Random Bits: Sustainable Aquarium Garden Recommended Care

Sustainable aquarium gardens are wonders of Nature created by man.

Long lasting wonders and beauty that require very minimal care in return that no other aquariums or gardens can offer.

You can leave them unattended for weeks and months.

And yet, they need care and love that only you can provide to make them last for years.
Regardless of what size aquarium garden you may have, and all the different plants and critters in it, there is some general care for all of them that I have been practicing.

The first thing you have to choose is a place to keep your aquarium garden.
Place your aquarium garden away from direct sunlight, preferably close to a window.
It could be a kitchen table or your office desk.

A tilted background makes it look nicer ;)

I keep my aquarium gardens on a desk by the window in my living room.
A bright place without direct sunlight.

The water evaporates from the aquarium mostly through the leaves of plants growing on top of the aquarium.

The larger the plants, the more water evaporates and the more often you have to add water to keep the roots of the plants in the water.

Add dechlorinated water to the level as necessary weekly or monthly - you will see how it goes.
Fill up a cup with NYC cold tap water and sit it out in the open in a room overnight to allow chlorine to evaporate.

The next day, the water in the cup is ready for your aquarium garden.

You can remove the lid (the planter) and pour water in, to the level.

The water level should be always be below the tubes in the planter.
Your aquarium needs constant access to atmospheric air - remember it, it is very important!
Put the planter back.

I found adding water with a baby nasal aspirator or a pipette is more convenient.

Just pour water through one of the tubes in the planter.

No need to remove the planter for this ;)

Snails and scuds feed on algae and plants growing in the aquarium.
Algae and plants feed on waste produced by snails and scuds.
And so it goes around without a need for you to feed either of them.
It is a self sustainable ecosystem.

Plants grow faster during long Summer days and slower during Winter short days.

Let land plants grow before making cuttings.

Make new cuttings from the top parts of land plants with 3 or more leaves on each cutting, keeping 3 or more leaves on the old bottom part of the plant to allow growth of new branches on it.

Place the stem of the new cutting in the water to allow roots to grow in the water.

Make sure all leaves of the plant stay above the water at all times.

You may keep the old plant if it looks good and healthy or remove it after the new cutting starts rooting.

Cut and remove the old bottom half of the aquatic plants.

Keeping only newly grown parts.

Removing old dying plants reduces chances of algae bloom ;)

Common green algae is present in all aquariums whether you see it or not.
Algae is one of the most efficient natural filters that also provides oxygen and serves as food.

Algae tends to attach itself to walls and any other surfaces in the aquariums.

Use a brush (toothbrush) to remove algae from walls of the aquarium once in awhile.
Algae is good! and a necessary part of aquariums.

Aquarium health, and even life on our planet, depends on algae.

However, too much of any good thing is also harmful.
And so it is with good algae.
Removing old wilting plants from your aquariums prevents algae from blooming.

Changing water in aquariums is a drastic measure I prefer not to do.

Regular observations and timely removal or addition of plants into your aquarium gardens before water gets green is an effective way to reduce the amount of nutrition available for algae, and thus keep aquariums healthy and water clear.

Once again, I do not change water even in green aquariums like this one.
It takes months to get the water clean without changing water in a green aquarium at that stage.
Nevertheless it is doable.

Population of snails, scuds and seed shrimp is self regulating and grows up and down in cycles depending on available food, space and etc.

Snails may lay eggs on the plants - let them hatch before removing those plants ;)
Young scuds feed on algae while grown adult scuds prefer to feed on more sizeable food such as plants, snail eggs, and organic detritus.