Advantages of Having Live Aqua Plants

There are many live plants varieties which are suitable for various types of fish tanks or ponds. Live plants have size ranges from a micro level to a very large level with various shapes. There are many advantages of having these plants inside a fish tank not only about beauty but it is very necessary for a healthy fish tank. In this article we describe few of them. These facts are very useful for anyone who is keeping fish or wishing to do that.

Live plants balance the Oxygen level within a tank. This is the most important reason for keeping plants within a fish tank. As any live plant aqua plants also generate Oxygen and absorb harmful acidic gases like Carbon dioxide. When you use live plants you need to keep in mind that at night these plants do not produce Oxygen and it emits Carbon Dioxide to the water.

Aqua plants are food for fish. Normally fish prefer to eat live natural food instead of artificial foods. By keeping plants inside you can provide healthy foods to fish. Also plants help to fish in their breeding seasons by letting them to lay eggs on the plants. Also plants provide protection to fish to hide sometimes. These are few advantages of having live plants within a fish tank.

Advantages of Fish keeping

Fish keeping has a very long history. Ancient Sumerians kept wild-caught fish in ponds, Depictions of the sacred fish of Oxyrhynchus kept in captivity in rectangular temple pools have been found in ancient Egyptian art. Like this there are lots of facts which show the history of fish keeping. Today we are going to share few advantages of keeping fish.There are various kinds of fish in the world. They are majorly grouped as fresh water fish and brine water (sea water) fish. Both types have its own characteristics. Normally fish keepers keep both types of fish but it is easy to keep fresh water fish relative to brine water fish. There are lots of advantages of keeping fish. 

  

•   To make the environment beautiful

Keeping fish helps you to enhance the beauty of your living environment. It may be home or office no matter you can keep fish with setting up a proper environment for them.

• To reduce the mental stress , anxiety and blood pressure

Several studies have proven that gazing at a fish tank reduces blood pressure. This offers great health benefits for anyone with a busy life and those with cardiovascular conditions. Measuring blood pressure is one way of measuring stress levels

• For children with learning

Researchers have found a link between an increased ability to focus after a walk in the park or a forest or other natural surroundings. So keeping a fish tank or a pond makes the environment more natural. This helps children or any person who do studies to improve his ability to focus.

When keeping fish we should be mindful to get these advantages without harming fish. While we are getting advantages from keeping fish we should take care them because they are living beings too. When you position your fish tank or pond you need to consider few factors.

•  Do not expose the tank to too much lightness or do not keep it in a dark place.

If your tank is over exposed to the light then you should cover your tank with black papers or something to reduce the light intensity. If the location is too dark you should use artificial lighting methods

•  Do not position it near a crowded place

You should avoid of positioning your tank in a crowded place. some fish are very sensitive and may die due to the disturbance of moving things/people.

•  Feed them properly

You should provide them a healthy diet. Specially if you keep in a tank where all the aqua plants are artificial.

• Clean the tank periodically

Tank should be siphoned at least once a week and cleaned properly. Period of a full clean depends on the number of fish living in the tank

•  Consider about the volume of the tank

Maximum number of fishes in a tank depends on the volume and the area of the water surface of the tank. Keeping more than proper number will cause a decreased growth rate, diseases and even deaths.

Above are few tips to concern if you are keeping fish. More facts and information about keeping fish will be discussed soon….

Neon Tetra

Freshwater fish keeping would be sadly poor without the brightly colored beautiful neon tetras. Small green, blue or red fish swimming in freshwater tanks would most probably be the ever-popular neon tetras. These fish are naturally found in the lakes in South America or East Peru. 

Neon tetras are so popular among aquarists because they are hardy fish. They are peaceful fish and rarely nip at each other or any other fish in a community tank. However, neon tetras are schooling fish and these fish are happiest if they are in a school or in a group of 5 or more. Schools or groups make the fish feel very secure. Neons are also very active fish and they dart about a lot in the tank. This is a joy to watch. 

Neon tetras can live for very long periods if they are given proper care. 10 years is a possible life span for the well-kept neon tetra. Neons usually occupy the middle or bottom levels of a tank, and can grow up to 4 cms. in length. The pH of the water should ideally be between 5.5 and 7.8. Their favored water temperature is in the range of 68 degrees F to 75 degrees F. The fish are generally spindle shaped. The belly area is a bit rounded especially among the females. The nose is blunt. A wide red band runs down the body of the neon tetra and extends up o the Caudal fin. A blue band that runs from the upper part of the eye precedes this. The side above this is olive green while the lower side is silvery. The anal fin is mostly transparent. This striking collage of colors, especially the contrasting red and green, makes the neon tetra one of the most popular and colorful fishes in the freshwater aquarium. 

Dark substrate and subdued lighting is the most suited for neon tetras. Putting in lots of plants is also very good for the timid and active neons. Some driftwood is also advisable. The tetras should not be kept with bigger fish, or they will end up becoming lunch. Since neon tetras are so popular, they have learnt to adapt themselves to a wide range of habitats. But, furious breeding of the tetras to supply enough fish for the burgeoning demand for neon tetras has led to the loss of their native robustness. New fish are very delicate and chances of losing fish just after they are introduced into a tank are very high. However, once the neon tetras have established themselves, they get along quite well without too much difficulty. 


Neon tetras are egg scatterers. They are a bit difficult to breed in captivity. This is mostly due to unsuitable water conditions. Eggs of the neon tetras seem to be light sensitive, so neon tetras need to be placed in a dark spot, as they get ready to spawn. A 2-3 inch layer of rock and some fine textured live plants are the best medium for spawning. The water temperature should not be above 75 degrees F. A lid should be kept on the tank at such a time, as the fish tend to jump very high during this period. While breeding the neons, it is necessary to look for the healthiest breeders. Only young fish should be used for breeding purposes. They should be fed some live foods especially 2-3 days before breeding. These breeders have to be left in a spawning medium for about a day. The eggs are usually released early in the morning. The eggs are almost transparent and barely stick to the surface of plants. The eggs will hatch in about 22-30 hours. The small fry are very hard to spot at once. But, as soon as they become free swimming in 3-4 days, they will be seen very clearly, though they are yet very small. The breeders should be removed as soon as the eggs are spotted. As soon as the fry are free swimming they should be fed with infusoria. Neon tetras that breed in captivity are not very prolific. A good spawn would consist of about 40-55 fry only.