next Planted AquariumOne of the basic design principles of aquascaping is to create interesting spaces that catch the viewer’s attention, such as by utilizing plants with different textures, heights, and colors. However, most plants are green in color, so how do you prevent your planted tank from looking all the same, like a solid green background? Thankfully, there are several red plants that have pink, scarlet, bronze-red, and even reddish-purple leaves, so let’s talk about our top 5 favorites that you should t...
5 Amazing Wild Betta Species that You Should Try BreedingEveryone has heard of Betta splendens, the colorful, flowy-finned betta fish you see in pet stores. But did you know there are several other species in the Betta genus that can be kept in home aquariums? As with B. splendens, most of them come from the vegetation-filled swamps and marshes of tropical countries in Southeast Asia. Because of the low oxygen levels in stagnant waters, these anabantoids have a special labyrinth organ that allows them to swim up to the water surface to gulp air. Th...
How to Fertilize Your Planted Tank the EASY WayWe're big proponents of getting live aquatic plants because of their natural beauty and ability to purify water, but a common question we get is, “Do I need to fertilize my aquarium plants?” From our experience, most people have to fertilize because fish waste does not provide the proper amounts of nitrate, potassium, phosphate, and other trace minerals that plants require to flourish. Another big factor is your local tap water. If you live on well water, your water may contain lots of he...
Quick Guide: How to Plant Live Aquarium PlantsCongrats on getting your new aquarium plant! Depending on which type of plant you have, there are different guidelines you should follow for introducing your new foliage. This quick guide leads you step-by-step through the recommended ways for adding live plants to your aquarium. Should You Remove Pots from Aquarium Plants? Most plants purchased online or from a local fish store come in a plastic pot stuffed with rock wool. In most cases, you want to remove this little basket and the stuffing...
5 Best Fish Tank Ideas for a 20-Gallon AquariumGetting a new 20-gallon aquarium is like starting with a fresh, blank canvas. There are so many possibilities when it comes to choosing the decorations, live plants, and of course aquarium fish. If you’re stuck in analysis paralysis from all the choices, here are five of our favorite setup ideas to help inspire you. 1. The “I Just Want It to Look Good” Aquarium Unless you’re an expert aquascaper or creative artist type, it may be difficult for you to come up with an intricately beautiful desi...
How to Care for a Tiger Lotus
When looking to add plants to a freshwater aquarium, there are endless choices. Color and shape are some important things to consider when trying to achieve the most pleasing look overall. One plant that is both beautiful and relatively simple to maintain is the tiger lotus or Nymphaea zenkeri. With its broad, wavy-edged leaves and variegated color pattern, it can bring a new and stunning aesthetic to your aquarium. The tiger lotus is a bulb plant that has two kinds of leaf structures. The fi...
Which Planted Tank Fertilizer Is Right for You?
Ever wonder how professionals and even advanced hobbyists make those gorgeous aquascapes bursting with plant life? It all comes down to having the three essentials that make aquatic plants happy: Good lighting Substrate as needed Nutrients, like fertilizers Many beginners will ignore that last piece of the puzzle because the world of fertilizers seems like a complicated hot mess. Everyone on the internet is pushing for dry fertilizers because they’re cost-effective and highly customizable, ...
Top 5 Aquarium Fish That Love Soft Water
Most beginners in the fishkeeping hobby are not aware that not all fish can live in their tap water. Some species are quite sensitive and will only thrive if the pH and GH (or general hardness) of the aquarium match their native habitats. Try measuring the pH and GH levels in your tap water using a multi-test strip. If you have a GH number that is 4 degrees (75 ppm) or lower, then your water contains fewer minerals (e.g., calcium and magnesium) than normal. Rather than fight your naturally so...
New Deliveries at Aquarium Co-Op! 🆕
This week at Aquarium Co-Op's retail store we got in some beautiful Small Assorted Discus, Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, Magenta/Purple Mystery Snails, and Pea Puffers! As far as plants this week, the Pogo. Octopus and Dwarf Sagittaria that we have in our Easy Planters are looking especially full and nice! Also, our Dwarf Aquarium Lilies are looking lush and happy as well with multiple shoots per bulb. For this week's Tank Tip I wanted to talk about the importance of quarantining fis...
