Indoor plants, not for your aquarium

Do not blindly assume that all plants that are offered for use in an aquarium are indeed suitable. On the list below you can see the types that you better leave in the store. These plants will often survive in an aquarium for a few weeks and then quickly die. It is a waste of money and effort to buy these plants for in your aquarium.

Terrestrial plants with an image for recognition.

Acorus

Aeschynanthus parasiticus

Aglaonema

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Alternanthera

This plant comes in a green, a yellow (golden) and red version and is actually intended for low hedge plantings. However, there are also Althernantheras that are suitable for the aquarium, but they do not have round or lanceolate leaves as in the picture and they do not stay upright above water without support.

Alternanthera sessilis, left under water, to the right in a garden.

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Caladium

The following applies to the Caladium family: many variegated versions, one even more colorful than the other but not suitable for the aquarium.

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Chamaedorea

The Neanthe Bella Palm or Chamaedorea elegans is sometimes offered as aquarium plant. To the left you can see it as a houseplant, to the right in an aquarium basket as “aquatic plant: Another basket doesn’t make it another plant.

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Chlorophytum

Cordyline species

This is a huge extended family but generally easily recognizable by the long, sharp, variegated leaves.

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Cyperus alternifolius – Umbrella Palm

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Dracaena

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Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia comes in different types and colors. All unsuitable as an aquarium plant:

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Fittonia argyronanta – Nerve Plant

Because of its colors and structure on the leaves, the Nerve Plant is very attractive to see … under water they do not last long.

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Hemigraphis

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Houttuynia cordata

Fish Mint is a beautiful ground cover for the garden … not for the aquarium:

Lycopodium obscurum

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Maranta leuconeura – Prayer Plant

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Melaleuca thymifolia

Ophiopogon japonica

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Peliosanthes

Peliosanthes species, left in an aquarium, to the right in a planter.

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Philodendron

For use in the living room, Philodendron species are often guided through moss stems and then easily become room high.

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Pilea cadierei

Pontederia

Pontederia cordata or Pickerelweed is beautiful in the pond but not in the aquarium!

Schismatoglottia

Sciadopitys verticillata

Japanese Umbrella Pine or Sciadopitys verticillata, left a seedling, right in the garden, after 10 years and 8 meters high …

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Selaginella wildenowii – Willdenow’s Spikemoss

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Spathiphyllum

The different species from the Spathiphyllum family are marsh plants that live mainly above water. Spathiphyllum will die fast under water. Do not use Spathiphyllum in the aquarium.

Syngonium podophyllum

A plant with spear-shaped leaves and usually in bright colors. Also available in pink:

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Trichomanes javanicum – Borneo Fern

The Borneo Fern is also neatly delivered in an aquarium basket. Yet it is not an aquarium plant.

True Aquariumplants

Real aquatic plants are almost always recognizable by the fact that when they are kept above water, they collapse like a plum pudding; they need the upward power of the water to stay upright.The plants mentioned in this list are often offered for use in aquariums, but are not suitable for them. With constant immersion they will die sooner or later. There are also species that come from swampy areas, and they are accustomed to incidental dips and will not die immediately. Some even flourish for a while it, but that does not make them suitable aquarium plants. It often makes them suitable for terrariums and / or paludariums.

An additional point why you do not want to have them in your aquarium is that there are many poisonous species in the list, all belonging to the Arum or Spurge family.

If you still choose to keep these plants in your aquarium, (some people do not want to know better) go to a garden center and buy them in the houseplant department. , You will get much larger (and / or more) plants for the same money as if you were to buy them in the aquarium department. Moreover, they have not been submerged for a while, so they will live a bit longer. Remove two-thirds to three-quarters of the roots (leave just enough to fix them in the soil, the plant itself has no use for them underwater) and make sure you carefully rinse out all the soil residues between the remaining roots.