Aquarium plants and water
One major benefit in aquariums should not be underestimated: plants affect the chemical composition of the water. They remove nutrients such as nitrate or phosphate, which are partly produced from the metabolic waste products of the creatures in the aquarium.
At the same time, aquarium plants enrich the water with oxygen, which is required by fish and other creatures. However, they only do this during daylight hours. At night, even underwater plants use oxygen, explaining why additional aeration can be highly recommended at this time of day. An aquarium’s lighting also plays an important role with regard to plant growth. As many aquarium plants are of tropical origin, they should receive about nine to twelve hours of light per day. And it is not just the length of this illuminated period that matters, but also the quality of the light.
For aquarium plants to flourish, they also have requirements with regard to the water’s chemical composition. Just like land plants, underwater ones require oxygen at night and carbon dioxide during the day to allow them to grow. However, adding extra carbon dioxide to the water affects its carbonate hardness and pH level. We therefore recommend regularly checking the water parameters and making sure that these fluctuate as normal over the course of the day/night cycle.