Aquarium plants

Low aquarium plants that spread sideways across the substrate. They are the ones that need the most light and the most patience.

Cut a stem, replant the top: these are the plants you shape the back of a scape with, and the ones that need trimming most often.

Leaves come off a crown sitting in the substrate. They feed through their roots, so they want soil or root tabs.

They grow on rock and wood, never in the substrate — bury the rhizome and it rots. Most of them are low-light and slow.

Tied or glued onto hardscape. Slow, forgiving, and the usual way to make new wood look settled in.

They sit on the surface, take nutrients straight from the water and shade everything under them.

Grown from a bulb dropped on the substrate; they throw up a few large leaves and then rest.

Which aquarium plants match my light?

Start with the light requirement on each entry. Aquarium plants with different growth forms can still need similar lighting, so a short plant is not automatically easier than a tall one. Use the difficulty and growth-form filters to narrow your options, then open the card to check CO₂, temperature and placement together.

How do I compare foreground aquarium plants?

Compare aquarium plants by mature height, growth habit and the conditions needed to spread. A carpet takes space sideways as well as upward. Check whether the plant belongs in the substrate, and leave room for neighboring plants instead of choosing only from the size shown in the thumbnail.

Which aquarium plants belong on rocks or wood?

Check the placement field for aquarium plants that attach to hardscape. The epiphyte and moss filters provide a useful starting point, but the individual entry explains the supported placement. A plant’s appearance in a photograph does not establish how it should be fixed in your own tank.

What should I check before buying aquarium plants?

Match aquarium plants to the conditions you plan to maintain: light, CO₂, temperature and their eventual position. Verify the scientific name when shop labels differ, and compare alternatives on the entry page. The planner lets you place your choice by hand and check the combination with the other plants and animals you selected.