How to Trim Live Aquarium Plants in Your Fish Tank
By Eddie Waithaka @aquariawise
Trimming aquarium plants is necessary to maintain the appearance of your plants and the ecosystem of your fish tank. Pruning also encourages new plant growth and helps keep your plants from becoming too dense and blocking light and nutrients from reaching other plants and fish.
The frequency of trimming aquarium plants depends on the growth rate, but most benefit from a pruning every few weeks or as needed to maintain their size and shape.
However, it’s important not to trim more than one-third of the plant’s total volume in one trimming to avoid damaging them. You also want to only trim recent overgrown edges instead of the main stems or branches.
To trim live aquarium plants in a fish tank:
— Use sharp, clean scissors or tweezers or hold the plant between your thumb and index finger and gently snap off the part you want to remove.
— Identify the parts of the plant your want to remove before you start trimming to ensure you do not damage or kill your plant. Only remove new growths on the plant’s edges.
— Remove the plant at a 45-degree angle, about 1/4 inch above the node where a new leaf or branch grew.
— You will also want to trim and remove any dead or decaying plant material to maintain your water quality.
— Only trim a maximum of one-third of the plant’s total volume at one time to prevent damage to the plant.
How to Trim and Replant Stem Plants in A Fish Tank
Trimming and maintaining stem aquarium plants requires effort and attention because you can kill them, but it is not necessarily hard.
When trimming your stem plants like Water sprite and Water Wisteria, cut only the top portion of the stem, leaving a few inches intact to allow for regrowth.
Do not cut the main plant stem or cut the new growth too close to the main plant.
Once you get these details right and with just a few tools and care, you can readily trim you stem plants.
Here are the basic steps:
— Gather your tools: You will need a pair of clean, sharp scissors or knife, a bucket or container of clean aquarium water, and some planting tweezers or a similar tool for replanting.
— Decide where to trim: Choose which stems you want to trim based on their growth pattern and appearance. It’s best to trim the stem close to a node or branching point where new growth will emerge.
— Trim the stems: Using your scissors or pruning shears, make a clean cut just above the node or branching point. Be sure not to crush or tear the stem as this can damage the plant.
— Remove any dead or decaying plant matter: While trimming, remember to remove any dead or decaying leaves or stems from the plant to keep your tank clean and healthy.
— Replant the trimmed stems: Using your planting tweezers or a similar tool, carefully insert the stems you trimmed into the substrate, making sure they are planted deeply enough (2 inches) to stay in place but not so deep that they are buried.
— Do not Cover the Leaves: Cover the roots about two inches in the sand or gravel, but leave the crown and leaves above the substrate. Ensure you also leave two inch seperations between the plants to give them enough space to spread.