Our 5 Favorite Aquarium Plants That Everyone Should Try
If you have ever tried to buy live aquatic plants online, it can be a bit overwhelming when looking at all the different species, care requirements, and difficulty levels. At Aquarium Co-Op, we strive to provide a curated selection of the easiest, hardiest plants in the hobby, but sometimes it can be nice to just talk to someone at the store and get a few personal recommendations. That’s why we interviewed our CEO Cory McElroy to find out what his current favorite plants are that he thinks ev...
How to Care for a Dwarf Aquarium Lily
Wish you could put lily pads in your aquarium? Check out the dwarf aquarium lily or Nymphaea stellata. This beautiful, easy-to-grow species hails from India and Southeast Asia and is often used as a midground or background plant. Its bulb spouts a compact bush of 4-inch, arrow-shaped leaves and then eventually extends long stems of lily pads that float at the water surface. Compared to your typical green aquarium plant, the dwarf lily provides unique textures and interesting colors ranging fr...
10 Best Background Plants for Beginner Aquariums
One of the easiest ways to make your fish tank look less like a glass box and more like a slice of nature is to cover the back wall with a lush forest of tall aquarium plants. Check out these 10 beginner-friendly background plants that grow to 12 inches (30 cm) or more. Before we begin, remember that most of these plants are grown emersed (or above water) at the plant farms, so when you bring them into your aquarium, their original leaves may melt away since the plants must grow new leaves th...
When Should I Dose Potassium in My Planted Aquarium?
Just as your fish need to have a healthy diet and clean water to grow big and beautiful, plants also require a special “diet” of lighting and nutrients to thrive. To have the proper building blocks needed to grow well, they need large amounts of macronutrients (like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) and trace amounts of micronutrients (like magnesium and zinc). Our Easy Green all-in-one liquid fertilizer contains all the correct ratios of these macronutrients and micronutrients that can be...
Top 5 Red Plants to Try in Your Next Planted Aquarium
One of the basic design principles of aquascaping is to create interesting spaces that catch the viewer’s attention, such as by utilizing plants with different textures, heights, and colors. However, most plants are green in color, so how do you prevent your planted tank from looking all the same, like a solid green background? Thankfully, there are several red plants that have pink, scarlet, bronze-red, and even reddish-purple leaves, so let’s talk about our top 5 favorites that you should t...
5 Amazing Wild Betta Species that You Should Try Breeding
Everyone has heard of Betta splendens, the colorful, flowy-finned betta fish you see in pet stores. But did you know there are several other species in the Betta genus that can be kept in home aquariums? As with B. splendens, most of them come from the vegetation-filled swamps and marshes of tropical countries in Southeast Asia. Because of the low oxygen levels in stagnant waters, these anabantoids have a special labyrinth organ that allows them to swim up to the water surface to gulp air. Th...
How to Fertilize Your Planted Tank the EASY Way
We're big proponents of getting live aquatic plants because of their natural beauty and ability to purify water, but a common question we get is, “Do I need to fertilize my aquarium plants?” From our experience, most people have to fertilize because fish waste does not provide the proper amounts of nitrate, potassium, phosphate, and other trace minerals that plants require to flourish. Another big factor is your local tap water. If you live on well water, your water may contain lots of he...
Quick Guide: How to Plant Live Aquarium Plants
Congrats on getting your new aquarium plant! Depending on which type of plant you have, there are different guidelines you should follow for introducing your new foliage. This quick guide leads you step-by-step through the recommended ways for adding live plants to your aquarium. Should You Remove Pots from Aquarium Plants? Most plants purchased online or from a local fish store come in a plastic pot stuffed with rock wool. In most cases, you want to remove this little basket and the stuffing...
5 Best Fish Tank Ideas for a 20-Gallon Aquarium
Getting a new 20-gallon aquarium is like starting with a fresh, blank canvas. There are so many possibilities when it comes to choosing the decorations, live plants, and of course aquarium fish. If you’re stuck in analysis paralysis from all the choices, here are five of our favorite setup ideas to help inspire you. 1. The “I Just Want It to Look Good” Aquarium Unless you’re an expert aquascaper or creative artist type, it may be difficult for you to come up with an intricately beautiful desi...
